France - The Pyrenees - Along The River Ariege (2/151)

France - The Pyrenees - Along The River Ariege (2/151)

The Ariège rises high up in the mountains of Andorra, on the border to France. The torrential river then wends its way swiftly through the French Pyrenees. In the Stone Age people already inhabited this region where spectacular subterranean caves are still waiting to be discovered. Famous prehistoric painted caves such as that of Niaux attract visitors from far and wide. Another thrilling experience is a journey on the underground river of Labouiche. Medieval cities and hot springs in the Ariège region testify to its former prosperity. Powerful kings once came from Foix, the capital of the Département Ariège. Cathar fortresses such as Montségur still loom over the landscape, visible from a great distance. In the isolated high valleys of the region the "black prince of the Pyrenees", a rare and valuable horse breed, has survived; it is named after Merens, a small village on the Ariège. Julius Caesar and Napoleon both rode into battle on Merens horses, and the ancestors of these small but sturdy animals evidently already existed in the era when the Stone-Age people painted their horses on the cave walls. Bears, too, are now returning to this region, and the legendary Pyreneen dog, the patou, has joined the shepherds to protect their flocks.