■ PYRENEES, FRANCE: After driving the length of Italy and the French riviera in just 36 hours I arrived in my favorite region of France; the Pyrenees. This was the site of the Albigensian Crusades there the Catholic church in cahoots with the French king sought to subdue or slaughter the Cathars. The Cathars were a christian sect whom the pope viewed as heretical, quite possibly due to there refusal to pay tithe, or a tenth of ones' earnings to the church.

This whole region is littered with a ridiculously high number of epic hilltop castle ruins, many of whom were used by the Cathars to hide from the onslaught of the Frankish crusaders.

The biggest of all these structures still standing today is the Castle Peyrepertuse. To get to the castle itself one must first drive up half a mountain, then treck through a forest and up towards the top of the peak.

Sounds easy right? Well how about doing all this in utter darkness before the sun is up. Did I succeed? This and more in my night siege of Castle Peyrepertuse.

Music used from Italian Composer Mattia Cupelli

Mattia Cupelli - Dark Choir Music
https://youtu.be/-GuD1rs9Z5I

Mattia Cupelli - Emotional Sad Piano Music
https://youtu.be/_JYHk_D5A44