Timeline by Michael Crichton - Review

Timeline by Michael Crichton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fast and easy read. I love novels with this kind of "time travel" topic and Michael Crichton's writing is always "easy" to read. He's clear, not "wordy" and keeps you interested in the story. This one had very engaging characters, of which he is a master. Not too in depth but likable, they grow on you if he wants them to and you hate them if he wants you to do that as well. I like the idea of the past being accessible even if he does a good job of not making it sound ideal! I would recommend this novel to MC fans, to thriller lovers, and to history buffs and those who like anything French.
 



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P - Pyrenees

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2014.html

My husband spent nine years of his youth climbing in the Pyrénées, a Mountain range that creates the border between France and Spain. I love these mountains, and not just because my husband does. There is just SO much to do and see! We’ve enjoyed “Canyoning” a mix of climbing and swimming, discovering restaurants, and the “devil’s bridge”, and an old fort called the “Donjon des Aigles,” (Fort of the Eagles) renovated to house and show birds of prey. Small sheep/goat/cattle farms like those at Sost, make and sell their own cheeses. Andorra is another country set right between France and Spain, where gas (and almost everything) is cheaper than in the bigger neighbors because it has ski resorts and no sales tax! The Pyrénées on the Spanish side are much drier and surprise you into thinking them a different mountain range all together. On the French side the countryside changes continuously from one region to the next, speckled with ancient forts and castles like Foix. Here you’ll find Lourdes, where the waters and grotto draw pilgrims all year long, not to mention the spa town of Luchon and the distinctive horses of Merens-Les-Vals. The Atlantic end has the BasqueCountry with its distinctive architecture, history, and colors. The Mediterranean end sports towns like Collioure, a perfect example of life in the sun with a touch of history. Not to mention beaches stretching out like half-clothed women in the sun. Trekking, climbing, enjoying the views is always in demand and one such place is where the Pyrénées’ rugged spine is broken and called the “Brèche de Roland.” Legend has it that Roland broke through with his sword and marched on to a glorious win against the Saracens in Spain.

Here is a GREAT site for information about the Breche, Gavarnie, andthe mountains in general. 

The Pyrénées have just about anything you could wish to see… Okay, stopping now!

Canyoning in the Pyrennes

The water is cold but the rock formations magnificent.

Le Pont du Diable, The Devil's Bridge near Foix

Le Donjon des Aigles near Tarbe.

A mad dash for the hills in Sost!

Yep, that's a cow going by right outside the car window. We had to stop to let the herd pass.

The farm at Sost, owned by the famille Sost for nine hundred years! New buildings here of course...

Andorra...

A village on the Spanish side...

The gorge for canyoning on the Spanish side

Luchon

Merens-les-Vals

The distinctive Merens horses.

Lourdes

St. Jean de Luz, the Basque Country

Collioure at night

Collioure's colors...

Hiking in the Pyrenees, Elizabeth Barwick during her first trip to France.

Mountain islands among the clouds at sunset...

Do you see the sheep dotting the mountainside?

Le Breche de Roland, Roland's Break, very clear to see here...

M - Montsegur

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2014.html

Montségur is steeped in such a sorrowful history that one can almost feel it as you pass the cross memorial and climb the winding path to its broken walls. It holds a special place in my heart. My husband, who was raised in Toulouse France, first brought me here and recounted its tragic history. Now I've visited numerous times, taken our children and friends there, and each time I learn something new from the experience. The castle fort just previous to the one we can now see was impregnable until treachery breached its walls and brought about the deaths of hundreds of innocents, who were burnt at the stake. Of course this happened a very long time ago and even though the castle we see isn't the one razed by the powers that were at the time, the feeling of unjustness embodies it, as does the history of those who were persecuted, the Cathars. However, the side dwellings ruins plainly seen on the far side at the base of the walls are original to the Cathars. Montségur is as shrouded in legend as it is in the mists that often obscure it. Set in the Pyrénées, if you are a history buff or a photographer, this place is a must see. It is a quiet area and off the beaten path. The village below the old castle on its rock-strewn knoll is quaint and a perfect place for a picnic. The hike up to the old fortified castle is steep so wear good footwear. If the day is clear, and sometimes even if it isn't, you will find the view is stunning and well worth the climb.

 

This video is partially filmed on location at Montségur.

The castle ruins of Montségur from the road as we come up on it

The Cathar memorial and our daughter Marjorie

Okay, onward and upward, literally

The side gate entrance to the fortified castle

Marjorie showing the scale in the back side gate

The west end interior

The east end with stairs

One side with the ruined original staircase. The holes mark where the beams went to create a second floor

This shows how the fortifications were built right into the rock of the mountain

Me in the "Chapel" area

Exterior walls with my husband Geoffrey

Exterior walls showing a partial restoration of a wall

Geoffrey and one of the views

Our son Tristan and another view. He scared me getting so close to the edge...

Marjorie and yet another view

The lands slopes sharply away from the ruins

It was a gray day but the views were still stunning

Another view from the ruins

The reason for the memorial isn't forgotten even now

Montségur, the village from on high

A "tunnel" in the village. The village is as old, if not older than the fortress ruins

The old watering trough in the village

Flora everywhere in the village

The Croix Occitan forming a "clock" Languedoc style, as a sundial on the exterior wall of a house in the village

Picnicking in a field by the village with castle ruins in the distance

Another online site to visit for more information is HERE