Beautiful Carcassonne!

We were sad to say "goodbye" to Sarlat, but excited to visit lovely Carcassonne, the French fortified city.  It's a Unesco World Heritage Site, and is considered a perfect medieval castle!  It was built on he ruins of an old Roman fortress (built in the 1st century AD).  The castle and walls were built in the 13th century and was a strategic point for the French King during the Hundred Years War against England.  It fell into disrepair until restoration began under architect Viollet-le-Duc.  His restoration work is considered to be a masterpiece of medieval architecture.

I had actually been to Carcassonne around 1971.  My grandparents, thinking I needed to improve my French language skills, enrolled me in a summer camp run by the French equivalent of Girl Scouts, called "les Éclaireuses".  Let's just say French Girl Scout camp is NOT like American Girl Scout camp!!  It was extremely rustic (we slept in pup tents in a field, ate our meals out of our individual mess kits (everything was cooked on an open fire), and our daily activity was helping with an archeological  dig  at the fortified wall...in reality we were just wheelbarrowing loads of dirt away from the archeological site...all day!  At the end of our time at camp we were sent in group of 6 to "hike" (basically wander through the countryside with a  simple map and no money).  We had to ask local farmers if we could sleep in their barns or fields, and we had to ask for food...we had nothing but the simple map - I guess they thought it was character-building.  As you are picturing this lovely scene, keep in mind that I was too shy to use my rudimentary French...thankfully the other girls were thrilled to be able to practice their English!  So, yes I have been to Carcassone, but I was eager to see it as a tourist (I don't remember even going inside the walls of the city back in 1971.

Our pup tents...3 girls to a tent!

My grandparents and cousin had been staying in nearby Albi and came to visit me one day...that's my Oma in the blue raincoat, stocking, and neatly done hair!

We ate under an open sided structure (there is Oma sitting with us!)

My grandparent' rental car, my grumpy little cousin (looking a bit like Harry Potter), me (in the lovely chapeau, holding my mess-kit!), several other campers and my Oma.  The blond next to my grandmother was my  tent-mate, Françoise, who came to visit me the following year.

Anyway, I am so glad we came to visit Carcassone...so I could see it through different eyes!  

This is the view from our hotel!  It was just unreal how close we were and how lovely the view was!  We walked over and had dinner within the walls.  Gary had a horrible reaction to his gout medicine earlier in the morning and did not feel up to joining us; he stayed home in the hotel and rested.

Words just can't even describe how pretty it is!

It is so beautiful at night.  The city is actually double-walled and is illuminated between the walls...that combined with the gorgeous night sky had us stopping every few feet to take photos!

The color of the night sky was just amazing...

I love these little alleyways, it's so easy to picture Carcassone as a lively, bustling medieval city!

This was the view from our dinner restaurant...excellent food in a very simple, unassuming restaurant.  There was an open kitchen and we loved watching the chef, always smiling and clearly enjoying his work. I think I've been watching too much "TopChef", because I'm so used to a frenetic kitchen energy/crazy energy/fast movement...but watching this chef was like watching a smooth and beautiful dance.   We had pig jowls for dinner (this was something new to all of us); so tender and delicious...with fabulous complex sauce.  It was a delightful evening.  We are still having trouble adjusting to how late everyone eats here...we got to the restaurant at 7pm, when we left the restaurant at 9:30, the place had just filled up.

You can see the double wall fortification here.

Pretty but tricky stone footing to walk on!

I love the "witch's hat turrets!

It was a bit drizzly when we headed out dinner, but cleared up for our walk home!

Lots of little squares/plazas with crooked little lanes leading to them...like a maze, but around each corner was something quaint and beautiful!

The streets are lined with little shops, we had been warned to come later in the day, or early in the morning, before the crowds are too deep, and the shopkeepers get too aggressive...the way we timed it (and perhaps the drizzly weather helped), we felt like we had the whole city to ourselves as we wandered!

This is the view of Carcassonne that I remember from 1971...just the exterior wall!

One afternoon/evening to visit Caracassone was perfect!  It made a nice stopping spot between Sarlat and Collioure, and was really a treat for the eyes!  I highly recommend a visit here - the history is awe-inspiring!  We all kept thinking:  "If these walls could talk!"