Hanging out in Carcassone!

Rene and Jim had very kindly offered to take us along for another day of travel to uncharted territory, but Alan and I decided to stay in Carcassone and enjoy it.  Once we saw the pictures and heard their experiences, of course, we wished we had gone with them. However, we did have a nice relaxing day in a huge walled city!

One reason the day was so relaxed is due to the fact that this part of France takes what appears to be a siesta from 11:30 to 2:30.  Alan and I trudged up the hill to Carcassone with the intention of visiting the Chateau right in the middle of it.  We arrived at 11:15 and noticed the sign that said the Ramparts closed between 11:30 and 2:30.  Since we wanted to see ALL of the Chateau, including ramparts, we decided to wait for 2:30.  There are other ramparts that you do not have to pay for so we wandered up and down and around as much as we could before stopping for lunch in a little, deserted coffee shop.

My delicious French lunch - salad, Croque Monsier and red wine, yum!

The cathedral in the middle of Carcassone is a very peaceful and beautiful place to visit. And on both days we were there, we were lucky enough to be entertained by what we think was a Russian quartet. It was so nice to sit in the cool darkness with the stained glass windows and candles of various saints while listening to such beautiful music. And the acoustics made it sound as if a chior was singing, not just four very talented men.

After lunch, Alan and I wandered back to the Chateau, where loads and loads of people with the same idea all arrived at once. One thing we forgot, this was Saturday!  Not to worry, we enjoyed the Chateau, but after walking all the other ramparts, we decided to skip these since we were getting a bit tired.  After waiting so long to get there when it was all opened, we didn't even go to the part that caused us the delay. Oh well....

With our late start, I was in fear of missing out on Kafe and Kuchen, which is something I very much enjoy regardless of what country we are in.  There are not too many bakeries in the Cite and I was worrying that I would miss out on my last full day here.  But just as we started the return journey, I noticed a display unit with the most beautiful strawberry tarts I have ever seen.  It is called La Vie Dievale.  Since it was getting late and we had coffee in our room, Alan and I decided to take our treats with us.  I became greedy though and, although I had to have that strawberry tart, there was another baked good - the name looked like Jesuit, but I am not sure.  It sort of looked like a pizza slice covered in powdered sugar and almonds.  I got that too.  Since Alan's selection and my tart were already in a lovely little box, I was given the "Jesuit" in a small bag, which I placed with another bag. 

The wind from the Pyrenees can get really mean and we had not realized just how much the wind had picked up in our day of touring Carcassone. The Chateau had a sign about the two different types of wind and the viscious and cold wind coming off the Pyrenees is called "Cers".  I don't remember what the nicer wind is called......However, I did note to myself that we were experiencing Cers.  But knowing this and realizing consequences are two different things.

As we began to leave the walls of Carcassone, Alan offered to take one of the things I was carrying - a bag in one hand and the precious box of baked goods in the other.  I joked that I was well balanced.  Little did I know that just around the corner I was going to pay the price of being greedy - as I turned the corner, a gust of wind caught that precious box and deposited both of our specially selected treats with a splat on the ground.  Alan was extremely nice and did not berate me for dropping his cream slice.  He even offered to cut off the edges and eat it, which he did.  My tart on the other hand was beyond salvation and I had to walk away.  The moral of this story is I am not as well balanced as I claim to be! 

Our last night in Carcassone was fabulous! We met Barbara, Peter, Rene and Jim for a wine tasting at the Vinotheque. In addition to trying out 3 different local wines - one sparkling, one white and one red, we also had delicious cheese to complement the wines.  It was the perfect way to finish a lovely 4 day visit to this area.  We definitely plan on returning!

"The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving."  Oliver Wendell Holmes  1809-1894