Tag Archives: Carcassone

SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #2: CAPTIVATING “NEW” CARCASSONE

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When I say “new” Carcassone, it’s a stretch, since the lower town below the walled fortress dates to the late medieval period.  It is newer than the old, fortified city up on the hill!

Carcassone is in the Basque Country of France, straddling the border between France and Spain on the coast of the Bay of Biscay. The region is home to the Basque people, an ethnic group with their own culture and language, which is the oldest language spoken in Europe.  They also share genetic ancestry, unique in that they have the highest percentage of Type O blood of any ethnic group.

Exploring Carcassone can be challenging for the less mobile.  It’s a bit of a steep scamper down the hill to get to the lower town on foot, but it was worth the effort to have a look around.  The walk across the bridge over the Aude river offered nice (but not photogenic on this day) views, and the pastel painted homes on the other side of the bridge were nice to photograph.  I especially enjoyed the odd choice of sculpture subject as well as the charming and colorful streamers over the streets in the center of town.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Next up: SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #3: APPEALING ALBI

SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #1: CAPTIVATING OLD CARCASSONE

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What a lovely way to begin our Overseas Adventures Travel (OAT) tour!  We were greeted with a gorgeous sunrise at the airport in Paris, following our red-eye flight from Atlanta.  Next, we boarded a flight to Toulouse, France, where we were transported by car to Carcassonne to begin our six-day pre-trip extension (in late August).

The old city of Carcassonne, located in southern France, is surrounded by a fortress high up on a hill overlooking the rest of the city.  Step inside the walls, and you will feel like you have been transported back in time to the medieval period, 2,500 years ago.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Our hotel was in the old city, just a short walk from the entrance of Cité de Carcassone, the medieval citadel (or fortress).  We had arrived one day early, so we had three nights at the hotel with plenty of time to explore the charming old city on the hill as well as the newer city down below.

Although it rained during much of our time in France, we were fortunate to have some beautifully sunny periods to get in some good photography.  We also enjoyed exploring and photographing the lighted citadel walls at night.

Entering the old city– a steep climb from the new city below
Cite de Carcassone, the medieval citadel
Inside the citadel museum, there was a computer-generated slide show projected on the wall of a large room. This image shows the citadel and a portion of the old city.
The clouds were rolling in, so we bolted from the museum to get in our walk around the citadel walls before the rain arrived. This is a view down to the “new” city of Carcassone.
The old cemetery
A view of Carcassone Cathedral from the fortress wall

A look inside the citadel museum:

After getting a birds-eye view of the cathedral, we stopped in for a closer look:

Carcassone Cathedral
A closer look at the cemetery, just outside the walls
Enjoying escargot with our group at L’Escargot; it tasted much better than it looked!
Delicious cuddlefish and potatoes
Carcassone at dusk
Carcassone at night

Coming up next: SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #2: CAPTIVATING “NEW” CARCASSONE