A
short drive today...Toulouse to Carcassonne 95 k's.
The
citadel of Carcassonne is a perfectly restored medieval town
protected by UNESCO. It crowns a steep bank of the river Aude, a
fairytale sight of turrets and ramparts overlooking the Basse Villa
below.
In between the walls, an interior space known as Les Lices runs for just over 1km around the castle. Though designed as a defensive space to delay would-be attackers, during the medieval era the city’s poorest residents would have built a shanty-town of houses and workshops here.
A drawbridge can still be seen in the main gate which leads into the citadel’s interior, a maze of cobbled lanes and courtyards, now mostly lined by shops and restaurants.
We
walked on the ramparts, after entering the Chateau Comtal,
a keep built for the viscounts of Carcassonne during the 12th
century. Admission includes access to the keep’s rooms and a
section of the battlements, with fabulous views over the surrounding
countryside and the distant Pyrenees.
We visited the lovely Basilique St-Nazaire next to place du Château, notable for its Gothic transept and vivid rose windows. Often, traditional chanting can be heard inside, the building has an amazing acoustic range and was once the main cathedral but was de-consecrated when Napoleon’s men rode on horseback into the sacred space.
We could hear cheering as we walked and discovered that a full contact Medieval Battle Tournament was underway with teams from France and other countries competing...press the arrow above and you should see a very brief movie clip...these boys mean business...they were keeping the Red Cross very busy!
Tonight we're staying in one of three rooms above this restaurant...
it serves gastronomic cuisine with traditional dishes from the region.
Dinner was memorable for all the right reasons.
Today we walked 12.1 k's.
