Carcassonne

Today - Carcassonne. They say that a picture tells a thousand words - check out this puppy.

Cite de Carcassonne

Carcassonne was an "oppidum" or a fortified hillside camp in ancient times and became a fortress from the 11th century onwards. It has survived over 1000 years of history and conquests - incredible. Basically, its this city within the confines of a set of 2 walls - designed to keep out the likes of the Wisigiths who seized the ramparts in the 5th century, followed by the Saracens who claimed the city walls later.

We walked in through the front gate and you could almost sense the battles that must have ensued here for so many years. It was pretty cool. 100 or so people still live in its dwellings, protected against any further assault by the 3 kilometre long walls and 52 towers.

One of the things that really made an impression on us was the level of quality and value that the myriad of shops and restaurants offered you within the walls. Inside, 99% of the people are tourists and captive tourists at that. Yet, the shops all had really classy, well priced goods and the many, many restaurants had menus that were no more expensive than anywhere else. Surely this situation is a prime opportunity to hike the prices, as most large tourist areas do - but they don't here. You buy a baguette below the Eiffel Tower, and you sure as hell pay a premium. It really made an impression on us. 

After another great day, we headed home via the Intermarche (read large super market) to try to find a hose for the shower head that Jamie broke - we are quite keen to get our 150 euros damage deposit back. For dinner tonight - tinned cassoulet du canard, baguette and a crisp white grenache. Total cost - about 12 euros. A bargain - just like the Cite de Carcassonne.

Tomorrow - Marseillan. Lunch at Chez Phillipe with Susan and Frederic and a tour of Noilly Prat. What are you doing tomorrow?