Medieval Time Travel

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Simone went back to work this morning, so I decided to spend the day touring La Cité de Carcassonne.

La Cité is a restored fortified medieval city in Carcassonne, France. Not just a castle, mind you, but an entire city including a castle, basilica, hotel, shops, residences, etc. I couldn’t get a picture of the entire city (I would have needed a view from much further away), but you can see a good shot at the Carcassone entry in Wikipedia (click to enlarge) and I have included a picture of a model that shows the walls, castle, and basilica.

The place is just amazing. From what I’ve read, the site has been occupied as a strategic location at least as far back as 122 B.C., when the Roman’s settled there. While the restoration was not not strictly authentic it is, nonetheless, amazing. When I say the restoration was not “strictly authentic” I am referring to things I read on the web suggesting that some choices of, say, roof tiles or roof slope, were not true to the region and time the restoration was to represent. Not being a historian, or a student of medieval architecture in southern France, this did not diminish the impact for me, at all.

There is a cemetery just outside the walled city and I spent a while there taking some pictures. After that, I spent the balance of the day walking the walls and streets of the city and touring the castle (which includes a museum of medieval art and artifacts) and basilica. I have included many pictures (but only a small sample of those I took), and you can find many more on the web by searching for Carcassonne (there’s even a board game based on the city). While there are commercial elements to the experience (many restaurants and shops), it is completely different from the “amusement park” feeling you get in, say, Disney. In fact, the restaurants were not noticeably pricier than those outside the fortified city (which would be unforgivable in the US). The fact that many of the shopkeepers and some others actually reside in the city provides additional character.

While my vocabulary is still less than that of a three year-old, I was able to make it through a day in La Cité with very little English. Of course, I do that by using a couple of key French words and copious pointing. Still, it's amazing how much you can learn in a short time when immersed.

As the sun was going down, Simone met me in Carcassone (La Cité is really a city within a city) where we enjoyed a nice dinner on a local canal. This was my first dinner at a restaurant in France and I have to tell you, prices are healthy to say the least. A full meal with wine for one would have cost upward of $60 US. Thank goodness for the “prix fixe” menu -- wine, appetizer, entrée, and desert w/ coffee for about 18 euros (about $24 US). Since I am not much for big dinners anyway, I think I will be sticking more to the café/bistro fare which has is lighter, tasty, and much more reasonable.

French meals can go on for quite a long time and as best I can tell the server will not bother you with the check if you don’t ask for it. We were at one of about four outside tables at this restaurant, but I got the sense that, as far as the establishment was concerned, the table was ours all night. I never felt rushed or obligated to free the table for others (despite the fact that all the tables were full). It was a nice change of pace.

The waiter provided excellent service and even helped me to learn more French, once Simone told him I was interested. Contrary to everything I’d heard, I've yet to meet someone here who seemed offended by my efforts to speak their language. To the contrary, most seem pleased or at least amused. Over dinner, I was asking Simone many questions about French vocabulary and grammar and my efforts (read 'mistakes') were apparently a constant source of entertainment for the woman at the table behind us -- all just part of the fun.

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Photos

Cemetery
A cemetery located just outside the fortified city walls.

Model of La Cité de Carcassonne
For scale, this is a model of the city. The building at the top is the castle and the building to the left is the basilica.

Front Entrance
Notice all the people and how narrow the entrance is.

Multi-Use
Believe it or not, this car just pushed its way through that entrance (with the people parting like the Red Sea).

Busy Streets
The busiest streets were near the entrance.

Empty Streets
But like most cities, not all the streets are busy.

Views from the Wall
This is the view of the entrance way to the city from the other side of the front wall.

Views from the Wall
View of Carcassonne sprawled out in front of the fortified city.

Lunch
Notice the carafe, which comes with most sit-down meals. Always a nice touch.

French Sweets
Don't worry kids, I got a little for you.

Castle Model
So, now that you've breeched the city, you still have to get into the castle.

The Barbican
First comes the barbican and the narrow walkway to the castle.

Comments

[Jamie]

Unreal
These images are great- places like this really do exist! And you found Kokopelli too. Looks just like him. Now I know I HAVE to go to France.