Blogs from Carcassonne, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, Europe

14thApril 2012 Saturday Awoke to blue skies!! And the day remained dry – apart from the snow on the mountains!! We set off via Caunes Minervois up into the Black Mountains this area is famous for its red granite. Several monuments in Versailles and in Rome have been made from it. The entrance to the caravan site at Villegly where we are staying has a large sculpture in the granite. As you go up into the mountains you pass vines and market gardens growing fruit and vegetables. Then the road became quite icy and snowy so decided to turn around!! Much of the area is wooded (Chestnuts) but there are some good views. Back to the site for late lunch then a good walk up to the windmill Ste Anne where we could look down on ... read more

12 April 2012 Thursday Departed from St Pierre near Cahor in pouring rain!!The site was becoming quite muddy underfoot. Arrived at Camping Le Moulin Ste Anne at Villegly near Carcassonne early afternoon. Rain has abated somewhat, and it is warmer here, about 15deg C, the forecast looks as though the weather is due to improve!! Late afternoon stroll into the village, a chateau with the grounds open so we had a good walk around –This seems to be a lovely part of France!... read more

After spending a night at the campsite, the morning was a bit rough (at least for Elysia). It was a cold night, but we awoke to the beautiful sunshine. After packing up the tent and making some coffee, we headed to spend a few hours in the old town of Nimes, before making our way to the highlight of the day, Carcassonne. We were only in Nimes for two hours, which we felt wasn't enough, so we will have to go back. We had incidently picked up a walking tour pamphlet for Nimes, so we thought it would be a great way to get a feel for the city. Unfortunately we lost the brochure with the street map in it, but more fortunately, we were right in front of the tourist info centre when we lost ... read more

We arrived at Carcassone late in the afternoon, and probably made a foolish decision to walk up the hill (Kansas mountain) to the fortress. It was a very long walk, involving marital snarkiness. Finally we reached the top; at least one mile and possibly two. I have wanted to visit Carcassone for a very long time. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site because there are so many intact medieval buildings inside the old walled city. Printed guides claim it is worth it to spend the night inside the old city walls because the town retains its character after all the tourists have left for the day. This is very true. We entered the main gate after the last busses were pulling out of the parking lot. The rest of the night was charming. Carcassone has ... read more

Trois jours dans une contrée riche en histoire. Gens du Québec, sentez-vous vengés de tout ce beau temps dont nous avons plus qu'abusé depuis notre arrivée, pendant que vous vous les geliez... Lorsque, ces derniers jours, vous frôliez des T° presque trop chaudes, nous avions, dans les hauteurs, un temps ressemblant à l'automne québécois, avec peut-être un petit peu plus de vent. Laissez-moi vous dire que les gougounes sont restées à l'hôtel ! La journée du jeudi, que nous avions d'abord prévue pour une visite à Collioure, a été troquée contre une virée en pays cathare, avec visite audioguidée d'un château médiéval, suivie d'une visite-dégustation d'une cave en Corbières. Que nous avons été bien inspirés de faire ce changement ! Ce fut une journée mémorable. Ces quelques photos vous résumeront chronologiquement notre séj... read more