Carcassonne Castle

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Geo: 43.8114, 4.63547

Drove to the town of Carcassonne today, a medieval town two and a half hours towards the border of France and Spain. The castle overlooks the town, being situated on the crest of the hill. It is a massive structure.

The town was originally settled in the 2nd Century BC by the Romans. The Castle was placed under seige by the order of Pope Leo in the 12th Century, and many citizens were killed as a result.

The castle has been painstakingly restored over the past few hundred years.

It was interesting to hear the history of the castle as ownership shifted between various tribes and nations. It was also interesting to hear a non-english centric view of the Crusades, with the Crusaders being basically plunderers and thieves, rather than heroic conquerors.

I had my first drive today on European roads, driving two and a half hours home to Beaucaire. Made it home safe, so that was a good start. It is a little scary concentrating hard to unlearn all of your auto response driving.

Off to Avignon tomorrow, which was the home of the Popes in the middle ages.

Jim and Kim

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Photos

Carcassonne Castle
The entrance to the castle.

View from the Castle Walls
The occupiers of he castle had a commanding view of the surrounding countryside.

The Abbey at Carcassonne
The Abbey is inside the inner castle walls.

The Inner Walls of the Castle
Shows the strength of the castle in being able to repel invaders.

Jim and Kim Below Castle
Taken on a bridge looking up to the castle.

Comments

[Anne Croxford]

Hi Jim & Kim I've only just received your email re yr travel blog. It had gone to my spam file which I rarely think to check. It was lovely to hear from you and great to see your photos. You must be having a wonderful time. How much
longer are you away? I look forward to seeing more of your travels.xx Anne