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Published: November 1st 2009
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Well, there we were at the end of the our Canal du Midi trip in Carcassonne on Thursday. The boat didn't actually have to be returned until Saturday-which was great because we could live on it while we toured Carcassonne. So, some background (always feel free to skip to the pictures-really, we won't even know!!)
If you have a bit of an interest in history in general, or medieval history in particular, Carcassonne has a bit of it all. It has weathered wars, seiges, famine, fortune and whatever else could be thrown at it since about the sixth century BC. It has been held by the Romans, the Visigoths, the early middle-ages by a Languedocian family, the Trencavels. It was a Cathar stronghold, was besieged and taken over by Simon de Montfort, was taken over by one of the many King Louis in France, then attacked by the "Black Prince" of England during the hundred years war, and so on.... Anyhow, though this may make it interesting to some, it is the "current" Carcassonne that attracts the crowds. Rather than the work of various conquerors, etc. it is really the fifty-year rebuilding of the "Cite" that took place in the
nineteenth century that attracts people today. Though, without all that histroy, the rebuilding would likely not have taken place. Viollet-le-Duc rebuild the "Citadel" which in 1997 was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I could describe it for you at great length but the pictures pretty much tell the tale. The "Cite" is the ramparts, and Disney like Castle part of the town. The "ville-basse" which is the lower town is also pretty old, though the "Black Prince" burned it to the ground in 1355-he was pretty ticked off that he wasn't able to take the Citadel itself so kind of took out his frustrations on the lower town. That makes the lower town quite a bit newer-though it still has a few years on most of Canada!!
Anyhow, there is some controversy surrounding Viollet-le-Duc's rebuilding as he seems to have gotten a bit carried away at the time. There are supposed to be lots of things he added, or multiplied, or even just made up in the rebuilding that never really existed. Sometimes it was extra towers; sometimes it was supposed to be the shape of the towers, and so on...but perhaps we are just quibbling. The stone
itself is likely about the same age-just a question of how it was assembled-and the plans he had to work from were likely just suggestions-like stop signs in Carleton County!
Anyhow, the final effect is pretty impressive. The "Cite" is now filled with lots of things that tourists can't live without-dozens of tacky souvenior shops, oodles of post card shops, a significant number of slightly overpriced cafes, a few really overpriced restaurants and hotels, not nearly enough bathrooms for the wandering public, but a great place to wander through for a few hours or days-as long as you have comfortable shoes. The ville basse is also interesting, and there are lots of good places to eat and things to do there. The best, and best deal, on "moules frites" so far (i.e. mussels and fries). The Bistro near the train station has them on for 5 Euros (around $7.50)-a steal-most places want 8-12 Euros for them. It is also a great room-very classy old hotel dining room that has kind of fallen on hard times.
On Saturday morning, we were able to wander about in the biweekly market that takes place in the Place Carnot, one of the
Two towers from Between the Walls
The Cite is surrounded by two sets of walls with some fairly large spaces between them in places. The outer walls were not nearly as high as the inner... main gathering places and squares in the lower town. The markets here are so impressive and a joy just to walk through. The produce and the tourists mixed with little old ladies with their straw baskets is wonderful to see. More and more, there seem to be "supermarches" in the mix which sell a little bit of everything but thankfully, there are still many daily and/or weekly markets with an emphasis on fresh produce. We bought some lovely oysters at the market last week for 3.75 euros/dozen -- that translates to around $6.00 (and they were lovely). More about markets soon...
But enough about Carcassonne. Enjoy the photos. It's one of those places where it's hard to stops taking them as there is something "picturesque" around every corner.
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Sherry and John
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Carcassonne
Reminds me of Haut-Koenigsberg, a restored medieval castle we visited in Alsace Lorraine, but Carcassonne is much more impressive because it's an entire town.