Castle in the sky!

---

A bit of a chilly night at Camping Carcassonne, Woolly decided to sleep with his hat on! Packed and ready by 9.30am we paid our 20 Euros (approximately £17.00 GBP) which included half an hour internet, good sized pitches with hedges round for privacy, toilets and showers clean, so not bad at all. Woolly was waiting in Oliver ready to go and discover the huge place we had seen on our way in last night.



Woolly says – The City of Carcassonne had looked amazing, a massive Gothic structure, I was wondering if there was going to be vampires there! We squeezed Ollie into the car park and made our way slowly up the rather steep incline to the top. Turning through the gates I was stunned, there was a whole world inside the walls. With small winding streets the shopkeepers were busy opening their doors, while a few old men sat chatting around the small square, it looked very pretty. Carcassonne is a UNESCO site and had 52 towers, which could be a lot of climbing! Used by the Gaul’s, Romans and many others over its 2500 year history there looked like there was a lot to see. The Chateau hadn’t opened so we followed the tiny streets towards to immense towers we could see and came to the drawbridge. The two twin towers were originally a royal symbol of power and are definitely the most impressive part of the fortifications that we saw. Meandering through the streets we made our way to Saint Naizaire and Saint Celese basilica which became the cities cathedral in 1801. Inside it was very dark and fairly plain in decoration but the beautiful stained glass windows provided all the décor you could want. While Ian was busy taking pictures Jo and I snuck off to have a look at some of the shops.



We found a chocolate shop and a lovely place which was packed to the rafters with jellied fruits, candid fruits and fruits preserved in every way possible, it was all very tempting, the prices however weren’t at 5.90 Euros for 100g (approximately £5.00 GBP), we headed out. We caught up with Ian at the Chateau entrance and handed over our 8.50 Euro each (approximately £7.20 GBP).



Woolly says – I loved the outside of the Chateau with its wooden coverings on the ramparts and the tower. We followed what seemed to be the whole German nation inside, not to mention the three parties of school children, and I gripped onto Jo while she tried to get pictures. It was very much a case of snap and walk in a crocodile fashion. The arrows took us through the 12^th century main buildings over the fortified walls of what would have been the great hall. Climbing up we came to the wooden and stone watchtower which the pigeons seemed to be enjoying. The ramparts gave us good views of the courtyards and the surrounding area before we found ourselves in the Gothic halls filled with stonework from the chateau, I found a statue of a knight, I wonder what tales he would have told of his battles and life. Finally as most tours do we opened a door into the shop. They did have some nice things but like the sweet and candy fruit shop they were very expensive.



Needing a coffee and some subsistence we found a café and settled down, Woolly and I shared a chocolate crepe and then I spent the next ten minutes scrapping chocolate off his tusks and trunks. Ready for the off we got back into Oliver and set course for Fontvielle.



Woolly says – it was getting nicely warm now and I swapped my hat for my bandana as Oliver ate up the miles, passing acres of vines, small pretty towns and villages before crossing the Rhone River and sitting in the traffic jam that seemed to make up Montpellier. We found Camping Les Pins easily and while Jo was paying our 15 Euros (approximately £12.75 GBP) including wifi, I spotted a sign for golf! At last I could get my clubs out, but it was not to be, they haven’t built the course yet, Jo and Ian have promised me a game soon so I can only wait and hope until then.

---