Carcassonne… an authentic medieval fortress

CarcassonneRecently, I’ve been reading two of Ken Follett’s novels, Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. He sets the fictional story in a realistic Middle Ages town in England, which he calls Kingsbridge.  Mr. Follett’s description of Kingsbridge Priory, the Earl of Shiring’s Castle, and the town of Shiring came to life for me today upon visiting Carcassonne, a medieval fortress town in southern France.

Carcassonne is located in the south of France about one hour from its border with Spain.  Since about 700 A.D.,  the huge stone walls have provided refuge and fortification for various lords, earls, and their serfs.   It is surrounded by two massive outer walls with towers and barbicans, a moat, and a large drawbridge all designed to ward off attacks.

CarcassonneInside the walls are the restored remains of a thriving medieval city.  It is easy to imagine medieval life going on in Carcassonne.  Merchant’s shops, pubs, craftsmen and noble houses are easily identified. 

There is an inner close, a castle within a castle, where the lord of the town apparently lived.  Enclosed within these secondary fortifications is a modest palace and church.

After touring the town, I decided to find a spot for dinner.  After rewalking the town to assess dining possibilities, I referred to “TripAdvisor.com” and decided upon “Adelaide Restaurant.”  The GPS feature on my iPhone led me directly to the restaurant, where I was lucky to get a table.

saladThis being my first night in France, I was ready for their rich cuisine.  I decided upon a Fois Gras starter with fig compote and greens. 

IMG_1064 My main course was their duck confit cassolette, which included a roasted duck leg and its juices,  cooked in a pot with white beans and sausage. 

IMG_1062Dessert featured chocolate mousse and raspberry ice cream.  This was all washed down with a splash of the local red wine from Corbieres, just down the road from the restaurant.

3-Ok, now we go to the hotel…

Recently, I’ve been writing about my experiences planning and leading tours. This was brought on by a friend at church asking me how I liked my recent “vacation” in Europe. Don’t get me wrong, traveling in Europe is a blast and I wouldn’t do it if I did not really enjoy myself, but there is a lot of work to it too.

I’ve gathered the group from all the bathrooms and ATMs in the airport and have them on the bus. Finally, we are heading into central Paris. It’s early afternoon by now and the folks are excited to see the countryside, road signs in French, and the little cars. Things go well. I get on the microphone and begin telling the group about Paris’ history and how we are going to explore the city in the next few days. I talk about the hotel in Paris and try to prepare them for something quite different than what we have in the USA.

We hit the ring road around Paris and have timed it just right. There are no traffic jams! In just a few minutes we leave the highway and are in the heart of Paris surrounded by crowded streets, no lanes, horns blowing, and pedestrians everywhere. From behind the bus windows, the folks are struck in awe of the little shops selling fruits and vegetables, the chic clothing boutiques, and the facades of the 17th century buildings lining the streets. It’s just so… Parisian!

Soon we come to our hotel, our home-away-from-home for the next three days. Of course there is nowhere for a big bus to park so the driver just stops, turns on his emergency flashers, gets out, and opens the cargo doors. I remind everyone to take all their stuff and not to leave it on the bus because you’ll never see this bus again, and then I say it two or three more times just for emphasis. We have to dodge traffic while getting everyone’s luggage off the bus. The Parisian drivers hardly seem to care that we are there. Imagine a big bus blocking the road, twenty butts sticking out of the cargo hold trying to find their luggage, and the others standing around waiting for theirs to appear. You’d think the typical defensive drivers of Paris would at least slow down. But no, their solution is to increase speed, blow their horns, and rush to the next traffic light 30 meters up ahead. Whew, what an adventure!

Once everyone has their luggage and we are on the relatively safe refuge of the sidewalk, the bus pulls away. Now to get into the hotel, get everyone checked-in, and into their rooms. Sounds easy, right?

(to be continued)

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