Carcassonne

After ten hours on the overnight bus from St Malo it was a great delight to disembark this morning and see Sarah’s smiling face in the crowd. We did it - managed to reconnect in Toulouse bus interchange after a week in totally different parts of the world. To celebrate we went immediately in search of a cafe au lait, which we found in the nearby Gare de Matabiau. There we are, as happy as Larry, sipping coffee and sharing the remains of the Far Breton tart that mum kindly loaded into my pack before I left St Malo.

After that, we jumped on another bus for the hour long trip to Carcassonne.

The old city of Carcassonne is another famous mediaeval walled citadel. It was one of the strongholds of the Cathar sect in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, and was eventually forced to surrender by the papal army and the king of France (very potted history!). 

The larger surrounding town where we are staying, known as Le Bastide Saint-Louis, seemed initially a little tired and run down but the more we walked around the more familiar and lively it became. Here are some snapshots of a few of the (mostly) quirky things that caught our eye:

Not sure if the quirky thing is the door or Sarah here, maybe both!!

Reeds dancing in the Aude River (taken from the ancient Pont Vieux).

The citadel is surrounded by three kilometres of ramparts and 52 towers. These walls hold a long history of being besieged, destroyed and rebuilt. 

Inside the old city.

High class wall art in the style of an illuminated manuscript (spelling Carcassonne) on the path to the citadel.

An old font or early toilet!!

Gum boot art!

Standard drain pipes!!

There is a vast and creative array of gargoyles on the cathedral and basilicas here, most looking fierce or tortured!!

Part of the famous Canal du Midi, designed in 17th century to link the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.

 

The Gothic cathedral of St Michel, which is technically the starting point for our pilgrimage.

On our second morning here the local markets set up in the central square where we had our petit déjeuner.

Today also marks the beginning of the feria de Carcassonne, with dancing in the streets!! The feria has a decidedly southern Spanish feel. This region was connected to Spain in the mediaeval past.

And speaking of Spanish, it has been a real delight to catch up with Alba and Eric (from Barcelona) who endured a cancelled bus and delayed train on their way to Carcassonne to meet us today. We first met Alba when we walked the Camino Primitivo in 2022 and have kept in touch ever since. It was wonderful to share a meal and conversation with them this evening. 

Tomorrow they cross the Pyrenees on their return to Barcelona and we begin our walk on the chemin du Piémont Pyrénéen. Are we ready? Here’s hoping!!

👣

  👣

👣

     👣

PS. Thank you for following along and for your comments. We appreciate your company.