Carcassonne

12 July 2008- We arrived to the little town of Carcassonne in a bit of rain. No problem, we were waiting for a bus at the covered bus stop. I had us booked at Hotel Premiere Classe. It was hard enough to find empty rooms, let alone triple rooms. Of course the nice hotel located in the heart was 500 euro a night. Carcassonne gets a lot of traffic for the 14 of July or Bastille day holiday. So off to the commercial center stop nearby the hotel. Meanwhile I am wearing some leftover flip flops to keep the injured toe out and unencumbered, thanks again Muchas Gaffas del Sol. We walk some "paths" to arrive at the Premiere Classe. No frills here. Not quite a 2 star either. I have to do checkin at an ATM, the front desk is only staffed during 5-9pm and 7-10am. Should have been a warning. Here is the room with Greg (6'6").
NOT SURE WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE CODE HERE BUT READ ON- LAAN

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Complete with a bathroom similar to that of one you would find in a camping trailer. Yikes. However, we suffered thru it. Greg mostly since he got the twin bunk bed over the double bed. He lovingly called it "his room." So word to the wise, never ever stay at the Hotel Premiere Classe with 3 adults per room. It was cheap, had a decent breakfast and was close to the commercial center. There Chad bought some groceries, Greg bought some shoes and a replacement bag, and we had dinner without having to walk far in the rain. Very good for injured toe girl.


This is the cite de Carcassonne. Built in the 13th century and incorporating third century Roman ruins, it was a stronghold for the French during the Crusades. Now the region of Languedoc-Roussillon produces several tasty wines and has the draw of the medieval city. Best know for its L'embrasement de la Cite or feu d'artifice or better known as giant fireworks display on 14 Juillet, Bastille Day.

The Cite boasts lots of shops, good restaurants serving cassoulet, the regional favorite and plenty to see and do. Of course during the time of Bastille Day, attendance is high so crowds were thick. Some friends from Toulouse joined us for the day. They had never been there before either. We are teaching people about their country! Winding stone roads with the walls of the city offering views of the vines growing through the arrow holes was very fun. This picture was from the wall to the second wall. We saw the fireworks set up, firemen and security setting up for the night's activities.
We had a wine tasting (impromptu thanks to the G20 Hypermarche) in the park. We walked around the actually city of Carcassonne to see what else was on the menu after the feu d'artifice. We somehow managed to find a seat at a cafe and had the cafe experience in Carcassonne. Around 8 we headed to the river to eat our picnic dinner and get ready for the show. Everyone was in a good mood that day. Except one old man. He had brought his rolly bag, a chair and bag to sit on the bank of the river. While the rest of us watched the children playing football, he sat there grumpy and reading. Maybe we should have offered him some of our wine. The show got started promptly at 10 just as the sun was going down. So many different things going on, and 300 pictures that just won't fit here in blogspot land. They actually make the whole city at one point appear as if it is on fire. Then it gets streams of water, all done with fireworks. Should you ever find yourself in southern France during Bastille day, get thee to Carcassonne. You won't be sorry!

After the show, we headed back to a wine bar we visited the day before. It seemed as if more than half the crowd went home so not too crowded in the city. We were offered free apple tarts, paella and other goodies. The vendors were selling to people headed back to their cars so by the time we strolled by, gratuit! We returned to the center square for the DJ concert. Okay music but still fun. As the crowd died down, we made our way to the taxi stand and eventually back to the hotel.
We got our train to Bordeaux on time but after one of the stops, the train was going painfully slow. That made us 30 minutes late for the connecting train. Once we exchanged our tickets, and had more cafe time until the train's departure. We opened the door to Chez Nickell to a whiny Junior kitty but still flourishing tomato plants, thank you Madame da Silva. Hopefully we can keep those going during the august vacances. Greg is very happy with our accomodations, no climbing or ducking required. We wandered the Marais yesterday and found a great cafe that serves an english pour of wine for 5 euro.
Chez Nickell is staying busy for the next weeks. As soon as Greg leaves, another takes his place. Then next weekend for the Tour de France arrival, two more show. Busy little housewife/tourguide better step up and get her chores done.