Carcasonne

Not sure if they are showing the France strikes in the US, but it was pretty intense yesterday, with live TV coverage. Hundreds of thousands of people in the streets of Paris, lighting fires and breaking windows with police in riot gear trying to keep things from getting out of control. It looked right on the verge of pandemonium, and I was really glad we weren’t there, however much I love Paris. No matter how long we prolong the situation though, we will still have to face it down in the future. We have our car for 9 more days and are thinking of heading to Spain next. There are also fuel shortages, so we are trying to be really careful and avoid major issues. But at some point we have to return it to Avignon and figure out how to get out of France. Our hope is things will have settled down by then and it will be fine, but I kinda doesn’t sound like it…..

When I woke up this morning it was 67 degrees!!!!!!!!! Quietly I made my coffee and sat on our glorious terrace. The sun was coming up behind the city walls and the clouds were moving fast the opposite way. A man with a big dog was already heading up the path to the castle.

I got to meet up with my friend Thyra again today, which worked out well because Mike has been fighting a cold, so he rested at home. No one wants to be sick when they are not home, and I’ve been glad we have had a couple larger apartments instead of a tiny hotel room so we can each have our space.

Around 10 a.m. it was getting windier. By 11, there was a light rain. We hiked up to the top without delay.

I haven’t quite figured out what to call this place–a castle, a fortress, a medieval city…..I think that’s because it is sort of all those things. The area has been occupied for thousands of years. Our particular hilltop became important because it was a trade route linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and the areas of France with Spain. The fortress dates back to the 5th century BC, and even as I’m writing this I realize I’m getting used to typing crazy oldddddddd dates but no matter how you think about it, that was a longgggg time ago!!

You were allowed to wander freely and climb onto the walls and look out over the rest of Carcassone. We could see our little apartment, sandwiched into side by side houses. Ours is the one with the single skinny Italian cypress sticking up.

Our host had explained there was a hotel up there and even a restaurant, but nothing prepared me for the fact it was actually a little city! There were shops and alleys and cafes, reminiscent of Diagon Alley for you Harry Potter fans, with lanterns and shuttered windows around flower boxes.

Central to the city is the Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus. Wiki calls it a “minor basilica,” which I gather has technical meaning in the Catholic church. But it did not seem minor at all, in fact it was exquisite.

This church is hundreds of years older than the Renaissance churches we have been to, with construction starting in 1096. Its gothic style has similarities to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, with gargoyles adorning the top and the rose shaped windows. I remember my French teacher explaining to us when I was 17 on my first trip to France that the blue in the stained glass was very difficult to produce.

Nearly all of the churches we have visited have protocols listed or symbols when you walk in–no talking, no flash photography or no cameras at all, no hats, appropriate attire. This church was free and obviously appreciate by the dozens of people walking through. Some people were louder than you usually find, but it seemed like their joy bubbling over rather than disrespect. In the Vatican, if the noise level increased, a man’s soft voice would come overhead as a reminder…”Silencio….. …silencio…”

The restaurants were fairly expensive and the hotel with its beautiful lounges offered lunch for 49 euros each. But we found a darling candy store that allowed you to buy candy and cookies by the pound, or kilogram rather–oh boy!

Thyra found a pair of sandals and lady was so nice, explaining the various ways to tie them. But we made the classic mistake of having no cash. No problem, she would hold them and they are open until 7. Ok!

By now it was really raining, but then we stumbled on a beautiful cemetery at the back of the citadel. I have been to other cemeteries in France and this seemed pretty typical, with graves atop the earth in crypts. You could tell this cemetery was very active, with flowers, photos, and memorabilia throughout.

A couple drowned rats we were by the time we got home to dry out. I had to run my hands under hot water I was so chilled. By 5 pm, it was only drizzling so back we went for those shoes!

Of course each route takes you to new photo ops! I had to purposefully put my phone away to make myself stop taking pictures, even in the light rain!

My black coat and faux fur collar, cute as it is, were soaking so this time I wore my rain gear. I said I may as well be wearing an actual trash bag, but at least I was dry if not cute haha!

If you’ve noticed like stripes on the castle walls you are right! Our host had mentioned that in 2018, they sorta decorated the place to celebrate the 20th anniversary of being on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Here’s a side by side of what I found online and a picture I took yesterday. The article said the townspeople flipped out and 1,400 signatures were collected on a petition. One man said it was ruining their lives because the have to live with it every day. I could see his point, as it is literally our backyard! Fortunately it was just painted aluminum, but you can clearly see the markings still 5 years later.

Anyway….by 6 pm we still had not found that shoe store! Crazy because it was a really small place, but the winding alleys had us walking by the same stores over and over. We were about to give up when Thyra spotted the shopkeeper coming down the street! And no kidding she walked us back to her store and we got those shoes. She had very good English and said the rain was getting everything wet so she had to bring it all back inside, which was why the storefront looked different. No one was there it was just so awful out, so she had closed early. She just opened up for the season on March 1st, having closed in November.

On the way down the now slippery rock path, she passed us again and offered to take our picture. She was just so nice and though she was older than me, she trotted down that hill in her healed boots and said she walks 30 minutes each way to work every day!

We stopped by the Depot du Pain (bread) on the way home. It’s no Monoprix, but this tiny store has everything we need. The clerk who has seen us now several times explained that tomorrow, Sunday, she is the only store open. I half-jokingly said, Ok, thank you, see you tomorrow! She said confidently, Probably!

But there is a whole other side of the city on the other side of the river to explore. I know nothing about it–I never look at much in advance, same as I don’t watch movie trailers or read book covers. It’s the surprise that is a thrill, so we will see what surprises the other half of Carcassone has for us!

So happy Sunday everyone, wishing you all a lovely day! Mike said it’s Daylight Saving Time now for you all, but not us. Now we are only 5 hours apart, and it’s like we are closer haha. Except now Katie is in Portland on their honeymoon, so no idea the time there!