We Have Known Fair Carcassonne

"The vicar's right; he says that we
Are ever wayward, weak and blind,
He tells us in his homily
Ambition ruins all mankind;
Yet could I there two days have spent
While still the autumn sweetly shone,
Ah me! I might have died content
When I had looked on Carcassonne,
When I had looked on Carcassonne!"

- Extract from Carcassonne by John Reuben Thompson

Having decided to visit both Provence and the Dordogne we had to decide on the best way get between the two and we didn't much fancy the six and a half hour trip in the car with the kids. Mind you Millau and Conque were both stops along the way that certainly did appeal.

Our Breakfast View, Avignon

Instead we decided on catching the train to Carcassone and breaking the journey with an overnight stop. And so we were on the road again, and boy did we have company this time on the train. The French army must have had some sort of training exercise near Carcassonne as the carriages were full of soldiers and there were even army vehicles on special train cars for the kids to look at on the Carcassonne station.

Rob and the luggage were separated from the kids and I as we were getting off the train. Apparently Rob had joined a long line of soldiers handing our huge packs from person to person. Our huge pink suitcase looked completely out of place.

Carcassonne was an amazing place to visit for a few hours. Without kids I feel a visit for lunch on the way somewhere would suffice but the kids enjoyed exploring the castle and its ramparts.

We had a delightful lunch with a view of the castle keep, and we were close enough to the grassy moat for Julian to have a quick run before the food arrived.

Staying within the fortified medieval town itself we discovered that once the day trippers depart there are few people left. Which made finding somewhere to eat somewhat of a mission. Luckily this meant we had to search the town and we consequently saw much more than we otherwise would have. 

We eventually found Place Marcou with quite a few restaurants that were open. We like to eat dinner around six o'clock and this can be a problem in France, as can the chain smoking patrons at nearby tables, who come for pre dinner drinks. Of course it's just what you are used to, and the kids prefer to sit inside so we do this and the problem is solved.

The next morning we had time for more exploring before we picked up our hire car. We visited Basilica of St. Nazaire with it Gothic transept and Romanesque Nave, which I am proud to say Emma has learnt the difference between. We arrived at the tail end of an outstanding performance by a Russian mens capella group, Le Choeur Doros. Their performance of plain chant moved me nearly to tears.

When we emerged from the dark cavernous nave into the brilliant sunshine we were greeted by the sound of french country music and a group of musicians and dancers in traditional customs began a performance in the place in front of the basilica. We couldn't believe our luck.

But it was time to move on again and so we caught a taxi to the airport and collected our next hire car from there. There is a bus we could have taken but with four people it is sometimes cheaper and easier to catch a taxi.

And now I would like to add a cautionary note to people thinking of travelling by car in Europe. Not long after leaving Carcassone we were travelling north on a motorway with a 130 kmh speed limit. It seemed very simple and straight forward until we saw a huge cloud of dust burst out 100m metres in front of us. A 7 seater vehicle had hit the barrier along side the left lane and han turned over onto its side, ending up in the right lane. We stopped to give first aid, and luckily two brave young men climbed in to pull the people out. Miraculously the women passenger was uninjured and her husband escaped with some pretty nasty lascerations to his arm, so luckily the only victim was the pile of towels we had just bought from the supermarket.  A number of people stopped to help, including a very capable young lady I believe was a nurse so I happily let her take over. The kids were brilliant, staying in the car while we did what little we could. Why am I telling you this awful tale? Simply in the hopes that you drive carefully on your holidays and pay extra attention to what's happening on the road around you so we can all arrive safely at our next destination.

That evening we arrived in the Dordogne at our lovely gîte at a camping ground. With the kids in bed I sat outside and drank in the wonderful sunset, that I appreciated all the more after our days adventures.

 

A short postscript: the single stanza of the poem I have extracted in the heading is part of a six stanza poem I love and it is worth finding to read in its entirety, especially for the traveller or would be traveller.