Carcassonne

Finally, we made it to Carcassonne! I’ve been wanting to visit this medieval city since we arrived. We had it on the agenda for every visit made by family, but we just never got around to it.

Well, we were all glad that we finally made it! It is amazing. Like walking into a fairy tale.

As we were rounding the corner of the highway into the city of Carcassonne, we could see La Cite from the highway. The car was filled with a chorus of:

• “Ohmigosh!”
  
• “Wow, Mommy, do you see that?”
  
• “Look, look, it’s a castle!!”, etc.
  

We were all surprised by how big it was and how utterly cool it was!! The family agreed unanimously that it is one of the coolest things we have seen in France so far.

Here’s a view from the car – just so you have an idea.

I had insisted on staying the night because Mike’s French teacher from Santa Clara said that La Cite is lit up at night and a must-see. Here is my photo at night.

Here is a link with better photos:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne

The history of Carcassonne is amazing and worth reading about.

Arriving at La Cite, which was only about a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel, everyone was misbehaving so badly from excitement that I had to throw 'em in jail!

The church inside La Cite is Notre Dame - a much smaller replica of Notre Dame in Paris. Here are some pictures of the church - some exterior views, including one from the battlements of the castle, and an interior view.

Cool view from the hotel room, too!

We had a terrific visit, and we look forward to going back when Alex is here this summer.

Love to all!