December 2014
La cité de Carcassonne is one of the most visited sights of France, so, if you happen to be a fan of everything medieval, Carcassonne is something you should see at least once in your life (better more than one). Why? Because it’s the biggest medieval town of Europe. I would even qualify it as super massive!
Originally built by romans, the fortress continued being expanded then destroyed, then rebuilt by various conquerors. Each of them added a touch of their architectural style, which made Carcassonne look a bit like a patchwork blanket. Only history and architecrture nersds can really notice it though.
A curious fact – Carcassonne was reconstructed in the XIX century (its original plan was not entirely respected, to put it mildly) by certain Viollet-le-Duc, who actually started the whole movement of historical buildings preservation. So we should be grateful that this tremendous fortress wasn’t dismantled for free bricks like Coliseum partially was at some point.
Take a long day to explore the old town of Carcassonne, if there is an occasion – check the dates of medieval festivals and you’ll be able to assist to real knight jousting!
The best day to visit Carcassonne in termes of spectacular views is still the 14th of July – the fantastic fireworks for the Bastille Day are thrown all over the country and with the fortress they look amazing. It’s still on our “to-do list”, for now we are happy to put Marc’s picture here.
Where to eat in Carcassone?
It is France, so the dinner here is never second best. :) Among other incredibly delicious meals, you should definitely try Cassoulet. It’s a local meal with several types of meat cooked for hours with white beans. Delicious but oh so bad for the waistline. Attention, as it’s quite delicate to cook, there is a high risk to bump into a restaurant which uses ready to eat canned industrial Cassoulet from the supermarkets. We recommend the restaurant La Table d’Anaïs – delicious meals for adequate prices.
By the way, don’t ignore the “modern” part of Carcassonne – it’s a lovely place to walk in by a sunny day, just like any other French town. If you wonder from which point it’s better to take a photo of the castle, then try the Pont Vieux. However, the most famous view is taken, well… from the fields between the fortress and the motorway A61. Good luck!
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