Aragon Carcassonne

... we bought dinner and wine and had a nice quite dinner in the hotel... <br>In the morning we went back to the city and took and Horse drawn carriage ride around the medival city, it was beautiful... and so was the weather!! later we walked back to the hotel, got our bags and headed back to the train station... oh, KB did some Luandry first, she finally smells nice... lol... just jokin, she smells fine! <br>From Carcassonne, we are going to Venice... talk to you then!<br><br>LW

... hour we realized we probably could attempt to just walk the entire way. Finally after walking for about 5 km we found our hotel! YAY!! It wasn't bad at all actually, I guess we're getting in the mode of backpacking! So once we got there it was about 9:30 and they let us check into our room right away! It was awesome! We didn't have to worry about waiting around with our bags until 2 or so when a normal check in time is. We got settled a little and then ...

... 12.5%, and then to a dreamy 10% - might as well be flat in comparison! Then finally the triumph of reaching the top. <br><br>The last few mornings the mountains have been dusted with a light layer of snow and I was greatly looking forward to a last look back from this amazing vantage point. But it was not to be had. Grey cloud sacked in. Staring hard there were the occasional dark shadows of rocky edges that could be seen ...

... walls, there are shops, restaurants, and hotels. Everything still functions as a city, except the castle. We wandered around for a little over an hour. We tried the infamous chocolate olives. Fran had spent some time here and she told us to try them. I thought it looked and tasted like an almond M &amp; M. We had crepes with Nutella and grabbed a pannini on the way out. <br>

... bit disturbing but not something you see every day!<br><br>It was a nice relaxing night, we spent about an hour and a half wandering around before grabbing a couple of bottles of wine and settling in down by the river for a couple of drinks and a chat. The Spanish festival was extremely busy and packed and very hot, so we avoided it. There was no avoiding the Spanish music that went most of the night when we eventually went to bed though! I reckon I was flamenco dancing in my sleep!

... bus office before it closes at 12:30 for lunch. The office which had lots of customers in it is now empty and my bag is in the corner, sticking out. I pretend as though everything is normal. I as k a question then pick up my bag.<br><br>The train station is a 20 minute walk. I have enough time to stop into a lovely, local restaurant. I have some melon with ham then duck. Very nice. <br><br>I take the train to Carcassonne. The trains are pretty nice for the most part ...

... lock. Huw and I donned the official captain's hats that we had brought with us as we were officially captain and first mate relegating Winky to Cabin Boy 'Roger'. The first lock was not easy being 3 drops in a row but we managed to survive intact. On the other side we cruised along, all having a go at driving although some were definitely better than others. Winky managed to crash into the bank and so we decided to spend the night there before he did any more permanent damage ...

... justice. I've had a walk around this evening and it is so full of character and oozing history from it's stones. I love my home town of Wallingford for all of it's history but this is just unspoilt, the bulk of Carcassonne with all it's commercial centre is outside the city walls leaving the charm and beauty within. Plus I get a room to myself again, wooohhhoooooo. That's the bonus of travelling in winter.

... seeing the sites. On the walk to the walled city we decided to take a detour and see the L'Aude, a river that runs next to the city. We had a picnic lunch on the bank of the river and enjoyed the shade of the trees. When we arrived Brian was very excited to see the city he has heard so much about. We toured the castle and spent the afternoon looking in shops and learning about the walled city. Around 6 pm we decided to go look for ...

... the family. We stopped on the haute corniche to take one last look at the sun kissed jewel. Ciao bella! Our last little bit of France was spent poking about Aix-en-Provence home to Cezanne and Santons Fouque. Santons are the little clay figurines made for crèche displays throughout Provence. There are hundreds of characters to choose from and each home has its own version. Much to Gracie's delight our friend Yvonne invited her to help ...