Hotel Balladins Carcassonne Confort

... walked... 1 hour later we were so close to the hotel that we just walked the rest of the way... it was about 5 km... not bad!!! <br>We got to the hotel and they let us check in right away (9am), it was sweet... we checked in and then walked to the medival city (that we passed but couldn't see in the fog), the city was about a kilometer away, we walked up to it and WOW, thats all &gt;I can say... if you are ever in the South of France or passing through, you NEED to go there ...

... to walk to the medeival city...which it turns out we passed on the way but couldn't really see because of the fog. So we walked the 1 km (which I think was more) back to the city. It was pretty cool. Its a small city contained within its original medeival walls within the modern city of carcassonne. Within the walls are a bunch of little shops, restaurants, cafes, even a hotel, and there is also a population of 120 people that live within the walls. It ...

... i was ready to continue. A slow start to the day with the first 3.5km taking well over an hour (including breaks), the next 26.5km took only an hour. <br><br> Glancing backward, I saw that the mountains were in cloud and still wouldn't give me a clear view. <br><br>Watching the last of the foothills recede from view it was smooth sailing with a tailwind and all, but all couldn't go that easily could it?<br><br>Being quite ...

... that belonged to a family in the 11th century. Then the French king took it over at some point and it was expanded in the 12th &amp; 13th centuries. At least, that's what Conrad gathered. It wasn't what I thought it would be. I expected it to just be a castle surrounded by buildings that we just got to walk through and look at. This was partly true. But, inside the ...

... town a few of us went to the main square and had a couple of drinks. In preparation for our trip to Barcelona the next day I tracked down a Sangria, yum! <br><br>That night we stayed in the new town opposite the main square where they had a Spanish festival happening. After dinner a few of us decided to go for a wander around town. One of the couples had the unfortunate experience of witnessing a homeless person give their dog an extremely friendly rub, if you know what I mean ...

... on the enemy) and the evolution since it is a series of additions. Great views of the town and the surrounding area. <br><br>There has been jousting demos which I missed. Kids with knight&#8217;s outfits and weapons are everywhere.<br><br>With what remains of the light, I walk around the perimeter of the castle (actually between the two walls surrounding the old city) explore the old town, inside the walls. It is pretty cool. Cafes are in various courtyards. Some gorgeous ...

... family, came down to the South of France for a weekend away from the kids. I met Tom, Sheena and their three kids when they visited California two summers ago. I fell so in love with the kids that I almost studied abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, where they live. It turned out Tom and Sheena were staying in a friend's apartment only two blocks from my own. As I was packing up all my stuff to move out of my apartment, they helped me bring my bags to Ross' college in their car. It would ...

... one of my favourite foods), its advertised everywhere at all the eateries in Carcassonne and a touch pricey, the cheapest being &euro; 11. Fantastic it's a speciality of the region therefore the supermarket has a huge selection at much below the restaurants. Dilemma, duck, goose or pork? Duck today but I got a second with goose for another time. Now for a visit to the castle, only &euro; 7.50. It's a massive castle and has been extensively ...

... we have been buying wines at the Supermarkets for between 1 and 2 euros a bottle, and they are very nice. I don't see how Australian wines can compete at those prices. By the way did y0u know that Howard's Hash House Harrier name is "Long Doc", so he feels quite at home here! We bought a cheap esky and a thermos early on and have our lunch en route somewhere- usually just fresh bread, olives and cheese and some wonderful terrine we found and ...

... as much as we did. Mucky fields, spunky sheepdogs and precious little 2 week old lambs made us keen to go for daily walks. We were delighted to finally catch a glimpse of a hasty little sanglier darting through the fields. These little guys can't stop to visit what with all the hunters around. Its very rustic to hear their gunshots every morning but a little less charming when Bruce was sprayed by buckshot whilst out jogging! We ...