Carcassonne
Trip Start
Mar 29, 2006
1
63
232
Trip End
Feb 28, 2007
Carcassonne,
France
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
TUESDAY, 20th June
We had set our sights on Carcassonne today. We drove out past the windmill found the D620 through Caunes Minervois and a couple of other small villages with which we were to become more familiar later. It was a pleasant drive and easier to find the centre of town than I thought. We left the car in an underground car park near the station and had a quick look inside same and the canal which ran alongside. We investigated the times and fares for trains from Perpignan to Carcassonne. 17 Euros each and a choice of four trains a day.
Directly opposite the station was the main street in which there were lots and lots and lots of lovely shops. Not too well stocked and small by western standards
Carcassonne, Canal du Midi
. Frock shops, shoe shops, book shops and a very busy bakery selling half bricks or full bricks plus some pebbles. Down the end of that street was the main square where the fruit and veg market was just packing up for the day. AND there was a McDonalds on the corner. In the afternoon the square was covered with tables and chairs for eating and drinking. We wanted to find the old town...the citadel...so set off on foot in the general direction. Not very successfully. So we returned to the main square. We passed all manner of small dingy shops. They do not have the large window displays that we are used to in the west. Let alone the covered awnings of OZ and the neon lighting of everywhere else. Very basic here but we like it in Carcassonne.
Back we went towards the station noticing that most of the shops had closed for their afternoon siesta (12 to 2). We took a side street and found a British shop in which were sold English books and a variety of pommie foods. The owner lady directed us towards an internet café towards which we then drove after picking up the car. It was only around the corner but it was on the way to the old city. We had Maccas first, though...could not resist. Anne sent emails to our friends on a strange unqwerty keyboard on which they also use zzz as www
Citadel wall
.We were on the city ring road now and we took an appropriate turn off it and over a river in the general direction because we could see no signs. I followed my nose and we eventually arrived at the car park for the walled city. Inside it was very crowded...nought but tourist shops, restaurants and tourists. It was very difficult to find one's way to any part of the fortress that had not been commercialised. We did find the cathedral and the outer wall eventually but we must have walked about 3 km by the time we got back to the main entrance where I had promised Anne a cup of tea. Lo, there was a tea shop.
On the way out of Carcassonne I stopped at a Peugot dealer to see if they would accept the car at the end of the lease but they knew of no such arrangement. Took the southern route home and stopped at La Redorte to buy a few things. Less hectic this time .
