June 3 Carcassonne and around

Well now, will it be said that Carcassonne hell-bent drivers will stop Quebec's best and brightest? No, siree.

After discussing this with Delphine, our hostess, Roger finds a route that leads us without mishap in the city. Let’s go.






We are feeling very reckless this morning: we each go our own way. For half an hour. I ferret through the streets’ tourist traps, I like that. He goes looking for nice, unspoiled views. We agree to meet again at the car in 40 minutes.

Touristic or not, Carcassonne is impressive. I cropped part of the tower out of my picture because too much sky makes the picture go dark. The iPad’s camera, it is universally acknowledged, could stand a little tweaking. Make that lots of tweaking. It’s OK, it’s good enough for blogging, and I can wait for iPad 3, he he.






Well now, how is it I wasn't told about this?






Round each corner, a different view of the castle..






From the battlements, the city panorama is unbelievable..






A very small chocolate sin, an orange truffle. Then it's bye bye Carcassonne. We did meet again promptly at the car.

View from freeway A61.

We arrive in Fanjeaux, a small town set on a rocky peak.

I guess it's true: you shouldn't believe everything you read on the Web. The XIIIth century church is on the bleak side, and so seems to be the whole village. The sign is very stern reminder of some municipal regulation. If people don't comply, the service will no longer be offered.






Old times, new times. Old times: a not very impressive monument memorializing the dead fighters of the first World War. There's one in every town or village. The smaller the village, the more exact the memory. Forty-0eight men died for their country in Fanjeaux. Joseph Thomas, Achille Uthèza, Gauderic Calmet… Seven Joseph, six Louis, eleven Jean…







New times. A modernisitc fountain, in a peaceful little park, where we stop for a restful moment.








We go out for one last short drive in the evening. We end up in Bram, a little hungry. No, no restaurant is open before 19:30. Especially since it is the Ascension “bridge”.

You probably know that in France, when there is a mid-week legal holiday, the leave is extended into the weekend, it's called a “pont” (bridge). This Thursday was Ascension Day, which is still a legal holiday in France. Absolutely. In France, l’État laic (the secular state). Most specialty shops are closed and grocery stores, on previous days, had signs saying they would be closed on Thursday, or would close at 12:00 noon.

We go back to the B&B, we’ll have an early start tomorrow as we drive to Marseille.

As I wrote in a previous blog, we stayed at Domaine de la petite tour. You reach that B&B by a small road that overlooks the valley, a road like many other roads in France, not for the faint-of-heart: extremely narrow roads, with almost no shoulders, let alone no protective railing to keep you from plummeting in the valley or way, way below (if French roads were all built with protective railings the way we’re used to in North America at the slightest bend in the road, there wouldn’t be any steel left in France). I put the link to their site because it would not be possible for me to take pictures of everything.

http://www.domainedelapetitetour.com/Accueil.html

Roger had several interesting conversations with Luc, the owner, who’s an artist. His daughter, Delphine, handles the operation of the B&B and is extremely kindness. The development of the property is not finished, they only started two years ago, but what they’ve done so far is first-rate.