Carcassonne—Day 1

We rose early at Grenoble and caught an 8:25AM bus to Valence where we then boarded a TGV to Carcassonne, arriving at 1:00PM. Our VRBO host met us at the train station and drove us to our apartment, gave us the run down about it, and then handed over the keys. After unpacking we took a short orientation walk and found the Tourist Information Office where we got some questions answered about the best castles and abbeys to see outside of Carcassonne if/when we rent a car. We also got information about nature and heritage walks and where we can rent bikes for longer treks. Did a bit of shopping at Carrefour to stave off starvation, found a boulangerie and then returned "home" for a light lunch and a nap.

Around 7:00PM we strolled over to La Cite and roamed around the nearly empty grounds of the castle. The ramparts were closed, but we got a few nice pictures of the castle painted by the setting sun. Had a light supper and are now listening to some James Taylor playing on my laptop. Time to do some reading and relaxing before calling it a night.

The days go fast when it's about getting somewhere and then getting oriented.

The above shots are at the Valence TGV station an hour north of Grenoble. So modern, clean, and efficient. Conductors checking for tickets, of course.





The opposing two shots were taken just outside our apartment in the Bastide (newer part of Carcassonne—think 1700's). Yes, the streets are 10 feet wide, including the narrow sidewalks and cars zip around as if they were on an arterial.






And now for some pictures of La Cite (i.e. Carcassonne Castle) in the evening when the tourist hordes have retreated. Do you see one anachronism in any of these pictures? Marie doesn't count.