Day 6 - Carcassonne - Full Day

Today we had the full day to spend in Carcassonne. No driving!!🎉 I’m not sure how, but Amanda and I ended up sleeping in until 10:00!! 😱 We got up and took our time starting the day - coffees and teas all the way around. It was about 11:15 by the time we got out the door and started heading in to the main part of the city.

Leaving The Old City

First we crossed the Aude river. This river is about 225 km, starts in the Pyrénées, runs through Carcassonne, and finally reaches the Mediterranean Sea at Narbonne.

The Aude

Bridge Over Rivière Aude

Once in the main town we walked through some of the commercial areas. The girls popped in and out of some of the shops, checking out some of the local goods. We made our way to the central square where there were some significant preparations going on for what looked to be a fairly sizeable Christmas market/festival. Next we headed over towards the Canal du Midi. This canal is considered one of the greatest construction works of the 17th century, and is also a UNESCO world heritage site. It is one of two canals when connected that joins the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

Canal Du Midi

Next stop was the Église St.-Vincent. It was unfortunately closed until later in the afternoon, but we enjoyed walking around the outside and seeing all of the intricacies of its construction.

Once finished in the downtown area, we headed back, grabbed the car, and took a quick drive to grab some groceries. We then headed back to the apartment for some snacks and relaxation, including a few cat naps!😊

Our plan for this evening was to head back up inside the walled city for dinner - Ger and JM were really excited to try Cassoulet. Cassoulet is a rich slow cooked stew originating in Southern France. Invented in 1355, it is generally a mix of haricot beans, sausage, pork, and duck. This was on my bucket list for this trip and we were not disappointed! While the girls did not order the same, their dinners were equally as delicious.  The funniest part of the evening is when Audrey asked for her steak well done, and our server rolled her eyes and said “Non, médium.”  So Audrey had medium steak instead. 🤣

Terrine De Légumes Et Chèvre Frais

French Onion Soup, In France!

Steak Et Frites

Pork Medallions With Mushroom Sauce

Cassoulet 😱 - It’s Hard To Tell But There Is A Lot Going On In This Bowl

Pavlova With Red Berries And Sauce

Without knowing it I think we have adopted some of the French customs - we arrived at the restaurant at 7:30, and didn’t leave until after 9:30. We are really appreciating the laid back style, and are not missing the hustle bustle of our North American lives.

Tomorrow we have a pretty big day of driving with some pretty cool stops along the way. We plan on stopping in Avignon to dance on the bridge (if you know, you know), and will also hopefully drive up Mont Ventoux, one of the most famous mountain stages on the Tour De France. We are very excited!! Off to bed now. Thanks again for reading, everybody. Bonne nuit!!!

Funny Tidbit Of the Day:

We saw this sign at the bottom of a stairwell.  I can only interpret as meaning if you choose to urinate at the bottom of the stairs, you will be filmed, and it will be posted on YouTube….

🤣