The decision to go to Carcassonne for the day meant an early morning 2 hour 45 minute drive. We had hoped to find accommodation on Friday night which would allow to continue on to Provence the following day (Carcassonne being roughly half way between here and Provence). No luck so a day trip it was. We got up before the sun and bribed the kids with prize money for the one who could eat their breakfast first to ensure we were on the road before 7am. This was quite an achievement as the previous night we were all kept awake by a Pyrenean electrical storm and there was still thunder and lightning as we headed off. The drive wasn't as bad as we thought as we could fly down the autoroute at 130km/hr before most of France had woken up for their first coffee. We caught first site of the medieval city at about 9:30 am from the autoroute and the kids got excited and began to understand why Mum and Dad had woken them up so early (ironically even with a 250km drive behind us we were there before the shops and the castle were open).
Carcassonne is an amazing place. It is a medieval city surrounded by two walls with turrets (with one section of the city wall dating back to the 4th century) with a stunning city within the walls, which includes a castle and very grand church. All the streets were cobble stones and the buildings were all tightly packed together with sun soaked courtyards and alleyways leading to quiet hideaways. Restaurants and hotels now filled many of these places and I could imagine spending an afternoon people watching while enjoying a glass of something local. We wandered the streets, visited the castle and dodged the thousands of tourists all doing the same as us. It was about 1.30pm when the kids had reached their limit! By this time the wind had picked up too and every time you turned a corner a gust would get you (with the city being up on a hill). The tourists were also beginning to pour in by the bus load and it was hot so we made the decision to head home. This was a good decision as there were queues of cars waiting for someone to leave the car park so the population of tourists was only going to increase. I am very appreciative of the effort the family made so I could see Carcasonne, something I have wanted since passing it in 2004 when last in France. I have now added to my bucket list to return to Carcassonne when the kids are independent (not with us) so we can stay in a hotel within the walls and enjoy the city at our leisure.
We made it home in good time to cook dinner and to find out that it hadn't stopped raining in Bagneres de Bigorre all day. I love it how the mountains create their own weather. Neil is watching it like a hawk at the moment trying to work out the optimal time to complete his last rides. The thunder and lightning are not reassuring him that tomorrow will be a ride day. We will see.
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