Carcassone-- medieval marvel


Late on that glittering November evening I left the modern ville basse on foot, crossed the seven-hundred-year-old bridge over the river that separates the fortress from the modern town, looked up the sharp escarpment, and behold, before my eyes, nine centuries disappeared. I became an anachronism, a twentieth-century American living in eleventh-century France. In one sweep the Middle Ages were revealed. A magical moonlit city of walls and towers and battlements, defiant and impregnable, rose before me... Not a person was to be seen, not a light showed, nor a dog barked as I climbed the path and walked beneath the massively fortified gate, through the double line of enormous walls, into a strange world. Incredibly ancient houses, dark and ghostly, reeled grotesquely along the crazy streets. My footsteps echoed. There was no other sound..." Richard Halliburton 1921


I was fascinated by Halliburton's description of Carcassonne when I read it over 50 years ago and now I have finally seen this marvel. The place is of course a tourist magnet but the cheap souvenirs and badly dressed, selfie-obsessed masses can't spoil this medieval jewel.
This castle was so intimidating that in its final stage no one dared attack it. It could not be conquered so no one tried. Time was its only enemy and eventually peace came to the region and it was no longer needed. It slowly disintegrated through the centuries.

The castle is protected by walls within walls within walls
Inside a tower looking up
The river Aude that protects one side of the castle
Like most castles it is a long walk uphill

O'er the ramparts we walked

Good bye Carcassonne. We take our bikes by train to Toulouse and our cycling adventure comes to an end. Thank you to our sturdy steeds. You deserve to travel the easy way.



Bikes on the train

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