Carcassonne has been on our list forever and we finally made it up there last week! We left Girona on Thursday afternoon in a rental car (our car was in the shop, ugh) and arrived in this lovely French city less than two hours later.
Historians have found evidence of settlements dating back to 3500 BC in this area, but nowadays everyone comes to see the amazing medieval fortress. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
We arrived in town Thursday evening at about 7pm and went out for a walk and some dinner. The kids were keen to run around a bit after sleeping in the car.
This was the view as we walked across the river towards La Cite. We stayed in the lower town and while it was nice, it was apparent that the fortress is the big draw. There were few tourists in town and there is not a whole lot to see or do there.
I just adore French shutters and I love how all the buildings and architecture change as soon as we cross the border. One can look out the car window and instantly know they are in France.
We walked the huge hill up the La Cite. The kids were in awe of the construction.
We walked around the inner city for quite some time before we went to explore the rest--cathedral, fortress, chateau, etc.
Garden envy for sure!
The chateau was spectacular and the children, Eston in particular, were stunned. They have read many books about medieval life in Girona, so they were well prepared for this visit!
We walked for several hours and then hopped on the little tourist train. Aurelia was getting a bit sleepy...
The main gate:
We had to return to Girona on Friday afternoon so Rory could resume his training, but it was fun to have a 24-hour getaway!
