June 16, 2018
21 years ago, Becky and I visited the Cité de
Carcassonne on the recommendation of our friend Hubert Dampt. We took a ton of pictures at the Medieval
city only to have our camera and undeveloped pictures stolen a few days later. We promised to make it back one day - it took
over 2 decades, but here we are.
Different from Mt. St. Michel, which is impressive because
of its uniqueness, Carcassonne is the best-preserved (and / or restored)
example of a more traditional large defensive castle and its surrounding
medieval city. It is complete with several
layers of walls and other fortifications such as barbicans, motes, and multiple
heavily-defended keeps. While this is a
farther from the main sites in France than the other places we have seen, if
you would like to see how a medieval city and castle may have looked (although
probably much cleaner with less odor), this is the place I would
recommend.
We toured the castle, walked around the parapets and
explored the city. It was just as cool
as I remembered.
Having seen the things in France that I love, we headed to
Switzerland to see the people who I love even more. After a 6-hour drive, we arrived in Penthaz,
Switzeraland close to 11 pm, but Maria, Domenico and their grandson Joshua were
waiting for us. In some ways, I felt
like I was coming home. I will write
more about this amazing family soon.
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