Sep. 12th - Carcassonne 🇫🇷

Dating back to the Neolithic period, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the river Aude between historic trade routes, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Its strategic importance was quickly recognized by the Romans who occupied its hilltop until the demise of the Western Roman Empire. In the 5th Century it was taken over by the Visigoths (from the region which is Germany today). Its strategic location led successive rulers to expand its fortifications until the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 when the King of France and his cousin, the King of Spain, agreed to exchange the French-held Basque region for a Spanish-held territory formerly part of France. It’s citadel, known as the Cité de Carcassonne, is a medieval fortress dating back to the Gallo-Roman period and restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853, a prominent Frenchman who restored many prominent medieval French landmarks including Notre-Dame Cathedral, and Mont Saint-Michel among others. It became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997. We learned all of this from our exceptionally talented guide, Christophe Maria, who spent the week with us touring through the region. Tonight is our last night on the barge and the end of a beautiful week aboard the Hotel Barge Alegria. A la prochaine!

The rampart between the inside and outside walls of the fortress at Carcassonne

Christophe, our guide, with the gang at Carcassonne

Overlooking the city of Carcassonne from inside the walled fortress

Stained glass of the cathedral at Carcassonne is beautiful

A quick beer stop at the end of the tour

The last of the locks along the Canal du Midi at Écluse de l’Aiguille, Puichéric

The lock keeper here is also a sculpturist and this is one of his works!