June 21, by libertatemamo 22 Comments. It felt a little like a dream, this past week. Originally our plan was to head deep into the mountains and find our solitude there, but the forecasts showed nothing but rain and cloud. So we looked East, past the mountains and towards the sea, and our eyes landed on a fairytale place, a Castle of legend and a city of the past with a campground just steps away.
Or would it be over-run, as so many of these spots are? The first time you see it, it takes your breath away. Back then it was a cheap, blended wine, very different from the quality you see today. Languedoc wines have come a long way since then. Some of the sites even have slice views of the old city. Ah well, you only visit Carcassonne once right? Temps were expected to be hot while we were here, so we decided to splurge and got an enormous, private site in camp.
We loved it and felt it was totally worth it for the few days we were visiting. The French are not really morning folks. So the next day we decide to take advantage of that little nugget of insider info. We thought this to be the best way to avoid the crowds and in fact, it ended up being even better than that.
Cafes and restaurants were mostly closed a few were just opening up , shops were shuttered and the streets were completely, wonderfully, spectacularly empty. It was as if the wind swept through and left only dust and stones, the historic site abandoned and quiet, waiting just for us.
What an absolute treat! A few cafe owners glanced at us, surprised to see anyone around so early, and a dog trotted up to visit Polly from one of the shops, but other than that our time in the old city was completely ours. A magical moment indeed. However if you want to visit the castle, or any of the in-city museums there is an entry charge and doggie cannot go with you inside. I travel by bicycle to the Bastide side of town, where things are somewhat busier.
