France -- Carcassonne day 2

Today (20 June 2010) mom, Judy, and I woke up around 8 am to a beautiful, sunny view of La Cité outside our window. We got ready and walked up to La Cité around 9 am. On our short walk we saw a really cool sight: a hummingbird moth (Hemaris sp.) flying around enjoying nectar from the flowers (especially the foxtails) on the side of the trail!

Before going into the walled city, we visited the cemetery outside the Narbonne Gate. After that, we entered La Cité via the big bridge over the moat. We toured the area around the walls (between the inner and outer walls), wandering around and admiring the view of the outlying lands.

Once we arrived at the St. Nazaire Tower, we entered the city near the cathedral. We visited the Basilique St. Nazaire and it was really beautiful. I especially liked all the colorful stained glass windows and the gargoyles.

After seeing the cathedral, we walked around the small streets interlacing La Cité, stopping at shops along the way. We had café crèmes and croissants at a little café for breakfast. We wandered everywhere, visiting the ramparts and outer walls of the city – it was a sunny day, but with a lot of strong, chilly wind. Mom bought me a Carcassonne souvenir: a little cloth mat with an image of the walled city of Carcassonne on it (thanks mom!).

We continued our wanderings and eventually stopped for lunch in Place Marcou at a place called Le Trouvère. I had a (fairly rare) steak haché with pomme frites and Orangina which was really good – the fries in France are the best!

Next, we visited souvenir stores on the main street (Rue Cros May) and I bought the following items: 1 cinnamon Carcassonne soap (for Shannon), 4 post cards, 3 home-made lollipops, and 4 caramels (2 vanilla and 2 fleur de sel). We continued wandering and took a break at a café for warm drinks (I had caramel tea). Here’s where something unexpected happened – I got trapped in the bathroom! The sliding lock got stuck and I couldn’t open the door. I tried to escape via the small window above the toilet, but it had bars over it. Eventually, I called for help and Judy jiggled the door handle, loosening the lock and giving me my freedom.

We walked around to more of the ramparts and in the moat near the Chateau Comtal. After we wandered around, peeking into shops every so often, we stopped by a restaurant that we had seen before for an early dinner. I had a menu: salad chèvre, cassoulet, and fromage avec miel. After our meal, we wandered out of La Cité and back to our hotel to turn in for the night. The next day, we ride the trains to Amboise in the Loire Valley!