Carcassonne (1442 km)
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Rudy
27 September 2015 | Frankrijk, Carcassonne
On Sunday (27/9) Jamaliah drove with Mieke and Peter in their car to Carcassonne. Rudy left half an hour earlier on the bike to cycle along the canal to the town. The canal winds itself around mountains and over small rivers (aqueducts). It is a nice bit of 18th century engineering. Several locks sort out the height difference in the landscape. This canal continues all the way to Toulouse where it links to the Garonne. So you can go by boat from the Mediterranean sea to the Atlantic ocean.
Carcassonne is well known for its walled city (13th century). Already from a distance you can see it on top of a hill surrounded by the new city (but also several hundred years old). This defensive structure was built on top of an old Roman fort and used for the defense of France on the border with Aragon (Spanish). When the border moved to its current position (1659) it lost its importance and decayed. Just in time in the 19th century, its historical value was recognized and a complete restoration started. Rudy cycled in between the double wall which circles around the citadel. Inside there is a maze of small streets full of tourist shops and tourists (cannot imagine how many there are in peak season) . On one side there is a Gothic/Romanic Basilisk ( St. Nazaire, 1096 – 1321) and on the other side the old castle with a dry moat, inner courts , towers and parapets. The wooden hoardings hanging over the top of the walls are unusual. A museum inside gives access to the ramparts. Walking over them give you the same feeling as walking over the walls of Dubrovnik.
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