Carcassonne Chapter: Sharing My City

Beautiful countryside

I have had a number of guests recently and it has allowed me to share my city with my friends. I tend to become quite defensive about Carcassonne; it's okay not to like it, but don't tell me that. Better yet, lie to me--just a little white lie and tell me that you did like it. It doesn't seem like much to ask.

The guard keeps out the enemy

Take a moment to enjoy the blue sky

Most of the time that's not a hard thing to do, as Carcassonne weaves her spell over most visitors. If one comes here hoping to get a taste of what life is like, and not looking for splashy tourist venues, the trip will be successful. As we march on into spring, the list of events to attend becomes almost overwhelming and I find that we have to choose--it's not possible to do everything on any given Saturday or Sunday.

Recent costumed demonstration at Chateau Comtal

This room always moves me--all the abandoned crosses

There's a walk along the Aude, stopping in at La Paicherou for a drink, or making it the destination, dressed in a flouncy skirt and dancing shoes. PluggD has live music, from contemporary jazz to Cuban music to enjoy while having a light supper of tapas. The tour of Chateau Comtal is worth every nickel of the entrance fee. How about a lazy boat ride on the Canal du Midi, provided of course that the weather is warm enough?

Pleasures of the Saturday market

Or one of the local eateries

The 1st of May was a holiday here, as it is in most of the world. I managed to get myself to a political rally. I am very interested in the political points of view that are different from mine--I am not saying I am in the market for a change in outlook, but I find talking to others about how they see society functioning is pretty interesting.