A series of anecdotes with or without any connection to the running of a restaurant.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

A short escapade...

Carcassonne is a fortified French town, in the Aude département in the former province of Languedoc. It is separated into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. It has been added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997. And for a good reason: La Cité is a truly awesome sight from wherever you stand.

Nowadays, it is full of good restaurants (My favourites are Le Saint Jean and Le Pont de la Tour), bars, hotels and souvenirs shops.











Carcassonne is surrounded by beautiful countryside, most of which is vineyards producing great wine such as Minervois and Blanquette de Limoux.






























Le Canal du Midi meanders its way through Carcassonne, Narbonne...























The indoor market (Narbonne)




































It's only Goodbye, Carca... A la prochaine!

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22 Comments:

Blogger Trac said...

Awwwww, I got all soppy then, over your pics - remembering my last 'wistful' summer...

Then I got to the last pic and it made me smile.

Thanks Cream. x

That cute dog looking through the window and a decent breakfast. Wonderful.

14/6/07 8:43 PM  
Blogger Dizzy said...

What a lovely selection of photos and a beautiful place.

I will remember Carcassonne when we next visit our friends in Andorra.

Thanks Cream.

14/6/07 8:57 PM  
Blogger neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

I come here, make sure you've posted new things, then I go, do my work, then later come back to relax and enjoy all this. sighhhh. Merci!

14/6/07 9:07 PM  
Blogger Cream said...

Yes, you did have a long holiday last summer didn't you Trac.
Those were fresh croissants we had just bought from the local bakery. Absolument beautiful!

It would be great to make the detour, Dizzy. Well worth it.

Gigi, it is great to share.
De rien, mon amie...

14/6/07 10:56 PM  
Blogger la bellina mammina said...

Fantastic photos!! and the croissant...yumm..

15/6/07 4:26 AM  
Blogger Merisi said...

Oh my goodness!
The blue bottle, never seen any like this one. I fall for blue glass. And one croissant, please (never tried any French ones, but I imagine they are not much different from the Italian cornetti). Thinking of the act of tearing off a piece and breathing in the smell that emanetes ... wants me to go and check the train schedule. Merci (or should I rather write: mercy, please?)!

15/6/07 4:52 AM  
Blogger Merisi said...

I really wanted to write "the aroma" that emanates. Strange, how it became smell. ;-) Must have been temporarily overwhelmed by the scent. *smile*

15/6/07 4:55 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Fresh croissants, Bella! Nothing like it.

Merci Merisi! All French restaurants give complimentary tap water in beautiful bottles.
That lunch was at a restaurant owned by a cooperative of winemakers.
A glass of Blanquette, canapés, three-course meal, wine and coffee for a bargain! We ate out lunch and dinner! Much foie gras and wine were consumed...

15/6/07 10:09 AM  
Blogger Akelamalu said...

Lovely photographs Cream but I especially love the ones of the canal. I'd like to spend my time cruising on a canal boat, but unfortunately I have to go to work! Thanks for letting me dream though. :)

15/6/07 10:31 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Le Canal du Midi is amazing, Akela. I have done English canals but this one wins hands down because of the weather, pit-stops and countryside...

15/6/07 10:43 AM  
Blogger Queenie said...

Beautiful, never been there but looks worth a visit. Loved the statue of the little boy.
Did the dog get a croissant????

15/6/07 11:44 AM  
Blogger Mary said...

I enjoyed looking through your pictures Cream. I bet you know which one was my favorite though.

15/6/07 12:46 PM  
Blogger Cream said...

Queenie, no the dog was very well behaved. He didn't understand English though.
Definitely worth a visit.

Mary, I think Queenie likes the same photo as you.
I am not really sure whether it was an old mannequin or what but the mosaics really made it look out of this world. It was at a querky restaurant called Opéra Bouffe.

15/6/07 1:15 PM  
Blogger Romeo Morningwood said...

Ab Fab! It looks beautiful and clean.. I can understand the World Heritage Site designation.

That cute dog was making me nervous because I can almost smell those fresh flaky...
HEY votre chein a mangé mon croissant!

I would like to take the creator of the preceeding anonymous widgetmate robocomment for a ride in that lovely canal underneath one of those charming little boats.

What a beautiful tour. Do they make a lot of movies there?

15/6/07 2:40 PM  
Blogger Hayden said...

ahhhh, lovely! Thanks for sharing, such a beautiful place!

I'm flying in to Paris in Sept for 2 weeks and have been telling myself that THIS TIME I will get out of the city and explore.... perhaps I should go to Carcassonne..... great idea!

15/6/07 3:28 PM  
Blogger Cream said...

HE, I think that they did a few period movies in the past. Not sure nowadays.
Ce chien est très chaud!

Wow, Hayden! Paris in September! If you want to go to Carcassonne I think there is the TGV...

15/6/07 5:15 PM  
Blogger Christine said...

Charming photos Cream. I've always loved the window boxes overflowing with flowers.

15/6/07 5:50 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

ah, la france... I close my eyes and dream of you...

15/6/07 7:53 PM  
Blogger valerie walsh said...

What an absolutely splendid trip! Thank You Cream, I really enjoyed this!!!

16/6/07 3:55 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Christine, they came in every shape and size...

Thanks, Marcos for dreaming of me... ;-*

You're welcome, Val. I enjoyed it too.

16/6/07 9:45 AM  
Blogger Andrea said...

Ah lovely - I'm not going to get a holiday this summer. The world is conspiring against me, but next year, next year...........

16/6/07 1:28 PM  
Blogger zoe said...

blanquette de limoux .... i remember buying a crate of six bottles - it's as good as champagne and rumour has it that the Belgian royal family will only drink blanquette de limoux.

18/6/07 8:57 PM  

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