(You really should click on all the photos in this post to see the bigger ones)
It was really interesting. I've never seen a walled town before - I've been to England but "only" saw ancient stone circles there, that sort of thing (which I loved seeing so don't get me wrong!). There are Roman parts, medieval parts and then the reconstructed parts. The Romans used small squared stones, the medieval parts are made of large, shaped stones and the reconstructed parts used very nicely squared off stones - they haven't had time to start dissolving in the rain.
I am not sure that I appreciated it as much as I could have. After all, I have absolutely nothing to compare it with. But it was totally fascinating.
We had a lovely afternoon walking around it, seeing it close up, being amazed by the tourist tat inside its walls - I guess that whilst the things sold may have changed, the shops inside have not changed all that much in the last hundred years or so that they have catered to tourist trade rather more than local rather. Cos oh yes, locals live there not just in the new town (ville basse) spread around the flanks of the hill.
3 comments:
Ahhh the blog maybe ate my comment. Too lazy to type it all again. Suffice it to say, lovely photos, funny air con, glad you are having a good time!!
(language change)
Vos cal anar mai luènh de la grandor d'aqueste fortalessa francesa en Occitània (oc);
(en)could u explain why such a fortification in Occitània and specially in Carcassona ?
Answer to this, will open other doors ... it will be upfull for European minds.
For Godilhaire, it seems that Carcassonne was at the border or frontier of a number of cultural groups over the years. The European countries as we now know them have not always had the same borders. Carcassonne was a Roman fortress for many years, a Visigoth fortress, then was on the Spanish side of the border between France and Aragon/Spain. It formed part of Occitania. In the 1600s, the border between France and Spain changed due to a treaty, so Carcassonne became French and the border moved a long way away. It's importance as a citadel/fortress waned greatly after that.
Post a Comment