Exploring the Fortified City of the Late Dame Carcas

It was the second of two excursion weekends where each half of the cohort got to do the excursion they didn't do the previous weekend. One half of the group experienced the eco-lodge, Domaine du Thoré, with its wildlife and regional cuisine while the other half got to experience the history and splendor of the world famous UNESCO heritage site, Carcassonne. The Carcassonne visit started with a guided tour.

We started here, in front of the Narbonnaise Gate, where we discussed some of the fortifications of the city and the timeline of its occupation spanning all the way from the Gallo-Roman times to the peak of its importance in the medieval era to its fall from grace moving through the Enlightenment to its rediscovery in the middle of the 19th century and eventual placement into UNESCO. From this spot, we could see the bust of the famed Dame Carcas who, according to legend, was the namesake of the city due to her clever tricks that repelled the armies of Charlemagne leading the church bells to ring and people to exclaim "Dame Carcas sonne!" (Lady Carcas rings!).

From there, we continued along the outside of the walls noting three distinct phases of construction. The smallest stones represented the oldest parts of the wall which was constructed during the Gallo-Roman era and is over 1500 years old. The larger, but still slightly uneven stones, were carved during the middle ages during a time of refortification during the Crusades. All the way at the top, the large and completely uniform stones are part of the renovations led by architect Eugene Violet Le Duc in the middle 19th century as the city was rediscovered and starting to be recognized as an important historical site.

Finally, we stopped in front of the Basilica Saint Nazaire considering both the architecture around us and the history of the church itself. The opulent structure dating back to the 13th century was a cathedral in its hey day and had its first stones blessed by the Pope, but as the fortified city of Carcassonne gave way in economic and political importance to the town below, the Cathedral was moved down into the valley and the church on top of the hill was given the slightly less distinguised title of Basilica.

After the tour and some free time for lunch and souvenir shopping, it was time to visit the Chateau Comtal which dates to the 12th century and features items from as far back as the 3rd century AD. The tour of the castle features some glimpses into the original architecture of the castle and surrounding walls as well as the renovations that were done in the 19th century.

Students couldn't help but stop, stare, and take pictures of the splendid landscape visible from the windows of the castle and from the walk along the outer walls. The entire town of Carcassonne below could be seen as well as the Pyrenees mountains, vineyards, and an olive grove.

But we shouldn't forget about the other half of our group who were over at the dairy farm on Saturday learning about the process of milking cows and sheep and the process of turning that raw product into cheeses.

They, then, continued their activities at the eco-lodge in slightly chilly, slightly rainy weather, but that only gives the mountains an even more peaceful ambiance.

Everyone is looking forward to the final week of the program which will include kayaking on the Garonne, a baking session, and a pastel art demonstration as well as our good-bye luncheon catered by one of Toulouse's best bakeries!