Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
was taken by Simon de Montfort during the Albigensian Crusade and annexed to the royal
estate.
Fortification works continued throughout the 13th century, with the construction of the
outer wall and the 'modernisation' of the inner rampart, making it a near impregnable fort-
ress. The result was further protection from would-be invaders with the construction of 52
defensive towers. These were originally arranged along a huge double row of garrisoned
walls measuring nearly three kilometres and encompassing the city.
Eventually the centuries of battle and strife took their toll and the great city started to
crumble. Various building and renovation efforts were made to save it, the greatest of all
coming from Eugène Viollet-le-Duc who rescued it from ruin in 1844 by masterminding a
hugely significant restoration project, the fruits of which are splendidly visible today.
Today the City of Carcassonne is an icon, representing one of the most successful ex-
amples of European military architecture of its era.
I was bursting to see this magnificent place
immediately
. We were making good time
so I attempted to persuade Jack to make a short detour. I pleaded that it was only a kilo-
metre or two from the autoroute and wouldn't take a moment to see but he steadfastly re-
fused. He had
his
sights firmly set on a gin and tonic which, he announced, he deserved
after suffering the whole morning in the company of a lawyer and a blustering estate agent.
A diversion was out of the question. I reluctantly accepted, but made another mental note
to add this wondrous location to my bucket list once we were fully installed in France.
Our motel was located on the outskirts of the town. It had been bashfully recommen-
ded by ItsWill, so I imagined it would be adequate. It was much more than adequate and
really far too good for us. When I saw the large outdoor swimming pool, extensive lawns
and garden cocktail bar, I knew we were in for a fun evening. We parked the car and were
immediately greeted by a small team of staff who discreetly began to remove our belong-
ings and directed us to the reception desk.
“Oh this is absolutely lovely. It's like a suite,” I exclaimed, as we walked into our spa-
cious room. “Yes… aha - mini-bar!” replied Jack triumphantly, ignoring the plush furnish-
ings and making a beeline for the gin.
With wall-length sliding doors that opened out to the swimming pool and lawns bey-
ond, it was gorgeous. It was also extremely convenient for dealing with Biff's nocturnal
bladder problems. I just needed to remember to make sure that Sam didn't combine this
with a quick dip in that cool-looking pool.
The evening was still hot but a pleasant, benign breeze refreshed the air and dispersed
the mosquitoes. After a quick tidy-up we strolled in the garden and ended up at the outside
bar for a drink. After his third 'medicinal' dose of gin and tonic, Jack was becoming quite
jolly, coping well with his dental cavity and was even close to checking out the next day's
particulars unaided.
