 |
Carcasson
|
Thursday
Toulouse is a very old European city and we just love wandering and looking at the architecture. Our hotel is in the very center of the city, which is all cobblestones and narrow streets with one giant square in the middle. Cars and pedestrians coexist well - it's clear that the understanding is that pedestrians have the right of way. No honking, except once when some dumb American is standing in the street, oblivious, blocking traffic. Sorry! I keep thinking that if the street is full of pedestrians, then by definition there'll be no cars. Lots of evidence that this is not a car-based society.
Lots and lots and lots of cafes and restaurants and ice cream places and boulangeres with outside seating, on the sidewalk or on the square. We sat for about an hour tonight outside a bread and sandwich shop and did not much of anything, watching people stream by. Abbey thought the lions carved above the door of the bookstore across the way were worried about the cherubs between them. I thought they were thinking of their next meal. The bread shop was full of all kinds of bread to make your mouth water. The French take their bread seriously. Breakfast today was a buffet with croissants and brioche and lots of different fruits, and thinly sliced hams and chocolate pastries, and yogurt and granola and scrambled eggs and bacon, and... did I mention croissants, both large and small? The buffet seemed to go on forever.
We took a ride to historic Carcasson today (pic above) - the longest intact medieval city walls (by far, I think) in Europe, built in, as I remember, the 11th century (outer wall) and 12th century (inner wall)(some of the outer wall was built on Roman foundations). We were astounded when we looked down on it from an overlook at a distance, and then as we walked toward the intensely defensive main gate. Then we got inside - more narrow streets and medieval architecture - and it was wall-to wall tourist shops catering to the wall-to-wall tourists. And dozens and dozens of cafes and restaurants and boulongeres (sp?) - well, you get the picture. You could buy almost anything, including custom-embroidered baby bibs, jewelry, CBD, toy medieval weapons (we saw a little girl with a pink sword and shield!) and many more. There were two (2 ! ) Inquisition Museums. But there was also a real castle inside, attached to the inner wall, and a cathedral with great stained glass windows.
The connection with the Inquisition had to do with the Cathars in the 13th century (as I remember) - look them up, a really interesting break-off (meaning heretical) sect from the Roman church. The only thing we know about them comes from the thousands of confessions tortured out of them by the Inquisition after their stronghold at Carcasson fell when they ran out of water. They were almost completely wiped out, because they thought it was a good idea to actually read the Gospels and do what they said, instead of supporting a massive, corrupt Papal hierarchy. (By the way, that was the last time Carcasson ever fell to an enemy). (A little) more about the Cathars tomorrow.
The place was packed with tourists (we got there relatively early, so the real rush was about when we were leaving). We ate outside at one of the restaurants (the weather has been perfect the last two days) and had
cassoulet, a very famous food locally (“Wars have been fought about those beans!” said our guide). It's made of white beans (and depending on where you are, the local beans are different and allegedly taste differently), and a mixture of meats (chicken, pork, sausage) baked in a stew. Look it up and try it! If you go to the grocery store, you'll probably find cannellini beans, which I think are the closest you can get to the real thing.
 |
| The ramparts of Carcasson |
I was thrilled to learn more about two things I had read about a lot in the past, but which were pretty abstract and academic: The Cathars (see above) were one, and “Le Canal des Deux-Mers.” (also known as “Le Canal du Midi”) which – wait for it – runs from the Mediterranean coast of France to the Atlantic coast of France. Did you know that Iberia is technically an island (as is Cape Cod, for the same reason)? This is an OLD canal – begun in the seventeenth century – and was built so trade and commerce could take place between the Atlantic and Mediterranean (and everywhere in between) without encountering the British Navy. Or the Barbary Pirates, which were a thing a century or so later. Or any other bad guys. Anyway – it goes through (actually, around) Toulouse. It made most cities it went through very rich, including Toulouse. And we followed it on the bus for about a dozen miles. It's lined on both sides by big plane trees, which are related to the sycamore. They're beautiful, and you can tell if the canal is off in the distance because there's this line of beautiful trees. Apparently, Napoleon had the trees planted so his soldiers could march along the canal in the shade.
Anyway – Mom has tried her French out a lot, and her enthusiasm makes up for any lack of vocabulary or grammar. It took her fifteen minutes to order an ice cream in Tolouse but everyone involved seemed to enjoy it. We've gotten by pretty well so far.
There are about 20 or so people on the tour, all, as Mom pointed out, white, hetero (most in couples) and “of an age.” There's another retired School Psychologist, someone who knows Eastham and the Outer Cape really well, another couple who were educators, and so forth. There's also a writer of historical novels.
Comments
Post a Comment