Carcassonne

My last two days here in Preixan and Carcassonne have been really great. I can't really express how beautiful the countryside is, and the pictures are nice but don't really do it justice. Little villages and vineyards tucked between rolling hills beckon to be investigated. The colors are fantastic. There is a crystal blue sky, stunning green grapevines, and the doors on the little country cottages are painted a hundred colors from seafoam green to electric blue.

Yesterday we took a walk to the cave I mentioned (once again, pronounced kahv - a wine cellar/store). To get there, we had to walk from Preixan through to the next little town of Rouffiac d'Aude and through that to the next town of Pomas. We had to meander down long gravel roads and tramp through vineyards to get there. We even walked through the vineyard that grows the grapes which make the wine we would be tasting at the cave. It was really surreal to be in the vineyards.

The whole trek between the three towns was about 6km, which tells you something about how small the towns are. We tasted some great wine at the end. You have to ring a bell, and the lady, who lives above her wine store, comes down from her house and opens the door for you, following you in to see what you'd like to taste. You get to taste as much as you want - literally - before you buy anything. There were about 14 wines that they make. One of them won a silver medal for taste according to some publication.

The wines ranged in price from 3.50 to 5.50 Euros. A dream come true for a bunch of students travelling on a budget. We tasted much, we bought much, we went back, and we drank much. Drinking wine from a vineyard a couple miles away is an awesome experience.

The trek back was significantly easier after being fortified with merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc. The rest of that day was spent lounging around. For dinner though, we went to the "truck stop." It was really funny. A little like an American truck stop, except that there were three courses, including charcuterie, cheese with dessert, and duck confit...some truck stop!

Today we went into the fairytale city of Carcassonne. Most of the modern city is fairly normal, home to about 40,000 people. The crown jewel though is "la cité," a turret-studded compound on a hill across a bridge over the river Aude that is so picturesque it could have been a painting. It's incredibly well-preserved. Turrets and ramparts and even some wooden parts all help to make you feel that you've stepped back 700 years in time. I took tons of pictures of it, way too many to post.

The inner parts of the cité are a little touristy, but with good reason. There are restaurants, bars à vin, gift shops, etc. A lot of the buildings look like they could be as old as the walls themselves. It's quite the medieval village.

We ate quite well there. We stopped at a restaurant and had cassoulet, a local specialty. It had sausage and confit of duck (again) and beans. It was like stew, and it was very very tasty. It's everywhere in the southwest of France, and with good reason.

I think tomorrow we're going cycling in the hills around here. That should be a test! It's hilly country especially seeing as the area is surrounded by three mountain ranges, one of them being the Pyrenees to the south.

Lastly, we got our train tickets to Paris for the 4th. They're for like 8:30 though, so we'll have to get up really early to get into Carcassonne from Preixan on time. Until then, I'll be relaxing and enjoying the gorgeous weather around here! And drinking more wine...