17 April Carcassonne and some rest

April 17, 2023

I was booked into the hostel in Carcassonne for 2 nights to allow me to see the allegedly beautiful city and have some rest.

I alsoarrived T the hostel after finding it withing a myriad of time streets which were, really, too narrow for people, cars and bikes.

The hostel seemed well appointed, in that it had a bar!! It also had a large communal area and an enclosed quadrangle where, initially, I stored my bike.

Showered and refreshed I headed to the bar with the remains of my lunchtime sandwich. I have been in the habit of trying order local beers and wines so with this in mind I examined the taps on the bar. I selected one at random and pointed at it. Asked if I wanted small or large I chose small but, somehow, she poured a large!

I retreated to a table and finished my sandwich which started the day as huge and stuffed with salad, cheese and ham. A quick swig of the my beer revealed it was actually a sweet cider. No worries I was happy with that. I proceeded to finish my sandwich and drink the cider is short order.

Then it was time for a walk. A close friend had suggested a restaurant if I wanted to sample the local cassoulet which is a dish based upon beans, pork and duck with then added goodness the French add to their food. Trusting his love of French food I decided to give it a go. Google maps took me toward the old city of Carcassonne which was also my planned exploration tomorrow. I found the restaurant however I was early so I found a nearby bar and ordered a beer. Once the time was right I headed to the restaurant hoping that I wouldn't need a reservation. I got a seat with little issue and ordered my food along with a half carafe of red wine.

The food was delicious and well worth the walk and exploration. The only issue was that I was very drunk. A pint, a beer (it was Belgian!) and half a carafe of wine!! Strange.

I headed "home" having a pissed call with Laura (apparently) I eventually got to the hostel. The bar girl immediately engaged me and apologised profusely. The beer she poured wasn't beer, it wasn't cider but it was, actually, a sweet sparkling wine and I drank a pint of it in, circa, 10 minutes! To be fair to the bar girl, she was new to bar work and didn't actually know what she was pouring.

I woke the next morning feel dreadful. The room was too hot, I was dehydrated and was hungover! I dragged my self out of bed, had a shower and then headed back to the old city of Carcassonne.

A couple of coffees and a huge croissant did nothing to ease my malaise but I dragged myself around the old city seeing much more than I saw the night before. It is deed beautiful and completely awe inspiring. Dating back a long time it was built and expanded time after time to create a wonderful walled city full of fantastic buildings, shops and eateries.

In all reality there is nothing I can add beyond my photos!

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