Carcassonne

Our excellent guide took us through the history of the castle and city of Carcassonne, one of the most striking walled settlements in the whole of Europe. Restored in the mid -19th century, this walled city includes the inner Chateau Comtal and the beautiful church of St Nazareth with amazing views from the tower. So much killing went on all in the name of preservation and using the most awful methods. Then the boundary of the city changed, the castle was deserted, the brick torn down to use for housing. Preserved now and with heritage status.

As we ate our lunch, this group were capturing the view in my extra. Other groups of schoolchildren were enacting battles. Everyone was having a great day. We walked with our courier to the old city and then pootled by ourselves, getting back to our hotel just as a storm started. It’s still raging.