I had visited Carcassonne a few times before but always during the day. This time, I booked a hotel room inside La Cité to experience the medieval fortified city at night, when lights and shadows dance on the massive stone walls. Since cars are not allowed within the walls of the old city, we had to leave our rental in a parking lot and trek uphill to the hotel. Let’s just say that pulling wheeled luggage on narrow alleys “paved” with protruding galets makes for a challenging and noisy experience… But what a reward! On an October night, we were almost alone while circling the city between the two walls of fortifications. Here are a few pictures to share so you can imagine what an atmospheric experience it was.
Vocabulary
Le galet: river rock
Porte Narbonnaise, the main entrance
Lices Hautes, in between the two fortified walls
Between the two walls, looking toward the Château Comtal
Shadow of the exterior wall projected onto the interior one
Peeking into Porte Saint Nazaire
Porte d'Aube. This entrance has been featured in many movies, including the 1991 film Robin Hood, directed by Kevin Reynolds.