Wednesday July 19 –To Carcassonne

Jessica does not like hot weather.  Does not want to do much, not into what we want to do.  But generally went along anyway, although sometimes stayed in the room instead of sightseeing.

We drove through the mountains via the Col de Port, France, a mountain pass.  We took back roads over the mountains, very pretty.  Sunny and clear. Could see the Pyrenees clearly.  

Stopped for a picnic at the top of the pass (Col de Port).  

There were lots of white cows wondering around with lots of tails swishing and bells clanging. 

There were many, many sunflower fields.  They are not as far along in the season as those in Spain, which made it much more picturesque.  

One of the pretty towns we passed through.

We arrived in Carcassonne, a wonderful double-walled city, mid-afternoon.  

We found a hotel right outside the walls that had a pool.  Josh and Mary went swimming. 

Then we all headed for La Cite (the city) for sightseeing.  

We took a guided tour the castle and walls.  This city is very different from most in that it has two rings of walls around it.  The guide cracked a lot of jokes in broken English but was really quite good.  We all liked the guided tour, which was unusual for the kids, who generally much preferred to wander by themselves.  

There were lots of gates/ports,

many turrets and towers,

and the city walls were impressive and photogenic.

And, of course, there was an old cathedral in the city.

There were wonderful views of the surrounding area from the city walls.

We then walked around the old city (inside the walls), which was mostly restaurants, cafes, and tourist shops.  

After that, the kids headed back to the hotel and Mary and Paul walked out of the old city to the river for great views of the city walls from below.  

We all ate in a sidewalk café.  The city is quaint and a great walking city, as cars are banned until late afternoon.  Back at the hotel for some more swimming.  

After dark, we drove the kids down to the river to view the wall illuminated at night.  Even Josh was impressed.  

Josh was pretty beat by the end of the day.