The Wild, Wild West

Ok. So we have some guests and its time to get started on official hosting duties. What better way to start the Burrage Hotel than taking it cross-country. Road trip #2: Carcassone. For those of you completely ignorant of 12^th century history of the southwest region of France, you’ll have to do your own homework. And, since I am completely ignorant of such things, I used Wikipedia for a complete but probably inaccurate overview. Needless to say, we’re talking about a classic medieval city with walls and towers and more history than you can shake a stick at. It started with the Romans, some Cathars came along, and then the Catholics finished the job, as it were.

As we drove the four hours along the high-speed toll highway, I became extremely conscious of France’s role as one of the big producers of the European union. Other than the obvious hillsides full of grape vines, I saw a cornucopia of agricultural produce: corn, sunflowers, something that might have been peas, something that might have been radishes, some other stuff that was clearly food but just what I couldn’t say, and more corn. The terrain away from Aquitaine becomes more in line with what we think about when we think of France: rolling hills, small towns, and little chateaus with the occasional broken-down castle covering the high ground.

The town of Carcassone is quite pretty as a river rolls through town and the classic castle covers the heights. And, it was hot, but apparently not so hot that anyone but us complained.

So, what does one do when one is in a touristy city? Why, go to the wild west show, of course! Or, in this case, the 12^th century European version of the wild west, with a tiny Hollywood spin. I’m not sure how many times I could sit through a dramatization of a jousting tournament, complete with a ‘Black Night' and swordplay, but once wasn't too many.

I’ll admit it was kind of fun although quite cheesy. Just imagine small town dinner theatre quality acting combined with Calgary Stampede rodeo barrel racing. But who better to deliver the cheese than the French?

As we left the show I stumbled upon a siege engine from possibly the 12^th century, although no one could help me with the name (trebuchet? Catapult?):

We also wandered through the old city, checking out the gift shops containing various period-piece weaponry (e.g. a real Samurai sword for 25 euros) or my choice of scale model dragons. Hmmm….

Also, as the day wore on, and the crowds increased, I began to get a better understanding of how the plague might have been so effective back in the day…

The next morning Ann was able to find even more tourist hot spots within striking distance of Carcossonne.  First stop, the  Lastours castle complex. Again, it was hot, which made the climb that much more rewarding, especially for the disinterested teenage girls. History can be good exercise! 

I didn't think 800 year-old castles had landscapers but there you go...

Fortunately, the more treacherous trails had a system of rope railings which kept you from plunging a few hundred meters to your death. I felt safer.

I realize that my photo journal rarely includes people, and I’m sure many of you are suspicious of the possibility of internet photos being downloaded to cover fictional trips to interesting places. I commend all of you conspiracy theorists, and challenge you to identify the photoshop lines in the following shot:

 I know what you're thinking: "this kid could be anybody", which is true. But most will admit there is a striking resemblance to my daughter. 

We finished the day with a tour of a cave system, blessedly cool after a few hours in the sun. It was quite fascinating, although I'm beginning to think the guy who set up the first caving tourist trap hasn't varied his game very much. I've been in a few and they're all starting to look the same. Stalamites, stalactites, and puddles of water dominate the landscape. It was still pretty cool, and this one has been in the tourist business for almost 200 years.

A quick 4 hour drive home and we find ourselves back in the warm confines of chez Burrage.  Who knows what adventures are lurking in the next couple of weeks?