It was raining as we drove to Carcassone and our tour of the 13th century walled city of Carcassonne was somewhat limited until the rain stopped. The following is an aerial view of the city to give some perspective. There are 52 towers as well as two walls which total over 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) in length.
It was raining when we got to Carcassonne and Patrick gave an introductory talk outside the walls.
We entered through the Porte Narbonne, which has a drawbridge at an angle to foil prospective attackers of the fortress.
From the drawbridge we got our first view of the interior walls.
As the rain began to clear we were able to get better views. This one is of the area between the two walls.
A view of the Basilique St-Nazaire inside the walls.
This is a view of some of the towers in the exterior wall.
This shows some of the interior wall.
As it got later, the lights came on and we had some great night views.
Finally, Patrick led us on a walk outside the walls to the Vieux Pont (Old Bridge) well below for a dramatic final view of Carcassone.
At this point we also celebrated Vicky's birthday with a bit of sparkling wine (not really champagne!), a rousing "Happy Birthday" and a birthday kiss from Patrick.
On y va to Pont du Gard.