Carcassonne and Collioure

Well, it was another adventurous weekend in France. One of my teachers and I wanted to go on a weekend trip together, so she invited me to go with her and her family to Carcassonne and Collioure, two towns in southeast France. Carcassonne is a fortified city in the department of Aude, which is in the Occitanie region. Collioure is a 1 hour and 45 minute drive south drive from Carcassonne. It is 26 km from the Spanish border on the Mediterranean sea and is located in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales. It is contained in the small part of France that is part of Catalonia.

My teacher and her family picked me up Saturday morning and we drove straight to Carcassonne from Aiguillon. Carcassonne is known as a "Cité" because it is a medieval fortress surrounded by a city. It dates back to the Gallo-Roman period and was restored by architect and theorist Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853.

This is the entrance of the Carcassonne citadel. Because of its exceptional preservation and restoration, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.

The history of Carcassonne starts in Carsac, which is south of this town. In the 6th century B.C. this lively town was abandoned for an oppidum, which is a large fortified Iron Age settlement, located at the current location of the city. The city is known for its long periods of occupation by the Visigoths and the Saracens. In 1355, the Bastide is burned down in a fire by the Prince de Galles (Prince of Wales), nicknamed le Prince Noir (the Black Prince). It is then reconstructed on a smaller area surrounded by ramparts. In 1590, during the Wars of Religion, the city, contrary to the Bastide, did not recognize Henri IV as King of France because he was a Huguenot. This is when a violent conflict starts to divide the city during several months. Then, throughout the next several years, the city goes through a rise in woolen sheet production and then a collapse of the market that decreases this industry. In the 19th century, the City, used as a stone quarry, is saved by the Carcassonne scholar Jean Pierre Cros-Mayreviellille then restored by the architect Eugène Viollet-le Duc. The cultural life of Carcassonne then becomes very rich from this century onwards. Brilliant composers have visited, including Paul Lacombe and Déodat de Severac as well as writers Joë Bousquet and René Nelli. Today, Carcassonne is a renowned cultural site that welcomes several million visitors each year who enjoy its international reputation.

The Basilique des Saints Nazaire et Celse is the Roman Catholic minor basilica located in the citadel of Carcassonne. It is built in a Gothic-Romanesque architectural style.

The narrowest house in the whole citadel of Carcassone

My teacher, Aurélie, and I

For lunch, we at a restaurant where I tried a traditional dish called Cassoulet (on the left). Cassoulet is served and seen at many cities in southeast France. It is a slow-cooked casserole made with meat (usually sausage, duck, or pork) and white beans.

On the right, you see my dessert, a brownie.

After lunch, we continued to explore Carcassonne. We went to several shops and visited the tourist office to learn about the history of the citadel and fortress. After touring the Cité a bit more, we finally departed in the afternoon to make our way to Collioure. Goodbye Carcassonne and your beautiful medieval castle!

The drive to Collioure took a little less than 2 hours. Upon arriving there, we parked near a fortified castle, smaller than the one in Carcassonne, and then walked to the hotel. After putting down our things and freshening up, we spent the rest of the evening and night in Collioure.

Collioure is lovely seaside town right on the Mediterranean. It is filled with vineyards on one side and colorful apartments on the other. The beach sits right between the two, surrounded by rocks and palm trees.

The clocher (bell tower) of Collioure is seen on the right, which is under construction right now. It started as a defense tower and then became a church tower.

On the right, there is a maze (un labrynthe) game built in the ground that I played with Aurélie's children.

Here is another food specialty that I had this weekend: a mini lemon cake covered with frosting. These desserts are called rosquilles and they are particular to Catalonia, including the French region of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Exploring Collioure!

For dinner Saturday night, we ate at a restaurant where I got the salmon and then Crème Anglaise for dessert. It is very similar to Crème Brûlée.

On Sunday, we had breakfast at the hotel, and then went to a nearby market. We strolled around and I ended up getting a few goodies.

After shopping at the market, we hiked up to a windmill (moulin), and a saw a beautiful view of the town. The windmill is restored and used in the production of olive oil.

View of Collioure seen from the windmill

Following the hike, we walked back down to the beach. Aurélie's kids skipped and ran around the rocks and picked out colorful glass and seashells.

We found a sea urchin (oursin) in the water too!

For lunch, we went back to the market and got some pizza. We brought it back out and ate it on the rocks. Following lunch, Aurélie's children were playing on the rocks and her son, Lorise, slipped and fell in the water. He was okay, but still, it was scary! Be careful out there, kids.

This was taken before the fall. Everyone is smiley. :)

We traveled back to Aiguillon that evening. The 4-hour trip was a lot of fun with my super cool travel companions on my right and left (Aurélie's kids, Chiara and Lorise).