It was cloudy and drizzling all the way to Carcassonne when we left Pessac at seven this morning. I was still quite wary with Teko as we had another communication mishap last night but all was fine before we drove off, determined to soldier on, skipped breakfast, and nearly forgot to bring back the heavy, bronze key to the front desk. There was some vacation-induced weariness from the expected long drive ahead, again the scenery was just blah, and the intermittent rain didn’t help either.

When we did get to Carcassonne, it was easy enough to park, wasn’t too crowded, and saw the huge medieval UNESCO heritage site fortress partly covered in bright, yellow tape. An artistic expression no doubt and it wasn’t to my liking. Given the structure’s been around since the 13th century, scarred by wars from all directions, it can surely survive this kind of attack though I blame local authorities for allowing such a silly thing to happen.

After wandering all over the grounds and ramparts, unknowingly Teko and I were thinking the same thing – Carcassonne is huge but not very impressive. Comparisons with Mont Saint-Michel were expected and this one unfortunately fell short. We left a little over an hour after our arrival, satisfied with the thought that we no longer need to wonder about one of France’s most famous heritage. Now onto Provence.