We had to add one more bag to bring home the clothes we bought or do not want for the rest of the trip, and gifts. Our carry-on luggages can no longer close.

The clothes no longer fit, as a result of eating so much baguette and butter and cheese and dessert. Being with Tina doesn’t help with staying in shape, even though she jogs every other day to keep in shape. Tina eats sweets (ice cream, cookies, chocolates, pastries, and ice cream) every day and several times a day!

Carcassonne is 2.5 hours by train from Arles. We took Bolt (a local french version of Uber) to the Porte Narbonnaise of the Cité Médiévale and walked to the gîte.

We stayed at La Demeure de la Cité by Jean Bacou, and it was the best deal on this trip so far. Location is right inside the Cité, ground floor, snacks and champagne in the welcome lobby, continental breakfast included. All that for about 65€ a night!

We took the tour of the castle and there was so many up and down stairs. It was impressive to hear the history of Carcassone and how it became part of France.

Carcassonne was built and rebuilt over 2500 years, first occupied by the Romans, then by the Saracens, then by the Franks under Charlemagne.

In the 11th century, Occitan culture was created. They are Christians who rejected the Catholic Church’s wealth, hierarchy, and rituals, war, killing. They sought a pure, simple faith, close to the teachings of Jesus’ apostles. The Church branded Catharism a heresy and called for a Crusade. At the start of 13th century, the Albigensiens (Cathars) were massacred by the Inquisition/Crusade and the entire culture was extinct by the 14th century. Carcassonne was confiscated by the Church and later integrated into the Kingdom of France.

In 1997, Carcassonne became UNESCO World Heritage Site.