Day 4.
Our final day! I feel like our visit has been no where near long enough. This is going to be a slightly dull blog entry, as we didn't really do much other than mooch and wander in the sunshine, soaking up the Carcassonne atmosphere for the last time. We went to La Cité again in the morning and veered away from the main tourist traps to explore as many nooks and crannies as we could find. It really is a beautiful place, especially today as the weather was gorgeous with no threat of rain, just brilliant blue skies and sunshine. Obviously we both burned! and Andrew is one big freckle, but it was lovely. We had another wander to the square by the cathedral and the old school house, and took s*** loads of photos out on the ramparts again. (I haven't attached them all here though, DON'T WORRY!) Our lunch venue today was Cafe Lucien, one of the many eateries inside the city walls, but this one had a rather lovely (shaded, thank God...) garden at the back. I decided to give cassoulet another try, after the decidedly ropey first experience, and this one was lovely. Cassoulet in case you didn't know (I didn't before getting here) is a very meaty stew/casserole of beans, Toulouse sausage and duck. There are probably other varieties, but duck seems to be the preferred meat here. It was bloody delicious! And very filling. I followed this with a creme brûlée, so finished the meal feeling very French indeed...

After lunch we waddled and sweated our way round town a bit longer, then enjoyed a bit of sun-baking by the hotel pool. All the while trying to forget we have a 6AM START in the morning. Bleeeuuugh...And after that, there's not much to report - most of the good restaurants are closed on a Sunday, so we had a slightly makeshift picnic consisting of...crisps and coke (!) by the canal as the sun set on our last evening here. I've really loved our short trip - considering we kind of plucked the destination out of nowhere I've found it a fascinating city with a beauty and charm all of its own. If you are a fan of history and architecture as I am, you may find yourself a bit captivated. Also the locals have been welcoming and friendly, and the food has been pretty good too. I'd recommend visiting here thoroughly! Here are some of the places I liked:

LA CITÉ
- Château Comtal - the main tourist attraction, but it is a must! Make sure you walk the ramparts
- Musée de l'Inquisition - really gruesome, but fascinating
- Basilique Saint Nazaire - the old cathedral
Brasserie-Cafe Lucien

LA BASTIDE
- Les Chambres d'Aime - our hotel, gorgeous building and lovely owners
- Brasserie À 4 Temps
- Food Market at Place Carnot - for a really traditional French experience
- Musée des Beaux Arts - surprisingly extensive art gallery
- Canal du Midi boat cruise
- Restaurant Le 104 - "veggie" friendly restaurant

And that's it for our French adventure! Thanks for reading, if you got this far. Au revoir! A bientot!xx