| Carcassonne is a world heritage site and therefore it is hardly surprising that during the day it teems with people from all over the world who have come to see this historic walled city. I wondered, though, what the city felt like without all the crowds. So in June 2007 I spent a day in the city from dawn to after dark, before the coaches came and after they had gone.
These photos are the result. I expected that the light would paint different pictures from the same subjects as the day progressed but the biggest surprise came in the early morning when I had expected to have the city streets to myself. Round every corner cats sat, stretched and prowled and made it clear that they believed that it was they who were the real custodians of the castle and its surrounds |
The ultimate fairy tale castle Buy Print |
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A tortoiseshell prowls Buy Print |
A tabby stalks Buy Print |
I came back to this place several times as the sun rose and the light strengthened Buy Print |
S-T-R-E-T-C-H............ Buy Print |
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As you might have guessed he is keeping a careful eye on a cat passing by below Buy Print |
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There will be no empty seats at these tables later in the day Buy Print |
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The monument to the man who persuaded the French government to undertake the restoration of the crumbling mediaeval city Buy Print |
This shop window caught my eye Buy Print |
This sight amused me. There is rivalry between Carcassonne and Castelnaudry as to the origins of the signature regional dish of Cassoulet. I don't know the answer to that but it is obvious where the restaurants of Carcassone go to today for their ingredients Buy Print |
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Foie gras in chocolat? A mediaeval dish? Hmm Buy Print |
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Every tower is a different shape or size Buy Print |
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another corner another tower Buy Print |
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An appropriate lok for a watchtower perhaps Buy Print |
Between the castle walls and the vinyards the old city grew up Buy Print |
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The hard glare of mediterranean daylight Buy Print |
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Now be honest. Would you really want to attempt to storm this with nothing but a bit of armour and a sword in your hand? Buy Print |
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The sound of swifts is as evocative of France as anything else for me Buy Print |
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Dusk on the western walls Buy Print |
Window shopping on holiday, Carcassonne Buy Print |
nightfall on the western walls Buy Print |
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Candles at Carcassonne Buy Print |
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All ready for midnight mass Buy Print |
