Canal du Midi on a houseboat, April 10 to 17, 2008
Carcassonne, the medieval city
Ce fleuve sépare la Ville Haute de la Ville Basse, ville moderne d'environ 46,000 habitants.
The City is not an isolated fortress but a fortified city, a sentry on the cliff overlooking the Aude.
This river separates the High City from the Low City, a modern town of about 46,000 inhabitants.
fut construite la ville basse, entre 1247 et 1260.
The "Pont Vieux" (Old Bridge) dates back from around
the time when the low city has been built, between 1247 and 1260.
s'instruire sur tous les systèmes d'architecture militaire, depuis les Romains jusqu'au XIVe siècle.
The City is a stone book in which we can read the history of each era
and learn about all the military architectural systems, from the Romans up to the XIVth century.
Les amoureux sur le Pont Vieux
Lovers on the "Pont Vieux"
Marc in front of the "Porte Narbonnaise", so-called because it opens to the East, to the side of the city of Narbonne.
et de 9 mètres dans les "becs", sorte de refuges pour piétons.
Ses 12 arches à plein cintre sont d'inégale largeur: la plus large compte 14 mètres, la moins large 10.
The length of the Pont Vieux is 210 metres, its width is 5 metres in the ordinary lanes
and 9 metres in the "becs", sort of refuge for pedestrians.
Its 12 arches are from different widths: the widest is 14 metres, the narrowest 10 metres.
On l'a déjà mentionné je crois: Lise aime les gargouilles !
I think we mentioned it before: Lise loves gargoyles !
Dame Carcas était la femme du roi sarrasin Balaack. Charlemagne ayant mis le siège devant Carcassone, résolut de prendre la ville par la famine. Le siège dura cinq ans, au bout desquels presque toute la garnison était morte de faim. Dame Carcas fabrique alors des mannequins, qu'elle place le long des remparts et passe ses journées à tirer des flèches sur le camp ennemi. Il lui resta un seul porc auquel elle fit manger son dernier blé et ainsi gavé, elle précipita l'animal du haut d'une tour. Éventré par la chute il répandit une telle quantité de blé mal digéré que Charlemagne, découragé, leva le siège. Mais la gloire d'avoir vaincu par la ruse le grand Empereur suffit à Dame Carcas, qui fait sonner les trompettes pour rappeler Charlemagne; celui-ci n'entend pas: "Sire, Carcas te sonne" lui dit un écuyer. D'où, dit-on est venu le nom de la ville.
The Legend of Dame Carcas
Dame Carcas was the wife of the Sarrasin King Balaack. Charlemagne who had layed siege before Carcassone, wanted to take the city by starving the people. The siege lasted five years, after what most of the troops had starved to death. Dame Carcas then fabricated life size dummies that she put along the remparts and spent her entire days throwing arrows to the ennemy camp. When she had only one pork left, she feeded it with her last good wheat and threw the animal down from a tower. The pig broke opened by its fall, and Charlemagne could see all the wheat spreaded around. Discouraged, he raised the siege. But the glory to have tricked the Great Emperor to defeat is enough for Dame Carcas, who sounds the trumpets to call him back. But Charlemagne doesn't hear. "Sire, Carcas te sonne" says one of his squires, (meaning: Sire, Carcas is ringing you"). The legend says that's where the name of the city comes from.
Marc sur le pont-levis
Marc on the drawbridge
Inside the City
A sundial
The castle, which has been built around 1130 by the Trencavel dynasty.
Vous l'a-t-on dit ? Lise aime les gargouilles !
Did we tell you ? Lise loves the gargoyles !
Oh ! j'oubliais de vous dire: Lise aime les gargouilles !
Oh! I was to forget to tell you: Lise loves gargoyles !
The Basilique St.Nazaire, inside the City: lots of gargoyles !
Notice the sculpted metal legs
This castle in the Middle Ages was the ultimate refuge: a fortress within a fortress.
