1. Outline 7. Avignon 13. Louvre Museum
2. Monaco, Eze Village 8. Pont du Gard 14. Palace of Versailles
3. Nice 9. Lyon 15. Orsay Museum
4. Aix-en-Provence 10. Bourges 16. Paris (1)
5. Arles 11. Chambord Castle 17. Paris (2)
6. Carcassonne 12. Mont Saint-Michel
6. Carcassonne
Monday, November 26
Not a storm, but a strong wind blew and we shivered here with the coldest during this trip.
Our couple joined this optional tour to Carcassonne on the day staying in Avignon, going west to and fro 300 km for 6 hours in total. It was reasonably valuable to me.
Supposedly there have been few Japanese people who visited this simple castle. Too far away from any neighboring places tourists to visit. It is more than 100 km even from Toulouse, the nearest big city. I got a good topic for conversation.

The name of Carcassonne derives from the story that Charles the great, king of the Franks, failed to carry this town and ran away in 8th century, when Carcas, then governing this town, rang the bell of victory (sonner).

Carcassonne is located in the plain of the river Aude between historic trade routes, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea and the Massif Central to the Pyrénées.

Its citadel, known as the Cité de Carcassonne, is a medieval fortress dating back to the Gallo-Roman period and restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997. Consequently, Carcassonne relies heavily on tourism but also counts manufacturing and wine-making as some of its other key economic sectors. (Wikipedia)

Pyrenees Mountains can be seen far away.
Spain on the other side, according to the guide.
Other Pictures
< 5. Arles 7. Avignon >
1. Outline 7. Avignon 13. Louvre Museum
2. Monaco, Eze Village 8. Pont du Gard 14. Palace of Versailles
3. Nice 9. Lyon 15. Orsay Museum
4. Aix-en-Provence 10. Bourges 16. Paris (1)
5. Arles 11. Chambord Castle 17. Paris (2)
6. Carcassonne 12. Mont Saint-Michel Close