OMG Carcassonne!

Imagine Robin Hood, King Arthur & Merlin, and every other mediaeval story you know, wrap them up together, and that might come close to Carcassonne (except speaking French). This is a complete village (called the cite/city) covering a hilltop, and surrounded by two giant walls, intercepted by dozens of towers. Inside the walls are the castle, containing the fortified keep, and a basilica. Between these two are dozens of streets and lanes, with shops, restaurants and even hotels.
We spent the whole day in the Cite today, with only a brief break late afternoon to drop off our purchases and change for dinner. Shopping was good, food was great, but we can't put into words how we felt exploring a town that is up to 1000 years old. Huge crowds enter the cite all through the day, speaking many different languages, but the area is so large, we rarely felt crowded. Check out our photos for an idea, but photos alone don't do justice to Carcassonne.