Life in France

Cour or cœur?

A gated courtyard in Carcassonne
A gated courtyard in Carcassonne

Carcassonne is certainly not lacking in grand examples of beauty: the tree-lined Canal-du-Midi that allows the Atlantic Ocean to connect with the Mediterranean Sea, the River Aude with its source buried deep within the Pyrenees Mountains, and of course the city’s iconic medieval fortress. Sharing the spotlight with those monumental sites are tiny courtyards, safe havens from the winds of winter and the summer sun, hidden all over the city. I have long wanted to live in a home built around an interior courtyard so that each room could benefit from the sun and breezes. It looks like we just got our chance. Continue reading “Cour or cœur?”

Unknown's avatarBob7 Comments
Life in France

Sailing, sailing

Canal-du-Midi lock and basin in Carcassonne
Canal du Midi lock and basin in Carcassonne

Having grown up on the East coast of the US, I was not unaccustomed to seeing giant sailing boats whenever there would be a summertime festival. It seems that every major harbor from Maine to Florida has a sail-in of some kind every year to showcase these magnificent ships. To keep the tradition alive there are sailing schools in many of those same harbors, including one run by the US Navy, where young women and men train for weeks to rig the sails and navigate these giant vessels through treacherous waters. We live near the Canal du Midi where they do exactly the same thing, minus the sails, of course. Continue reading “Sailing, sailing”

Unknown's avatarBob2 Comments
Life in France

Trial run

Preview of the Tour de France poster from the city's website
Preview of the Tour de France poster from the city’s website

Next month, the Tour de France will be zipping through Carcassonne. In fact, race fans, Stage 11 of this cycling extravaganza will start here the morning of July 13 as the 22 teams of nine riders each set off on that day’s goal city of Montpellier on the Mediterranean Sea, about 100 miles away. As if that event itself won’t be celebration enough, our town had a Tour Festival this Saturday in preparation. Continue reading “Trial run”

Unknown's avatarBob4 Comments
Life in France

Buy this, not that

Tea time?
Tea time?

There’s a series of books devoted to what you should eat instead of something else. There’s the original version, one for kids, for eating at restaurants, for supermarket shopping, for 350-calorie meals, for drinks…. The idea is that when you’re faced with a food choice there’s usually a high calorie, high fat option and a much healthier selection. On one of Carcassonne’s main shopping streets is a gourmet grocery store where those choices are amazing. Continue reading “Buy this, not that”

Unknown's avatarBob3 Comments
Life in France

I’d walk a mile

Wine or sliced meat?
Wine or sliced meat?

Years ago there was an advertising campaign about walking a mile for a particular product except that today for us it was a mile and a half each way. Ah, what we do for free delivery! To do that, as you might expect, it would have to do with either food or drink. From the photo of the box it looks as if it could be both. Continue reading “I’d walk a mile”

Unknown's avatarBob1 Comment
Life in France

Charlemagne’s fountain

A fountain outside the castle
A fountain outside the castle

We used to live in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania where waterfalls abound as do the tales associated with them. When the owner of one of those mini-Niagaras closest to our house hoped to entice ticket-paying tourists to his attraction, he revived the Legend of Winona. The story goes that when a Native American princess fell in love with a Dutch army officer who was later summoned back to the Netherlands, they jumped/fell to their eternity together from a mountainside to the river below. At least the legend of Charlemagne’s fountain has a happier ending. Continue reading “Charlemagne’s fountain”

Unknown's avatarBob1 Comment
Life in France

Is it pork or paëlla?

Neighbor's Festival poster from their website
Neighbor’s Festival poster from their website

Last Monday the city put a sign on both ends of our rue reminding the residents that the street would be closed on Friday from 7 PM until 2 AM for the Fête des Voisins or Neighbors’ Day Festival. For one night a year at the end of May, cities, towns, and villages across the country shut down neighborhood roads to create one giant outdoor party with the official goal being to “break isolation…and give a sense of belonging”. Thanks to the friendly people who surround us, we’ve been there since our first week here. Continue reading “Is it pork or paëlla?”

Unknown's avatarBob6 Comments