Mediterranean - 15 - May 27 2023 Montpellier (Sete) France Medieval town Carcassone

 The last few days haven't been blog friendly - tech issues.  It appears to be that yahoo is bogged down and that is how I've been getting the photos transferred to my computers and onto the blog.  Yesterday the process took 3 hours.  So today I have given myself a limit of 1 hour. So if the blog seems a bit disorganized, sorry,  I'm just afraid that if I wait a few days until I'm home it'll never get updated.

Today was Sete (pronounced (set) and we have another long bus ride into Carcassone to see a medieval town, castle, and church.  The photos of the site were irresistable.  This leg of the cruise is nearing the end.  We've seen Italy, France, and tomorrow will be the only stop in Spain.

Last night Viking World Cafe had a fabulous display of breads and cheeses from France.  And of course they had a special buffet at the back of the ship too, we've learned to look there first before filling our plates at the main cafe. 

Sail in view.

The ride to Carcassone took 2 hrs, including a rest and coffee stop of 30 minutes.  The fortified town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located at the crossroads of many tradings routes through the ages (Celtics, Romans, Visigoths, etc.)  It was considered impregnable for centuries, so much so that it was never attacked!  The Pyrenes proved a lovely background for the fortress.  There are 52 towers, narrow cobblestone  streets , the Gothic Romanesque Basilica of St. Nazaire and a 12th century Count's Castle (we didn't go iinto the castle).  A Kevin Costner film: Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, was filmed here in 1990. 

The tour included lunch at a very nice restaurant called the Dungeon.  First course was  peas in cream sauce, with a poached egg and crispy bacon on top.  Main course was beef with carrot and mashed potatoes served with wine.  Dessert was a brownie with hazel nuts, creme anglaise and ice cream followed by coffee - needed to stay awake.  The bread was sliced from large loaves that looked like donuts.  The meal took a long time, 1.5 hrs.  But we didn't really care, many others left lunch early to wander on their own.

There were a lot of shops and restaurants within the fortress. 35 people live in the castle and 15 families own everything within the fortress.  I leave with what must be the local dish,  beans and meat.  You could get this in restaurants, or in cans or jars ready to eat, or beans and a new casserole dish to bake them in.

Tomorrow is Barcelona.