We had decided that seeing the Bastille Day fireworks in Carcassonne was a must. We had two options, risk getting a place on the campsite the day before (we’ve fallen foul of the many bank holidays before) or booking in advance. An advance booking was for a minimum of 7 days though, a little longer than we would have liked. We booked as we can always find something to do & the site had a pool. We were allocated a massive shady pitch, which was good as the temperatures were due to rise. So the fireworks were scheduled for 10.30pm on Monday 14th of July, it had been confirmed that they would be going ahead. Several of the surrounding towns/villages had cancelled their displays due to the dry weather conditions/risk of fire. The display lasting 25 minutes was literally jaw dropping. Best fireworks we’ve ever seen. At one point we actually though the citadel was on fire as the effect was realistic. Absolutely well worth the effort & 7 night stay. In no particular order for the rest of our stay, we took a guided tour of the old town & visited the castle & ramparts. Really enjoyed it but as the temperature was edging towards 40 degrees, we spent time by the pool/van to reset/recharge our batteries for our onward adventures.
When we found out that the Tour de France was doing a Toulouse “loop”, that was it! We booked train tickets & went off for the day. We’d only flown in to the airport previously, so it was good to go & have a look in the city. The train journey was an hour, so we left mid morning. We were there in plenty of time to walk down to the route they were starting from. Found a bakery & bought ourselves a “pavement picnic” to enjoy whilst waiting for the riders to pass. We’d missed the caravan, so no freebies. Once passed we walked along the river up to the city & spent the next few hours mooching around the City. Headed back towards the finish line & enjoyed the build up to the riders returning. Well worth the visit, with the added bonus of the TDF. Opted for the fast train back, which shaved 30 minutes off the journey, but once off the train we still had a 40 minute walk back to the site, 30,912 steps clocked up.
Narbonne was the second train trip of the stay. Located just 30 minutes away from Carcassonne, it seemed like the perfect escape for an afternoon. The town was decorated with lots of colourful flowers & had a nice feel. Plenty of independent shops for a browse, various squares off the narrow streets to sit down & take a break, a market hall with food stalls & the archbishops place combined with the gothic cathedral. Enough to keep us entertained for the afternoon.
