A quiet day which started with a visit to Carcassonne with our guide Nicolette. We visited the cathedral, with its excellent stained glass and the ‘siege stone’ which was carved at the time of the Cathar Crusade and is supposed to represent the siege of Toulouse – possibly even at the moment of the death of Simon de Montfort, the Crusade’s leader, hit by a stone catapaulted from the besieged city. In the top corner a small soul seems to being lifted into heaven by an angel. We also heard some superb singing by a Russian choir. The visit took in the superb walls as well as the Counts Castle, home of Raymond Roger Trencavel.
The afternoon was listed as free time so many of the group made their way down to the bastide Saint Louis, a short walk down from the Cité but a rather longer one back. Worth it though if only for the views from the old bridge. In the evening we also got to dine on our own so after drinks with the Taylors many went back to the lower town for steak. It was generally agreed that l’Oeil – le Resto was a huge success. There were steaks large enough to feed a small army of crusaders and despite the lack of French Fries a good time was had by all.
