Carcassonne, France

Our gite

For our spring vacation we took a trip to the south of France. We stayed in a quaint little "gite" (vacation house.. pronounced with a very soft "g") in La Serpent, France which is this tiny little village about 45 minutes away from the more well known Carcassonne, France. Actually, I had never heard of Carcassonne, France before about three weeks ago but it is evidently a world renowned city known for the great stone wall surrounding it and the castle and cathedral inside. It is said to be the setting for the classic tale Puss and Boots. We visited the city on Monday and we traveled to Argeles-sur-Mer, France on the Mediterranean Sea, very close to Spain, on Tuesday then returned to Clermont-Ferrand on Wednesday.

Dining Area

Original Staircase

Trying to get warm by the fire!

All Smiles.

Carcassonne was very touristy yet tres cool. When we first arrived Freddie took the older two children on a walk around the wall and into some watch towers that I imagine were once used to look out for enemies. Then we entered the city where there were lots of shops and restaurants along with the original castle, the Chateau Comptal, and La Basilique Saint Nazaire which was this beautiful thousand years old Roman Catholic church. We left with some memories, pastries, jewelry for my Sophia and a knight costume complete with sword and mace for Joshua. He and Freddie had a duel out on the lawn of our gite the next morning.

A shot of the scenery in the Languedoc region of France. Beautiful hills, fields and vineyards with the Pyrenees mountains in the background.

Rolling hills and vineyard.


Carcassonne city in the background as we approached.


One of the towers on the wall surrounding the city.

Entrance to the city... you cross over what I can only assume used to be a moat.

Beautiful stained glass windows in the Basilica

Josh and Sophia outside the Museum de l'Inquisition - Torture Museum

On our trip to the beach, Mr. Tom Tom (our GPS system) didn't take us on the quick, relatively safe yet quite expensive toll route... he chose to lead us into the beautiful French countryside and through the Gorge de Galamus in the Pyrenees Orientales. We were blown away by the landscape and the huge mountains and passes and cliffs we traveled over and through and around. At one point, on the side of a very big mountain, the road was so narrow only one car could drive on it yet there was two way traffic. A problem, you think? Yes. Freddie and I wondered if we were even supposed to be driving there. Thankfully, there were three other vehicles behind us so if we were in trouble so was every one else. :) Trouble loves company, I suppose. We found ourselves in a couple of precarious situations where there was lots of backing up and near misses on the sides of a rocky mountain as we reversed and moved out of the way of on coming traffic. We made it to the other side of this magnificent gorge where we parked and looked in awe at the wonder of God's creation and the wonder of how we ever made it through the narrow passageway on the side of the great mountain. Deep down into the gorge is a chapel right on the side of the cliff. In one of the pictures you may be able to see it. The pictures do not give the scenery justice.. it was truly breathtaking.

Bucharech Mountain

Beginning of the Gorge - We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into at this point.

To the right is the road and about midway down the picture in the shadow of the cliff is the chapel... It is hard to see in the picture because it blends in with the rock.

Looking back into the gorge.. yes, we drove through a teeny tiny road somewhere in there.

Argeles-sur-Mer is the Mediterranean seaside city we visited on Tuesday. It is interesting to see the differences and similarities between this beach and the beaches in the US. I have been to Florida, South Carolina, Virginia and California beaches and this beach shared qualities from all... the sand was fine yet not the sugary white sand of the gulf coast of Florida... it was slightly more rocky. Yet, similar to the gulf coast, the water was a beautiful blue and the waves were small. Facing the sea and to the right you could see where the Pyrenees mountains touched the coastline which, I believe, is more like what you would see in northern California and maybe Maine. Like all touristy beaches in the US, the beach was lined with hotels, restaurants and shops, ice cream parlors and carnivals. Despite it being April, it was quite chilly and very windy. We walked out onto the beach only to have Emily almost blown off her sweet little feet. Josh and Sophia frolicked around the sand and we were able to take a few shots before we headed back to the boardwalk where we visited the little carnival that Joshua and Sophia thoroughly enjoyed. Then, the children enjoyed some Italian strawberry and chocolate gelato while Freddie obsessively wiped their mouths clean with Emily's baby wipes. He admitted himself that yes, he is being "THAT Dad". :) Who knew my husband was such a selective neat freak?

We stopped for lunch in Perpignan, France at a delightful little pizzeria.

My beautiful Sophia.


Looking to the south towards Spain and the Pyrenees Mountains.

Ohhh sand! The last time she was at the beach she was only 6 months old so this was her first real experience with sand at the beach. She loved it!

Wind almost blowing her away...

My family.


Joshua on a "nutmo" at the carnival on the beach. Do y'all remember when he used to be obsessed with motorcycles and call them "nutmos"?

On a Spiderman helicopter like ride. Reminded me of their first trip to a fair with Papa in Fall 2007.

Our last night in the gite. The weather was perfect as we sat on the lawn eating cheese, bread and strawberries with a breathtaking view of the Pyrenees Mountains.