Carcassonne!

Right now I am very much regretting that I can't get the photos off my camera for another couple of weeks, because I took lots of awesome photos today. But even the great photos can't really capture the amazingness of the medieval city of Carcassonne.

So I actually first heard about Carcassonne the city because I own a fun board game by the same name, and found out only after owning it awhile that it shared its name with a city. I chose to come down to Toulouse specifically so that I could see Carcassonne because I really love seeing castles. Carcassonne, the medieval city (there's also a modern town nearby), actually consists of not only a castle, but its surrounding walled city. Some of the buildings have been updated, of course, as there is a thriving tourist industry with many shops, restaurants, and even hotels also contained in the walls.

When I went to breakfast this morning, I actually met a couple from the bay area, which was neat since I hadn't met any other Americans so far, and now that I finally did, they were from pretty close to where I'm from. Amusingly, I saw them again sitting next to me on the train, and then walking from the train station in Carcassonne over to the medieval city. If it wasn't enough of a coincidence that they were from the same area as me, it actually turned out that my French instructor from last semester at Berkeley is a mutual acquaintance. Small world.

When I got to the city, I walked around the ramparts and took lots of photos. The weather was mild and slightly overcast, and I was very happy having my walk. The owner of my hotel here in Toulouse mentioned to me that because of a large forest nearby, Toulouse enjoys excellent air quality, and I have been enjoying it. This morning, standing up on the castle ramparts, smelling the cool breeze, I felt like a happy dog with its head out the car window.

After my tour of the ramparts, I went inside the city and walked around a bit. Unfortunately the castle proper was closed for New Year's Day, and so there weren't any tours running there. That was unfortunate, but in some ways I think it was still a good day to go because only about a third of the shops and cafés were open and there were probably a lot fewer tourists than usual. It was kind of nice because a lot of the people who were around seemed like they were just from nearby and were walking their dogs and so on.

After my long walk, I decided it was time for lunch, and after a search found a place that seemed reasonable. I got a set lunch menu, and the main dish was cassoulet, a local specialty. It was very good. It was a sort of thick, hearty stew with white beans and I found it also had a lovely duck leg and hunk of sausage sitting down in it. It was so delicious I ate pretty much all of it, but it's a very heavy dish. But then my dessert was so amazing that I found room for more- gateau. It was a delicious pastry with a light flavor and a lovely accompanying dollop of cream. Then I got a cup of coffee afterward so I didn't fall asleep on the restaurant table. What an excellent meal.

Afterward, I had a very gentle walk around the city center, and then stumbled across one museum that was actually open- the inquisition instruments of torture museum. I thought I would pass it by, but found myself morbidly curious, and so I went. There was also an intriguing posting in French that I couldn't quite entirely read about how the museum was in some way controversial, but the curators disagreed.

The museum was small, but kind of interesting, since I felt like taken together, the items gave quite a sense of the how a society used to function in terms of its rules and norms and how they were enforced. There were a lot of things that were just meant to be uncomfortable and embarrassing, like the stocks, but there were quite a lot of more painful things as well, ranging from ye olde nippleclamps to an iron maiden. I found it very interesting that "keeping women in their place" seemed to be a recurring theme. Ladies had to wear an awkward metal mask for awhile if they talked too much (that was more on the "uncomfortable and embarrassing" end of the spectrum), or wear a chastity belt if their husbands were worried about them messing around while they were away. The Inquisition was also pretty worried about witches... because ladies have scary lady-magic. Another recurring theme I noticed had to do with persecution of homosexuals. If we think the Catholic church isn't a fan of homosexuality now, it really didn't like it back in the day.

One more thing about my trip to the museum. So I already knew that France is a country where public displays of affection are more acceptable. I'm not really one for displaying affection publicly myself, and although unfortunately it means I have to admit to being a little bit of a puritanical American inside, sometimes seeing pda makes me kind of uncomfortable. For example, when I went to the Pompidou modern art museum in Paris, I felt like all the couples who were also there visiting needed to go get a room instead, but I couldn't really justify saying it's inappropriate. It's an art museum, and it's at least plausible that the paintings would make you feel inspired to make out. But the medieval tortures museum? Really? I was out looking at the displays in this tiny little garden, and the only other people out there were this couple who would not stop kissing each other. When I'm reading about bodies being left outside to be eaten by crows, I find it unacceptable to have to hear kissy noises coming from 5 feet away from me. Freaks.

So after leaving the museum, I walked slowly back through town toward the train station. I think a lot of blood was still in my stomach because of eating the cassoulet, rather than in my brain, and I (uncharacteristically) got a little turned around. To be fair, there wasn't anywhere open where I could get a map of the area, so I was trying to find my way without one. After a bit I decided to just use that French lesson on asking directions, and approached an older woman, who pointed me in the right direction, and told me at length that I just had to go straight that way and I wouldn't miss it. She looked appraisingly at my boots and told me I would probably get there pretty fast. I'm glad I asked her because I had been about to go the wrong way. Anyway, I got back to the hotel all right, and realized that I was tired and had been on my feet for a long time. Since getting back I've just been chilling and reading, and continuing to digest the cassoulet. I may never need to eat again.