We have been very lucky weather wise on this trip. The only time that we have been rained on was the little bit the first afternoon in Belgrade. In Paris it rained just after we moved our stuff into the apartment and while we were eating dinner. It has also rained when we were driving from place to place. Everyone here has been commenting on how much rain they had in July. They had been having a rotten summer. We on the other hand have had beautiful days that were pleasantly cool.
All this is to say, that it rained again after we left Hank's but cleared nicely by the time we were in Carcassonne. It is much warmer here. Carcassonne is a medieval walled city. Inside the walls are tiny crowded streets lined with shops and restaurants. In the middle of it is a castle.
We were in a residence hotel in a small apartment with two bedrooms, a living room with bed and a kitchen area. It also had a pool.
Spare but functional. The first thing we did was swim. This time Branwen could go in, so she loved it. When it got crowded, we got dressed and went into the walled area for dinner.
Our hotel had recommended a brasserie. We were checking out the menu and sneaking peaks at the table nearby, when the guy sitting there said, "The food's pretty good and it's fast. That sold us.
The kids played on the walls until dinner actually came.
Day two in Carcassone
Poor Branwen has been eaten alive by "vicious mosquitoes". Somehow, being told that it is because she is the sweetest, just isn't cutting it with her. She can't walk two feet without stopping to scratch and whine and cry. We stopped right next to a shop that was selling creams and lotions and were demoing them on the street. I asked if they had anything that might help. They looked at her huge red welts and said allergic to insect bites. They rubbed on some cream and we waited for a little while to see how it worked. I ended up paying a fortune for some Dead Sea cosmetic called Catharsis which has worked miracles. She hasn't cried since - she just asks for the cream, rubs some in, and continues what she is doing. Alec tried it on something he had and said it really did work wonderfully.
This day was really great. There was a tournament - with knights and horses. Something else that Alec had really enjoyed as a child.
If you have ever been to Medieval Times, you know how these things work. They are a little hoaky, but great fun. The fights and jousts are choreographed, but during the demonstrations of different skills, the guys are really trying to beat each other. One of the skills was snagging rings with the lance. The kids were very excited because they had just done that on the carousel in Paris.
Seeing the whole thing within the walls of a medieval city really made it special. Alec was translating for the kids, so they knew that the knight in gold armor was the Lord of Carcassonne and we all cheered for him and what the guys were saying to each other and the crowd. (it is a little like pro wrestling with some medieval trash talk.)
We had great seats, first row - right in the center.
The young girl next to me was chosen to tie a favor on a knight's lance. We were supposed to root for this guy, too.
I took the kids back for a swim, while Alec and Jef went to explore the actual castle. We went to the Mercure hotel down the street for dinner. The kids had pasta and we all had a nice salad and duck breast.
This cute thing is what their ice cream came in.
Moving on in the morning.
All this is to say, that it rained again after we left Hank's but cleared nicely by the time we were in Carcassonne. It is much warmer here. Carcassonne is a medieval walled city. Inside the walls are tiny crowded streets lined with shops and restaurants. In the middle of it is a castle.
We were in a residence hotel in a small apartment with two bedrooms, a living room with bed and a kitchen area. It also had a pool.
Spare but functional. The first thing we did was swim. This time Branwen could go in, so she loved it. When it got crowded, we got dressed and went into the walled area for dinner.
Our hotel had recommended a brasserie. We were checking out the menu and sneaking peaks at the table nearby, when the guy sitting there said, "The food's pretty good and it's fast. That sold us.
The kids played on the walls until dinner actually came.
Day two in Carcassone
Poor Branwen has been eaten alive by "vicious mosquitoes". Somehow, being told that it is because she is the sweetest, just isn't cutting it with her. She can't walk two feet without stopping to scratch and whine and cry. We stopped right next to a shop that was selling creams and lotions and were demoing them on the street. I asked if they had anything that might help. They looked at her huge red welts and said allergic to insect bites. They rubbed on some cream and we waited for a little while to see how it worked. I ended up paying a fortune for some Dead Sea cosmetic called Catharsis which has worked miracles. She hasn't cried since - she just asks for the cream, rubs some in, and continues what she is doing. Alec tried it on something he had and said it really did work wonderfully.
This day was really great. There was a tournament - with knights and horses. Something else that Alec had really enjoyed as a child.
If you have ever been to Medieval Times, you know how these things work. They are a little hoaky, but great fun. The fights and jousts are choreographed, but during the demonstrations of different skills, the guys are really trying to beat each other. One of the skills was snagging rings with the lance. The kids were very excited because they had just done that on the carousel in Paris.
Seeing the whole thing within the walls of a medieval city really made it special. Alec was translating for the kids, so they knew that the knight in gold armor was the Lord of Carcassonne and we all cheered for him and what the guys were saying to each other and the crowd. (it is a little like pro wrestling with some medieval trash talk.)
We had great seats, first row - right in the center.
The young girl next to me was chosen to tie a favor on a knight's lance. We were supposed to root for this guy, too.
I took the kids back for a swim, while Alec and Jef went to explore the actual castle. We went to the Mercure hotel down the street for dinner. The kids had pasta and we all had a nice salad and duck breast.
This cute thing is what their ice cream came in.
Moving on in the morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment