Carcassonne - For those that have been

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Close to the sea?

Not on the coast but not too far. Hours drive maybe?

 

[The Hon Sec]

Staying near Toulouse this summer with the intention of making a visit or two to Carcassonne. Friend says they have some excellent music festivals there ?

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

Staying near Toulouse this summer with the intention of making a visit or two to Carcassonne. Friend says they have some excellent music festivals there ?

Mirande Country Festival (11-14 July)

Marciac Jazz Festival (26 July-15 August) Joe Cocker 7 August

If your visiting the Gers

 

[The Hon Sec]

Yes we will be visiting the Gers but too early for those festivals you mention.

 

[Stat Brother]

Close to the sea?

Not on the coast but not too far. Hours drive maybe?

Yeah we lunched in Narbonne, one day.

Oh god hacked off flash back.

After a wander around we ended up eating by the river in a tourist trap.
Sometimes you just have too.

Finished lunch t'was ok, then walked around 4 or 5 corners straight into a proper proper old quarter bistro.
The menu looked the mutts nuts, bottoms.

 

[ALBION28]

Visited in the seventies (year, not temperature) Amazing time capsule at that time. Is it more commercial now?

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

Not on the coast but not too far. Hours drive maybe?

Yes,an hour to the sea is considered close by french standards

 

[Stat Brother]

Visited in the seventies (year, not temperature) Amazing time capsule at that time. Is it more commercial now?

It was pretty commercial 5 years ago, in the sense of gift shops selling the same medieval stuff, you can get the world over.
But I'd imagine it's not changed much in the whole scheme of things.

It doesn't give the impression of being 'ruined by us'.

 

[Gwylan]

It's about the same distance from the sea as Croydon is. Would people really consider Croydon to be "by the sea"?

Personally speaking, can't say I'm a fan of Carcassone: it was restored in the 19th century - which is why it looks in good nick for a mediaeval town - and it has a touch of a theme park about it; just a bit too Ye Olde France for my liking (and more tacky souvenir shops than you can shake a spear at).

 

[Boys 9d]

If you are ever in Narbonne again, thebest place to eat is at the Espace Liberte (the swimming pool complex) on the outskirts of the town. It has a superb buffet restaurant with just about anything you could wish to eat. No limit to the number of times you can refill you plate from the buffet. Whenever I've been there the staff have been superb. The only drawback is its popularity.

Restaurant Narbonne - Les Grands Buffets - Buffets a volonte

Obviously the web site is in French but can be translated by pressing the correct keys.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

We roamed around the beaches near Narbonne looking for the famous 'Betty Blue' houses on stilts as seen at the bottom of the poster, never found them....