Monday, March 19, 2012

France Day 8 of 18 - Albi, Carcassonne, Nimes

I did fail to mention that we stopped in Albi before heading over to Carcassonne on Day 7. One of our friends was actually from this town, so we thought we would swing by and see what it was like. Albi was a cute town with a carousel where we stopped and looked at a museum were Toulouse Lautrec had some of his paintings in an old Abby. I enjoyed the museum more than I thought I would.
Now on day 8, we headed to Carcassone which was a beautiful walled medieval city. I think Kevin Costner's Robin Hood was filmed there. If it wasn't, it should have been. Carcassonne, was somewhat touristy, but was fun to explore none the less. Check out the old and beautiful Hotel there. Very fitting for a medieval town, could not believe the prices! Maybe schedule a lunch in their exquisite medieval restaurant. We ate at a restaurant down the way where I thought I ordered duck and salad, but my basic French translation did not realize that it was actually duck gizzards! Whoops! My husbands insisted that I eat it any way not to offend the owners, but I was not in the mood, and I decided that I wanted to eat alot and what I wanted on my vacation, so I reordered. Note: Canard confit is not what I imagined either... it is duck preserved in its own fat...yet another reorder...Lesson learned... even if you think you know what something is... do some food research ahead of time just to be sure...

Then we were off to Nimes which was a pleasant surprise. Nimes is where they actually invented denim... which in French translates to " of Nimes" I thoroughly enjoyed Nimes. There was beautiful bull fighting area that looked beautiful lit up at night.
I also enjoyed looking at the roman temple there which was one of the best preserved I have seen and the Jardin de la fountaine (Roman water gardens). As you can see we are in a unique location with Spanish and Roman influences. The water gardens were absolutely beautiful. You walk over bridges and paths with water, ducks geese, and fish under neath you. The Romans showed here how they knew how to capture both architectural and natural beauty in one.

Phew what a full and beautiful day in Southern France!

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