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Day 2 in Europe saw the team revived and refreshed after a fitful night's sleep. Everyone agreed that they passed out immediately upon lying down, but unfortunately, most players and coaches were up in the wee hours as the time change continued to affect sleep patterns.
Nonetheless, everyone felt much better and after a leisurely breakfast at the hotel (which was actually quite good!) we loaded onto the bus for a short drive to the fairytale town of Carcassonne. Built over many centuries, Carcassonne was at one point a Gaulish village built atop a hill between the Pyrenees and Black mountains in southwestern France. Taken over by the Roman empire it was fortified with an inner rock wall around the 3rd century and then expanded with a second wall of fortifications in the 13th century under the rule of the Trencavel family. Known for their religious tolerance, the city became a stronghold for the Occitan Cathars (a Christian sect unimpressed with the largess and opulence of the Catholic church) which angered the Pope leading to a crusade in the early 1200's and the eventual take over by the kingdom of France. It remained a strategic fortress in the protection of France from invading Spanish forces and was eventually refurbished in the late 19th century and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Players were given some time to explore the maze-like streets in the morning and to find lunch. Many, keen to experience the full medieval program enjoyed a delicious meal of Cassoulet, a traditional dish from the region cooked and served in earthenware pots. A stew of white beans, duck, sausage, and other delicious tidbits, it did not disappoint and left those who ate it well satiated.
Others took advantage of their free time to make some unique purchases...
...and others used it for some photo ops and a chance to see beyond the fortress walls.
In the early afternoon, the group was given a bit of a guided tour by a very engaging young man with a great sense of humour and a lot of information about everything from the strategic advantages of having a second gate on the outer wall at a right angle to the first to prevent attackers from using battering rams to the different types of stones used to built the fortress over the centuries. The coaches were rapt while the players, for the most part, did a fine job of listening respectfully and even managed to ask one question right at the end of the tour! Don't they look enthusiastic!?
The tour included a trip around the outside of the inner wall..
...a visit to the Chateau Comtal (the inner castle) which pioneered the use of hoardings (the wooden additions you can see at the top of the walls used to help in the defense of siege warfare) and served as the residence of the Trencavel family. Our guide broke the sad news that dumping boiling oil on would be attackers, while a great idea in defending your castle, was not in fact something actually done given the high coast of olive oil and the extreme importance of water during a siege. He did, however, say that there is a record of resin being used as a weapon given its flammability and that hand grenades were a fairly common weapon. Sadly we did not get to go inside the Chateau and walk the ramparts, so for anyone coming back be sure to add that to your list!
We also had a short visit to the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire, a Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral built within the fortress walls. It had some very spooky gargoyles!
A final team photo at the Porte Narbonnaise and we were homeward bound.
While most of the players did not have this legend told to them, several picked up on it after seeing the rather prominent bust of Lady Carcas outside the front gates to the city:
The legend takes place in the 8th century, during the wars between Christians and Muslims in the southwest of Europe. At the time, Carcassonne was under Saracen rule and Charlemagne's army was at the gates to reconquer the city for the Franks. A Saracen princess named Carcas ruled the Knights of the City after the death of her husband. The siege lasted for five years. Early in the sixth year, food and water were running out. Lady Carcas made an inventory of all remaining reserves. The villagers brought her a pig and a sack of wheat. She then had the idea to feed the wheat to the pig and then throw it from the highest tower of the city walls. Charlemagne lifted the siege, believing that the city had enough food to the point of wasting pigs fed with wheat. Overjoyed by the success of her plan, Lady Carcas decided to sound all the bells in the city. One of Charlemagne's men then exclaimed: "Carcas sonne!" (which means "Carcas rings"). Hence the name of the city. Turns out she was a fictional character, but still a great story! After a pleasant and uneventful bus ride home, everyone had a bit of time to get dressed up for a lovely team dinner at the Grand Cafe Le Florida on the main square. A delicious meal was enjoyed in good company and everyone went to bed with dreams of Robin Hood in their heads. (The 1991 film with Kevin Costner was filmed, in part, at Carcassonne). This was maybe only true for a couple of tour chaperones of a certain age... turns out none of the players had ever actually heard of Kevin Costner...
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