Day Tripper, yeah

Those of you who don't know me personally, and some that do, may be surprised to learn that generally I travel by myself. Many people ask me isn't it boring/lonely/dangerous etc., but the truth is I actually prefer it. I'm the kind of traveller who takes lots of pictures and just tries to soak in the scenery, see absolutely everything I can in the time I have. When I travel with someone else, I always feel like I have to follow their schedule, which can sometimes be a downer. That isn't to say that I never travel with other people or don't enjoy it when I do; it's just worth noting that most of the pictures I'll post will be scenery because most of the trips I take will be toute seule.


So yesterday I went into town to buy my 12-25 card, which is a rail discount card that lets one travel to many destinations throughout France at usually half price. Since it was valid from today and I had nothing else to do (no Friday classes) I decided to take at day trip to Carcassonne. Carcassonne is about an hour and a half west of Montpellier by train, and is famous for its walled medieval old city. The new city, which is where the station is located, is also very old, but not when you consider that parts of the old city were built by the Romans! The walled fortress here is so magnificent that it even inspired a board game.






I walked all around the fortress as well as the castle within, braving the rain in order to see all that I could. The city itself really isn't all that big, so I was able to cover both sides easily in the 10 hours I was there. Over all it was a fascinating trip, not a bad outing for the last minute on a Friday!