Carcassonne And On: Wine, Music, Food, Wine…And More Wine
Walt Disney is said to have loved this place so much that he modelled the castle of Sleeping Beauty on it. Up there on on the hill it looks like everyone’s idea of a fairy tale setting, with its perfectly cylindrical turrets pointing upwards so precisely that it’s tempting to look out for Rapunzel letting down her hair or some other damsel in distress calling out for help in the hope that her knight in shining armour appears over the horizon. The damsels, though, are tourists, and so for that matter are those coming over the horizon.
Carcassonne is a town of two halves however you look at it. The “Cité”, the ancient fortified city on the top of the hill, is a beautiful place to wander, very much in the style of other citadels around the world with a labyrinth of streets radiating towards or away from the castle itself. These streets and their tiny squares are filled with cafes, restaurants and shops selling local produce; they are also filled with tourists ambling slowly through. It’s a beautiful place but it does get very busy by day.
Meanwhile, down in “ordinary” Carcassonne, the “ville basse”, or lower town, which itself has a history dating back to the Middle Ages, is an absolutely typical French provincial town, far less touristy and a great town to explore. Two rivers and a canal thread their way through, ancient bridges and gateways lead from the ville basse to the Cité, and, in the centre, a large tree-filled square is THE place to watch the world go by.
Right now though there is an extra bonus. We are in the midst of the French holiday month, during which a large proportion of the population traditionally head for the hills or the beaches. One consequence of this is that every town seems to be in the throes of a festival of some kind: Aix, Arles and particularly Avignon were all in overdrive with one branch of the arts or another, and here in Carcassonne the medium is music.
Down in the squares there are free gigs each night, two of which are particularly good, a rock band going by the name of Just Delayed and a well respected avant garde performer named Dominique A: both of these keep us entertained for the full show. Up in the castle grounds, though, another much more grand concert venue has been put together in the most amazing setting – and there are some serious names among this season’s performers.
Bob Dylan and Steve Hackett have already played here this month, and next week both Tom Jones and Joe Bonamassa are on the gig list. As it happens, we will be back here in Carcassonne to coincide with both of those last two – and would probably give our right arm to see Bonamassa, whose music we listen to regularly at home, in a setting as fabulous as this. The concert is unfortunately though predictably sold out, but we’ve put some feelers out with a local facilitator called Vincent – “if I can find, I will get” – just in case. He isn’t hopeful, but you never know your luck….
There’s a reason we’ll be back in Carcassonne so soon. There we were, pondering over the where-to-go-next possibilities, unable to shake off the feeling that we’re not finished with Provence, when we hit upon the idea of hiring a car and driving back across the region to pick up some of the places we have missed over the last two weeks. And, with the further unshakable thought that we have some unfinished business with the wine, the metaphorical pin in the map lands on….Chateauneuf du Pape. Wine mecca. Wine paradise. Oh the joys of travelling unplanned.
And so we’re off across country, avoiding not only the autoroutes but even the Routes Nationales, taking a circuitous and very long drive back from Occitania, through the Languedoc National Park, along the D-classified roads all the way to the rocky hills of the Rhone Valley. All the way, in fact, to the home of some of our very favourite wine from anywhere in the world. The most unmissable aspect of the long drive is the incredible amount of square miles eaten up by vineyards, the massive amount of land covered by the trade really is quite staggering.
The little hilltop village of Chateauneuf du Pape is as cosy and picturesque as its wines are delicious; a fabulous little place of just 2,000 inhabitants where there is absolutely no doubting what is its claim to fame: it is unashamedly all about the wine here. We have Pope John XXII to thank for both the summer retreat which gives the village its name (Chateauneuf du Pape = “new castle of the Pope”) and for planting the original vines on these perfectly conditioned slopes.
Caveaux are everywhere throughout the village and, strange as it sounds, the “degustation”, or wine tasting, is free of charge in every one of them, each proprietor hoping to tempt the punter into buying a crate or two in return for a few gratis tasters of his best. If so disposed, you could tour this village and tank up on top quality wine without parting with a single euro – until, that is, it’s time to eat, when the restaurants will happily come between you and quite a lot of your euros. We should point out though the food is of outstanding quality too.
Visiting the Chateauneuf wine museum is an absolute education. We learn of the blended grape varieties which go to make those classic Chateauneuf notes, the time honoured methods used in its creation and the natural conditions which make the Rhone Valley such a perfect location for viticulture. The museum is good grounding for setting off on a tour around the caveaux – and, by the way, this remarkable village is filled with people quaffing wine from around 10am onwards. Full bodied red with your croissant, Sir? Oh go on then.
The sunshine which bathes Chateauneuf du Pape for 2,800 hours per year is working its magic right now, too – these baking hot days are tempered only slightly by the Mistral wind which is a weak version of its often ferocious self at this time of year, rippling flags and rustling trees but blowing warm air rather than doing anything more threatening. This dry, baking heat is so different from those sweaty, humid days in Asia.
Despite the heat, we know a hike is calling, and with the Sentier Viticole, the “vineyard trail” just a short distance from the village centre, we set off on Sunday morning with a plentiful water supply and a modest sense of adventure. Once again the sheer expanse of vineyards is astonishing; for much of the hike there are no other crops to see, just miles and miles of stony ground and orderly lines of vines, bunches of tiny young grapes gorging on the sunshine.
The air is thick with the chirping of cicadas, their deafening cacophony of sound an incessant high pitched buzz sounding something like a dangerous electrical discharge, and the heady scent of sun-baked pine trees, a smell which for both of us so readily brings back memories of childhood Mediterranean holidays. It’s so hot today that the pine scent is rather like that of newly cut wood at a sawmill. The cicadas, known locally as cigales, have no concept of personal space or apparently our presence: our faces and bodies are regularly battered as these weighty insects rebound off us in full flight and in huge numbers. The whole thing is like walking through an insect hailstorm: it’s essential to keep your mouth tightly shut as you walk through repeated squadrons of these blighters.
It’s worth noting the welcome role these little beasts play though: cicadas are much loved by vineyard owners as they spend much of their day devouring those smaller critters which may otherwise destroy the fruits of the vine. Everything has its role, huh. Cicadas are a crucial part of the viticultural ecology, so esteemed are they in fact that even the local beer here pays respect: it’s called Bierre des Cigales and there’s a graphic of a cicada on every glass.
It’s been so worth retracing our steps across Provence, we feel like we’ve done it a bit more justice now, at least for a first visit, though we both have a feeling that we may be back someday. It’s a beautiful area. The wine’s not bad either – did we mention that?
By the time we slump into the shaded seats at La Part des Anges, Erica the rather brilliant waitress quickly fetches a couple of glasses of Cigales beer and asks why we’re looking quite so exhausted. In my best Franglais I recount tales of our morning’s hike as her jaw starts to drop. She thinks we’re completely mad for having been out there for a few hours under the baking sun in this heatwave, and tells us that our time would be far better spent drinking wine instead of wearing ourselves out.
OK Erica, you win. Fetch me a glass of your finest red.
36 Comments
Alison
Just so much to say here! The food the wine just looks so excellent. Who’s the Skipper as they say here? Those murals are wonderful and they would keep me busy for a while. How wonderful to have no itinerary, a great way to travel. Here’s hoping you get those tickets, I feel you will be lucky. You’re looking well and truly relaxed Phil.
Phil & Michaela
Relaxed?…well I think that glass of gorgeous of red in my hand was one of the freebies, so, well…you know! Not sure I know what the answer to “who’s the Skipper” is. Not sure I know what the question means either!
Monkey's Tale
I’m suddenly very thirsty! Funny but somehow I never thought that Chateauneuf du Pape would be a town too. And a very charming on it is! I managed to almost get through your Turkey posts before the internet booted me out. What are the main one or two ‘must see’?
Phil & Michaela
I don’t think we appreciated that it was a specific place until now, either. We should have known better. Do you mean must-sees in Turkey generally, or in Istanbul? If the former, well Turkey is one giant history museum from end to the other! Yes we can give recommendations though…but Istanbul or across Turkey?
Monkey's Tale
I guess from what you’ve seen in Turkey are there a couple that really stand out?
Phil & Michaela
It’s a really difficult one to answer because Turkey has so many gems. But here goes…Ephesus is not to be missed (though gets predictably very busy, we were there in quiet COVID times), and we found the nearby town of Selcuk a lovely little place to stay. The travertine rock formations at Pamukkale; virtually anywhere along the Turquoise Coast for beautiful coastal scenery; Side for its fabulous ancient ruins (but is a popular holiday spot as well so also gets busy and touristy), Laodeikia, Heirapolis…even the flaming rocks at Cirali. Lastly, we loved Izmir as a city, the Grand Bazaar is more authentic than Istanbul and the different parts of the city are so diverse. I could go on…and on…and on…!
Monkey's Tale
Great thanks!! I’ll make sure all of thise are on the list!!
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Hi Guys, glad you got to Chateauneuf du Pape, which is a not-to-be-missed destination, for obvious reasons! Wine sleeves are your friend when traveling back home with your purchases. We transported about 8 bottles in our check-on luggage and probably drank twice that amount during our stay! Having a car was a godsend for us and enabled lots of exploration far and wide. We heard the cicadas, but never saw one, other than engraved on a beer glass, or a piece of stationery. You two perfectly reflect travel vs. vacation with your intimant reflections of the people you encounter along the way. Thanks again for sharing your journey. I hope you get the concert tickets.
Phil & Michaela
Ha, the cicadas were unbelievable, literally thousands in a single place during our bombardment on that hike. And oh Suzanne….so much wine, so little time!
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
That’s exactly why we packed a few bottles to enjoy at home.
Toonsarah
I’m thoroughly enjoying visiting Provence with you, especially as I know it would be far too hot over there for me to visit in person at the moment (note to self, go in the spring or autumn 🙂 ) I reckon Erica has a point – what do they say about mad dogs and Englishmen?! Just the same, it all looks wonderful. I remember my French teacher (who was English but a total Francophile, spending all her holidays there) telling us about Chateauneuf du Pape, her favourite wine, long before we were old enough to be officially allowed to try it ourselves. She made it sound like the height of luxury! In fairness, she did bring back fantastic French cheeses from her holidays for us to try in class – no wonder I remember her with some fondness 🙂
I hope you do manage to get tickets for that concert when you get back to Carcassonne – you must let us know of course!
Phil & Michaela
Cool French teacher by the sound of it! Glad you’re enjoying because it’s less adventurous than a lot of our mutual travels but such a lovely area. Incidentally, before we named our blog what it is, our original thought was thwarted by the domain name already being taken. It was going to be “out in the midday sun” with the tag line…”mad blogs and Englishmen”.
Toonsarah
She wasn’t what I’d call cool exactly but excellent at her job. And yes, I’m enjoying this a lot and getting inspiration for the future too!
Mike and Kellye Hefner
I’m in awe of the beauty of Provence. The places you’ve visited have captured me and inspired my wanderlust. Your photos are so stunning that I almost feel that I’m right there with you, sans the wine – dang it! I really hope you get tickets to see Joe Bonamassa. Mike and I would love to see him too. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.
Phil & Michaela
It is very lovely and has an awful lot going for it…it’s almost hard to move on but there’s so many more places to see!
HeyJude
Is there anything better than wine tasting? Unless you are the driver of course 😢 I have always wanted to visit Carcassone so I am very happy to have travelled virtually with you.
Phil & Michaela
Very few things , as it happens, Jude. Although we’re both just starting to yearn for a bit of coast….might have to put that right soon.
grandmisadventures
Bring on the wine! You just can’t beat wine drinking, wine museums, and wine vineyards in such a famed wine place. That castle really is incredible- like you stepped back in time. You two seem to have really good traveling luck so I’m hopeful of seeing that you made it to the concert despite it being sold out right now 🙂
Phil & Michaela
We do tend to get very lucky…travel is serendipitous. I won’t do a spoiler though…
leightontravels
I had no idea Carcassonne was such a music Mecca, oh to have caught Dylan there, that would have been incredible. Even if everyone keeps telling me he’s usually crap live. As others have said the beauty of this region is just dazzling, I would quite like to transport us there for a few days. But alas we have returned to work. Maybe I just need to stop “Wine-ing”. Excellent images as usual, particularly of the vineyards and that excellent closeup of Mr. Cicada.
Phil & Michaela
Nor did we! The temporary venue only holds 1,125 spectators so not difficult to see why there’s a problem. Apparently even Elton John has played this festival in years gone by!
WanderingCanadians
The castle very much looks like something straight from a fairy tale. Sounds like you had a wonderful time in Carcassonne. So much so that you’ll be returning. Fun! I like the sound of this wine museum and all the wine tastings. Cheers. Linda
wetanddustyroads
The castle at Carcassonne is definitely the cover picture of a fairy tale book. Oh, and I like that old bridge. Interesting to read about Tom Jones – I just spoke to my brother in the UK this morning and they are going to see his show at the Newbury Racecourse tomorrow night. Free wine tasting … sounds like our kind of place! Ok, and while I’m drooling over your food, I’ll just hang on for another few hours before opening a bottle of red.
Phil & Michaela
I think we have the wine thing in common!
Marie
What a lovely place – I’ve heard great reports. And as for the food and vin…!!!
ourcrossings
Great post and so many amazing photos from Carcassonne. I’ve been to France too many times to count yet somehow never made it within the astounding walls of Carcassonne’s citadel. Now after seeing your wonderful photographs, I would very much love to explore its every niche, passageway and parapet and venture into the less touristy Lower City for lunch or a shopping trip. Thanks for sharing and have a great day 🙂 Aiva xx
Phil & Michaela
There have been so many lovely places on this trip so far, Aiva, it’s such a lovely area
Lookoom
I also happened to revisit the Cité de Carcassonne a few weeks ago, perhaps a little too early in the season. In my desire to beat the crowds, I felt the cold breath of winter swirl from towers to lanes. It seems inevitable that such places would trade in their authenticity for the tourist bonanza. However, the work of Viollet le Duc in the 19th century transformed the ruins into a Middle Ages daydream. We must accept this fake side in order to let ourselves be amazed.
Phil & Michaela
As we stood on the top feeling that welcome breeze, we commented that Carcassonne must be a bloody cold place in winter! I think the more recent adaptation of the castle can be accepted for what it is…especially as those adaptations are themselves part of history.
Lookoom
You’re right, the changes of the 19th century are already part of history. And the same Viollet le Duc added a spire to Notre Dame de Paris, which is now being rebuilt, faithfully with the spire.
mukulmanku
Nicely written with beautiful photos.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you!
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderers
Another great post on our favorite subjects! Cheers!
Annie Berger
A slow trip through wine country sounds beyond blissful. Thanks for bringing to life in glorious photos the wine towns we always heard of but that I, for one, knew nothing about.
Phil & Michaela
Very lovely area, Annie
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