Carcassone

The last couple of days with mom and Jim were spent in Carcassonne - We toured both the old Cité (Began in the Roman era) and the new city (1200's). We took the bus up to the walled old city or la Cité to save our legs for the uneven walking on old cobblestone roads and alleys.

Mom and Michael walking the tilt.

Mom did a great job of walking about 1/2 way around the tilt (area between the inner and outer walls of the old city), as well as exploring a few hours worth of the streets and alleys within the walls.

Basilica Saint Nazaire within the walls of la Cité. A beautiful mixture of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The barrel vaulted Romanesque section built in the 11th century while the more modern Gothic section was built in the 1200s

Many have called mom Saint Jean - although we didn't find this statue in Carcassonne here's a statue of a younger mom, clearly labeled as Saint Jean. This is from a church in La Redorte taken when Joan and I were on our way to Narbonne.

While mom was taking a break Jim, Joan and I went out to see the churches and hunt for gargoyles in the new city. This is one from the cathedral which is undergoing restoration.

After a last night farewell dinner of Cassoulet (a traditional southern France meal) at the family run Chez Fred, and a good night's sleep it was time to put mom and Jim onto the train to Toulouse for their flight home.

The only port that mom occasionally used the gangplank - usually she just climbed over the side, Guess she didn't want a wet backside from sitting on the deck for her return trip.

Mom and Jim giving us the traditional Collins farewell in thanks for a great week of cruising on the Canal du Midi.