Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: France

Carcassonne Day One : Au Bureau

Our intention was to eat at My Beers, but they were rather busy, so we went to the more sedate surroundings next door of Au Bureau, part of a national chain.

A motorbike at the entrance. I’m sure it symbolised something, but I’m not sure what. We had turned up after 21:00 and so weren’t sure if they were still welcoming diners, but they did and fortunately they spoke English since the efforts Liam and I made at French were a little sub-optimal and didn’t obviously benefit any party.

The chicken burger, which met my expectations, and Liam has some sort of beef burger which is visible in the background. I liked the variety of sauces, the food was well presented, the chicken was tender and it all tasted of a good quality, so I couldn’t ask for much more. The drink is a Ruby Leffe, which is something that I haven’t had before and is a red fruit beer, aromatic and more interesting than I thought it perhaps might be. I’ve been looking out for this in UK bars, so I was pleased to see it.

It was busy in the large restaurant, the atmosphere was welcoming and the service was polite and efficient. The reviews of the venue are average, but there were no issues that we noted and everything came out promptly.

Liam made me have a dessert, a heap of ice cream with popcorn. I usually skip desserts, but it was an occasional trip away for me and so I felt that I deserved it. All told, we were pleased with where we ended up and it was useful to have something more substantial than the more snack based menu that we were expecting from the bar next door.

On the way back from the restaurant Liam decided to take a little short-cut and got us lost. I pretended that I wasn’t annoyed.

May 1, 2024
Carcassonne Day One : My Beers

This bar is a part of a national franchise, a nod towards the growing craft beer trend that is continuing to take place across France.

I got fridge envy seeing this.

Unfortunately, we visited on a Saturday evening, which meant that the bar was packed and there was some loud music blaring out from a band. The service was prompt, polite and helpful, with the venue having a welcoming vibe. It did mean that it wasn’t quite the visit we wanted, as we had hoped to get food and there were no spare tables available. I like the concept, but couldn’t see a beer list and they might be well served by becoming Untappd verified. It was an extensive range and they had sourced local, national and international beers.

The prices were reasonable, although it was a little difficult trying to unpick which brewery was brewing each beer and I struggled to read the bottles in the fridges.

I liked the design of this bar, this is certainly on-trend. It’s located in a retail park out of the centre of Carcassonne and so I was moderately surprised at how many people had got there (we had walked fifteen minutes from our hotel).

As we were on the continent, we decided to go al fresco with our beers. Although the music was perhaps a bigger reason to go outside if I’m being honest. I went for a Vertigo from BAPBAP brewery, and it was a decent IPA with a fruity edge to it. It gave us an initial problem that we needed food, but luckily, I noticed that there was a restaurant next door so this was a plan that didn’t require much thinking about. As for this chain, it’s an excellent concept as France needs far more craft beer venues. It’s the future.

May 1, 2024
Carcassonne Day One : Walking from Carcassonne Airport into the City Centre

There’s a bus that goes from the airport at Carcassonne into the city centre shortly after each flight arrives. However, we weren’t going with that convenience and especially not at the luxurious price point of €6 each, so we decided to walk. I have form here, since I walked to and from the airport last time I came here.

Liam wanted us to walk along the equivalent of the M25, but my much calmer and more fearful mind thought that we’d take a rather more quiet and peaceful route.

Liam claimed that I was walking us into a retail park, but I’m a professional at these things.

And as if by magic, we stumbled into a McDonald’s. This was handy, they had charging facilities for my phone. Incidentally, and I don’t want to get sidetracked, but this was decent value at €6 (the same as the bus fare) and I got a fish sandwich which was better than I had anticipated. For food critics, we did have a little more local food as well later on during this weekend, but this was a suitable lunch for us. And, yes, I know it’s Heineken, but McDonald’s isn’t yet known for its craft beer range. Maybe one day they’ll have some Coolhead beer.

I twice got entangled by this bloody tape.

Some old vehicle.

Professional looking signage as we headed towards the canal.

I admit that the scenery wasn’t always spectacular.

But it improved once we got to the canal.

Approaching the centre of the city. I mentioned to Liam that there was an impressive castle at Carcassonne, but he was quite sceptical as he still couldn’t see it by the time we reached the centre.

That’s some canal… But more on this canal in a later post as we did a walk along it.

Liam, still sceptical, asked if that tower was something to do with the castle. I encouraged him to keep faith that there was actually a big castle to see.

This was a bit of drama, some hoarding that had fallen on a car that the police were trying to remove. I think they wondered why I was taking a photo, but they probably didn’t know I had a blog that needed some vague effort being made at content.

Liam by now had spotted the castle.

I think he was pleased that I hadn’t misled him.

And here we are at our luxury accommodation. By luxury, I mean so cheap that Richard wouldn’t stay there, but Liam and I don’t have very high expectations. The walk took just under two hours including the stop at McDonald’s and we were unanimous (well, I was) that the €6 was better spent on food and drink than on a bus fare. All rather lovely.

May 1, 2024
Carcassonne Day One : Ryanair Flight from London Stansted to Carcassonne

Our dining treat whilst waiting for the flight was a £4.99 Boots meal deal and this was rather agreeable…. Anyway, I’m not sure that even my two loyal blog readers are much interested in that, but there we go. My blog, I can bore whoever I like.

We arrived at the gate before the previous flight had even left, this is the departure to Memmingen which it occurred to me that I haven’t visited before. Incidentally, don’t Ryanair have a lot of vans?

There we go, the departure board changed and we’re ready for the off.

We paid £15 each for this flight, so it’d be hard to complain too much, and indeed I didn’t find anything to complain about anyway. Not that I go looking for things to complain about I’d better add there. The efficiency from Ryanair is impressive, they’ve got passengers waiting to board the flight before the passengers from the inbound flight have left the aircraft and it certainly works for them in terms of the timings. It means that passengers have to stand and wait, which is sub-optimal for those who mobility issues, but I’ll give them their mark for their planning proficiency.

I had plenty of time to take photos of the aircraft. Liam was excited that the cockpit had a window that opened. It then emerged that he hadn’t flown overseas since we went to Malta the week before Covid caused so many problems. He needs to get out more as well it seems….

And a photo of the aforementioned window.

I’m too tight to pay for a specific seat on board, but I was surprised and delighted to get 10A, a window seat, without paying. Liam also got fortunate, he got 4A or something similar. After boarding, Liam messaged to say they had a planning issue with a customer with a disability, but they resolved it promptly, meaning that we departed on time. The crew were efficient and from I saw worked hard.

I was in prime position to spot if the engine fell out. I’m pleased to say that it didn’t.

The flight went quickly, not least because I fell asleep for most of it. I’ve visited Carcassonne before, but it was pre-blog (a bit like before cameras, it’s a dark age for me) and I also used my camera to take most of the photos and so Google hasn’t carefully logged them all for me. I do worry slightly when I forget so much about a past trip.

Liam disembarking…. It’s a building which feels more constructed for functionality rather than design appeal.

The aircraft was clean, well maintained and is registration EI-DWV, a 16 year old Boeing 737 which must be one of the older ones in their fleet. My record on recording these things is a bit patchy, but I don’t think I’ve been on this aircraft before.

Back to the flight, this was an pretty impeccable offering from Ryanair at a price that was bordering on the ridiculous. I might have worked for BA in the past and my affinity is with them, but this Ryanair effort was well managed, efficient and respectful to the passengers. The opportunity that they give people to travel at affordable rates really is notable.

As for the airport, other than for the odd situation with insufficient toilets in the arrival area (there’s more in departures) which caused some queues, it was all ordered and logical taking us under 20 minutes to get from the aircraft to the front of the terminal building. We weren’t delayed by not having EU passports, the border control desk was just dealing with this flight which I think was the last of the day, so everyone was in the same queue and it was fast moving. All in all, one of those flights where there’s nothing much of note to write, which is really for the best as it means that everyone went well.

May 1, 2024
Carcassonne Day One : Stansted Wetherspoons – The Windmill

As there’s limited public seating in the airside part of Stansted, it wasn’t clear where else we would wait for our flight other than at the Wetherspoons at Stansted Airport, the Windmill. I’ve written about this venue before, but it’s well managed, the staff are engaging, it’s efficient and the environment is clean. It’s expensive, but that’s hardly going to surprise anyone. Liam and I had already enjoyed an extensive breakfast of a packet of crisps and a beer, so we didn’t need to have a fine dining meal. I’m sure (well, I’m not, I’m not always very observant) that they’ve extended the Windmill again, as we were seated in a wing that I hadn’t even noticed before. Incidentally, I remember the previous Wetherspoon outlet at Stansted which had around 18 tables, whereas they must now have over 100 tables across the two floors.

I like high seating and I was enjoying watching whether people coming in would go for high or low seating, and the majority went for higher seating. That’s how I spend my time now, with riveting polling such as that. I definitely need to get out more.

I went to the bar to order as they were playing a rather mean prank on customers and pretending on the app that they only had Greene King beers. I was momentarily excited to see that they had Theakstons Old Peculier, but the helpful staff member said that it had sold out within two hours and it had surprised them. I mean, I can hardly wonder why that beer sold out when the delights of Greene King IPA was on….. Anyway, they had Gold from Exmoor Ales and so I had half of that, it was a not unagreeable creamy, smooth and light beer. It also went well with the five decaff coffees that I had, such are the joys of unlimited coffee.

There are other food and beverage options at the airport which aren’t really any more expensive than Wetherspoons, but their beer and coffee options are more extensive and better value. I might try the Camden Bar and Kitchen at some point which has a few craft beer options and although isn’t linked to the Camden Brewery, as it’s operated by SSP, it does sell their beers.

May 1, 2024
Carcassonne Day One : Breakfast of Champions

Stansted Airport long ago gave up with any attempt of having seating in their main departures section of the terminal, unless sitting on the floor is in the management’s action plan for customers. However, a short walk to the airport’s bus station terminal leads to a positive smorgasbord of seating options, so we rushed there positively giddy with excitement for the trip. I accept that a breakfast, or perhaps brunch is more appropriate, of King Queen Knave and Adnams Ghostship crisps might not feel premium, but adventures that start with a Pressure Drop beer at least have a positive beginning. Also, the prices in the terminal were far too indulgent for Liam and I, so this was a much more practical thrifty option. Also sitting in the bus station lets me dream of travel, seeing such glorious destinations on the departing coaches which included Braintree, Harlow and Luton. Does travel get any more decadent than that? I don’t think so.

May 1, 2024
Carcassonne Day One : Getting to Stansted Airport

I don’t get much chance to get away at the moment, so there will be a small deluge of excited posts about a weekend away which can surprise and delight my two loyal blog readers. Thanks to Susanne for driving Liam and I to Stansted Airport for the adventure, with the added excitement for me of being a passenger in a left-hand drive car so I could pretend momentarily that I was driving. As I mentioned, I don’t get out much and this is all I can muster for this blog to liven up the drive to the airport. One thing about living nearer to Stansted Airport is that it feels much more convenient, although less so for Liam who had driven all the way from Norwich already.

Stansted Airport doesn’t allow for free drop-off any more as they can excitedly collect money from drivers who want convenience, but it does allow you to park for up to an hour in the medium stay car park without charge and then get a free shuttle to the terminal. As usual, I couldn’t risk being late at the airport, so we arrived nearly four hours before the flight, which to me is cutting it fine. Anyway, I digress. Hopefully I’ll be able to write this weekend up before getting distracted and taking nine months to complete it.

May 1, 2024
Narbonne – Eglise Notre-Dame de Lamourguier (and Narbo Via Museum)

This is Eglise Notre-Dame de Lamourguier in Narbonne, a beautiful thirteenth century Gothic church. I visited in 2017, not just because it looked an interesting church, but because it housed nearly 2,000 blocks from the Roman period. They had been used in the construction of the city walls in the sixteenth century and when in the 1860s the walls were taken down, they clearly didn’t know what to do, so they dumped them all in the church. And there they remained until very recently, although fortunately, I saw them in situ.

When I visited I tried the door and it was shut. I assumed that I had misunderstood the opening times or that they were perhaps a little fluid, so I meandered off, probably slightly grumpy. A staff member then rushed out of the door and said something random in French (it probably wasn’t random to her), which transpired to be her telling me she had forgotten to unlock the doors and had wondered why the museum was quiet. Fortunately, I banged about on the door because I’m slightly clumsy, so she heard me. Very friendly welcome incidentally, I was given a sheet in English telling me what to look out for.

I accept that this looks like some arrangement that I’ve set up, stacking up thousands of pieces of Roman stone in an historic building.

Perhaps at first it looked like it might all fall down, but it was in fact all quite safe. Or, at least, I didn’t knock anything over. So, here are some photos of the stone and it’s pretty clear to me now that I’ve forgotten to take a photo of the information sheet, so I have no bloody idea what half of this is. Or indeed any of it. But I know I spent well over an hour looking for the stones the curators thought were of particularly importance.

I thought that this was quite magical, especially as I was the only person meandering their way around the museum, which was primarily I suspect because the staff member had forgotten to open it.

One sad thing though, and as usual, I’ve found something to moan about. I visited here in 2017 and I’ve discovered that they’ve moved all this to a brand new museum designed by Foster & Partners. The museum isn’t quite yet open and having looked at the plans that have been published, I completely hate the new building.

This looks hideous to me, creating a sense of distance between the stones and the visitor, and instead getting them to use a screen to no doubt find out more. They’re stacking up these items up so they can’t been engaged with and it looks like an Amazon warehouse, bright, but not really conducive to a useful visitor experience. If that means you can see the objects up close like at the National Railway Museum stores, then that is quite marvellous, but in the image above the barrier that forces visitors several feet away from the stones is visible. The plan is to split the nearly 2,000 stones that were in the church so they heap a load in a wall which has no relevance to anything, and put hundreds of others of them in a reserve store. A great deal of bloody use they’ll be there.

This is the other design image. Well, what a lovely cafe the museum will have. Who needs heritage when you can have a lovely cafe?

I’ve spent a little time trying to find out what the reaction of other people in the locality is, as I tend to have an instant dislike to museums where they put technology ahead of the thing they’re meant to be displaying. I haven’t found much, but what I have found is pretty negative about the presentation of the stones and one person has said they’ve shoved them all behind wire mesh. Anyway, since the museum isn’t open yet and I haven’t visited it in its new location anyway, perhaps it’s all lovely and better than I expected.

But, I still love how the stones were presented in the Eglise Notre-Dame de Lamourguier, making it one of the most memorable museums that I’ve visited.

May 7, 2020
France – Olive Crisps

It’s difficult to deny that French cuisine is one of the best of the world when they produce such culinary excellence as this…. Part of the Tapas Collection released a few years ago, this was the best of the range. Not that this was hard, as there was only one other to my knowledge, which was pesto. I need to get out more….

April 19, 2020
Narbonne – Narbonne Cathedral (Finished Bit)

Not all of the Narbonne Cathedral is finished (the unfinished bit) and the above photo shows what there actually is. What would have just been the choir area was built, but the crossing area where the tower would have been and the rest of the nave weren’t finished.

This is what the cathedral looks like inside, all rather crammed in compared to what the original plans would have envisaged. The choir area has been pushed back to a small area at the rear and what is effectively the nave has been constructed in the space that’s been freed up. The proportions are now of course entirely wrong, as the height is way too high for the floor space, although that doesn’t take away from just how impressive this building feels.

I can’t help thinking of just how irritating it must have been for the architects to see their designs never quite completed.

July 23, 2019