Final Project #2

I felt most connected to Medieval France in Carcassone. I felt the connection largely because of the architecture of the city. The city seems to be a Medieval town in the modern world. It seems to have been untouched by time. They were so many cool Medieval shops, and there were old historic buildings. The fort was very cool as was the church. In class, we had to read a lot about the the Cathar Wars(also known as the Albigensian Crusade. We learned about how the Christian troops would storm the fortresses of the Cathars, how they would root out the heretics and how the battles were fought. With the great, beautiful walls of Carcassone, I could visualize the battle in my head, as there was a battle fought there as there were in many other locations in southern France. In my head I saw the soldiers climbing over the ancient walls, and troops fighting in hand to hand combat. I could only imagine the horrible slaughter that came from fighting such battles, with so many troops fighting so strongly for what they so fervently believed in. In addition to this, there was an old church in the city. I could imagine a massive service there during the Middle Ages, when Carcassone was a Cathar stronghold. The cathedral, like everything else in the great city, seemed untouched by time. The people bustiling about through the streets also made me think of this crowded medieval city. There was so much to do in the city, I really wish I had had more time to explore it. Overall, this excursion was probably my favorite. The great old buildings, the beautiful view, the old cobblestone city streets, the living history all combined to make this the most enjoyable experience during my time spent in Fanjeaux. Perhaps I will one day return to Carcassone, and spend more time there.