Walled Citadel

One of the books I am currently reading is ‘The Perfect Heresy: The Life and Death of the Cathars‘ by Stephen O’Shea.  At the beginning of the chapter on Carcassonne there is a perfect description of what I saw and how I felt when I caught my first fleeting glimpse of Carcassonne as I traveled from Toulouse airport:

TO APPROACH CARCASSONNE for the first time is to dream with your eyes open.  the turrets and bastions of the old city stand on a deceptive rise in the valley of the River Aude, so the crenelated citadel appears suddenly, floating in the middle distance, a visitor from another time.  The tan stone blocks of the ramparts turn auburn, then mauve in the late afternoon sun.

8 Comments CherryPie on Feb 7th 2013

8 Responses to “To Dream with Your Eyes Open”

  1. james higham says:

    The tan stone blocks of the ramparts turn auburn

    Poetic.

  2. Mickie Brown says:

    What a great photo–the purple thistle in front (which is crystal clear) and the old stone wall and tower in the background make a lovely scene. Sound like a place with great history. Mickie :)

  3. Claude says:

    Your photos always have a great way to revive history.

  4. Ginnie says:

    …but you had me at the thistle, Cherry. It’s one of my favorite “plants.” :)