Before I start this entry I want to show you stunning Carcassonne. The city is divided into the old and the new part. Obviously the old part is the castle, the ancient walled city nicknamed by the locals as ‘La Cite’. This is where I stayed. Yep, inside the walled city =)
Alone in the Auberge
I will post a separate entry of the auberge I stayed inside La Cite another time but I am glad to inform everyone that the auberge manager (perhaps he is the owner as well? I never asked) was very happy to welcome me after waiting for hours. He said that they are closing the restaurant early because they do not have a lot of guests for the evening, and moreover, he said that no one else is staying in the auberge except me. *gulp* Huh?
I looked around the auberge and inside the restaurant and realised, OH DEAR, I WILL REALLY BE ALONE TONIGHT?! *Do not panic!*
‘You will be alone!’ said the auberge manager teasingly. Argh, he is not helping me a bit. I want to smack him, lol.
You know, the auberge is located in a narrow secluded street at the back of the Basilique Saint-Nazaire, away from the main road inside this stone walled ancient city. I will be liar if I tell you I was not spooked. The thought actually scared me at first. I began to worry but managed to control myself and chanted this 100x in my head, ‘Nonsense, do not be such a wimp! Nothing is going to happen to you.’
After inspecting my suite room and settling my luggage inside, I went down to the restaurant and said goodnight to the auberge manager and his crew who were busy doing last minute cleanup of the restaurant. They are ready to lock up for the night and I have been supplied with the electronic code to the front door and the key to my room. I will be going out for a little walk and then have my dinner outside. They have invited me to eat at the restaurant but I politely said not tonight. I promised them however that I will eat at the restaurant the next evening.
Dinner at Restaurant Le Plo
Address: 23 Rue de Plo near the small square with cafe and restaurant terraces
November is past the peak season so not many restaurants were open. I found Restaurant Le Plo looking fairly cosy from the outside so I decided to give it a try.
I ordered a 3-course menu. Foie gras + green salad for my starter and a grilled fish + puree for my main but exchanged the dessert for an espresso.
I am quite happy with this meal thus this deserves a 4.2 stars out of 5 in my book.
Evening Stroll inside La Cite
After dinner I did a little stroll around the citadel. There were very few people out and about that evening and I knew that the place is safe but I still cannot help but be conscious with my surroundings. I am after all a lone woman travelling.
Inside the walled city the cobbled stone streets were lighted well, but they were however somewhat lonely, with an a bit eerie feel in the air as well. Except for a few visiting couples here and there I came across with, I was mainly on my own walking on the empty streets.
At past 23:00 I decided it is time to call it a night and headed back to the auberge. Knowing that the auberge manager and his crew might have left for night, I started having some unexpected goosebumps.
Oh dear me. I realised I will be going back to a dark and empty auberge…
Travel Period: November 2013
Destination: Carcassonne (Languedoc-Rossillon), France
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)