Carcassone & Pont du Gard

Cher Famille & Amis,

Things have quieted down a bit around the Onstott maison. The kids were very sad to see their only Onstott cousin leave after a short week-long visit. Nevertheless, we all decided to take advantage of the remaining time with Joe's parents and set out on another trip to south-western France to see Pont du Gard and the castle city Carcassone.



Pont du Gard was part of an aqueduct built by the Romans in 19 BC to carry water from springs over a distance of 31 miles to the city of Nimes. It was constructed entirely without mortar, meaning that each stone had to be cut to precise dimentions. In addition to its impressive size, the site is very well preserved as is therefore one of the most famous monuments of the ancient world.



The footbridge that crosses the river was constructed more recently in 1743 and has many interesting etchings left by the workers and tourists of the day. We obtained a better appreciation of time as we realized that this grafitti was already over 250 years old.



Elyse and Joe climbed some stairs that lead to the top of the aqueduct. From there, they were able to see the narrow channel built on the top level used to carry the water. They also they played Indiana Jones and tried to follow the path of the canal as it snaked through the dense forest by looking for carved stones and chissel marks in the rock.



After enjoying a relaxing and interesting afternoon at Pont du Gard, we continued our travels to the walled city of Carcassone near the Spanish border. The fortified city and castle were home to a religious group known as the Cathars in the eleventh century. After their numbers became a threat to the Catholic church, a crusade was launched against the Cathars and they were totally annihilated by the year 1321.



We took a tour of the castle and were able to learn about the many defensive installations that were used during the Cathar crusade, including murder holes, the barbacan, hoards, keeps, and moats. We also walked the ramparts and climbed several of the numerous towers surrounding the city.



One our favorite parts of the trip was sitting down to eat diner inside the city central courtyard. Joe's dad tried Cassoulet, a local stew of pork and beans, while the rest of us stuck to more traditional fare.



We have loved having Joe's parents and sister visit us over the past week and having a family vacation exploring France. Please drop by and see us!

Bonne Semaine,

Grandma & Grandpa Onstott, Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel