La Princesse Carca sonne....

The legend says that Charlemagne fought the Sarasins in the 8th century for 5 years without being able to make any progress.  Their hope was that by surrounding the castle, that eventually the people inside would run out of food and surrender.  The Princess Carca, a Sarasin princess, had a brilliant idea to feed a pig full of wheat and throw it over the remparts.  By doing this she was basically saying we have so much food we can afford to throw some away!  (Even though as Muslims, the Sarasins didn't eat pork!)  Charlemagne and his soldiers saw this and retreated.  Upon the retreat, the Princess Carca " a sonné" (rang) the bells in celebration.  Thus you have the name Carcassonne.  

Bonjour!  My name is Jennifer and I am one of the Program Leaders for Toulouse Language and Culture Session One​​ this summer.  We left a rainy and gloomy Toulouse and arrived in a sunny and breezy Carcassonne for a  guided visit of the medieval city and the Château Comte.  This was our first roadtrip as a group and we had a blast!  We enjoyed learning about the history of the region as well as spending some time wandering through the many shops.  Some of us even tried Cassoulet, a regional dish of sausage, duck, pork, and beans!

Overall our group had an amazing day and I'm sure they will be ready to relax with their host families for the rest of the weekend!  

A Bientôt!