The Great French Road Trip: Part 3
6:22 PM Edit This 0 Comments »Bordeaux - Carcassonne
'M'Lady, our supplies have all but run dry, there's but a bag or two of grain in storage and and only the most scrawny and sickly fowls in the pen beside the stables, dear me, the circumstances are dire!' the Royal Advisor scratched his head and looked up sheepishly at Madame Carcas.
'Hmm...well, I see...' Madame Carcas said slowly. She turned her head to gaze over the bailey wall at the setting sun, its rays making a last ditch effort to cling to the sky and illuminate the land as the moon's dull shimmer moved in, ready to begin its reign of darkness.
Madame Carcas strode along the battlements, her heels clacking agressively on the stones. She paused at the Western Wall, 'Good Captain, how are we faring? has there been any movement from the enemy today? Perhaps a sign that they tire of this pointless seige?' She meet his gaze with hard, unwavering eyes.
'M'Lady, they have spent the day as they have many others.Very quiet on this side and naught but a little movement. There was a skirmish at the Eastern Wall this morning, but our men managed to put a stop to that.' The captain sighed, 'Yet I can see no sign of it abaiting'.
'Blast that tyrant Charlemange, and all his rotten men! But he will not have Carcas, I will see to that, even if it means brandishing a sword or bow myself!'
She turned abruptly to glance over the stone wall. The field below was dotted with dozens of glowing campfires, and the light of the moon shone a dull grey on the canvas tents erected in rows across the field. Madame Carcas had looked upon this sight for near on five years- very little had changed on that side of the wall. Meanwhile there was much cause for concern in the city, as supllies ran dangerously low and hunger and sickness were starting to take hold in the lower quarters.'Something must be done, we can't go on in this manner!' She turned once more and strode in the directon of the Northern Wall.
She leant heavily on the parapet, and rested an elbow on the rough stones. He will take the city, we can't last another week, Madame Carcas let out a heavy sigh. Despite her confident exterior, she knew she would be foolish to continue to think that there was much of a chance of coming out of this siege unaffected. She looked down over the city of Carcas. Many of the townsfolk were indoors, or hurrying through the lanes with a sense of purpose and urgency. No one felt safe anymore. A chilled silence hung in her ears, and only the sound of a child crying penetrated the dense air. Madame Carcas scanned the street below her, and her eyes fell on figure pulling a rope attached to what looked like a squat dog. As they got closer she could hear a shuffling noise and and some wet snorting. Madame Carcas narrowed her eyes a little and lent out over the wall, straining to see. As they came neaner, the animal, dirty pink with a fleshy hide, became obvious and she realied it wasn't a dog at all, but a pig.
The pig waddled past behind its owner, it's slightly plump behind wobbling on two tiny feet.
I should really have that pig taken for slaughter, heaven knows it would go a long way in the bellies of many of the townsfolk!' She thought to herself. 'Wouldn't it be a right old lark if ol' Charley and his army out there found out that we were feasting on the juicy meat of pig in here!' She chuckled gently to herself. And then it hit her, like a bolt of lightning. A plan so simple, so desperate, yet so easy. Could it be that simple, could it really work?
'You over there, guard, come here please!' She beckoned to the guard stading watch in the shadows behind her. He trotted over to her and bowed.
'See that lady down there with the pig?'
The guard glanced over the wall and nodded eagerly.
'Go and bring me that pig, and do it quickly. Tell the the lady who owns it that it is I who asks for it. and that this animal may make just save us all. Bring it to the kitchens.'
The guard frowned slightly but nodded again and left.
The kitchen help leapt into action, and soon returned with all things requested.
'Very good, now listen carefully. Feed as much grain to the pig as it will possibly eat, and be sure to have the water close by, it must drink lots of this too. By sunrise this pig needs to be nice and plump, a pig fit for a banquet,' Madame Carcas told them all brusquely. 'It is essential you carry out my orders thoroughly, afterall, it might be just this pig that puts an end to this dreadful situation.'
The kitchen staff looked puzzled, but didn't dare question the request, but got to work immediately.
Just before Madame Carcas swept out of the kitchen she turned, 'Oh, and a final thing. Clean the pig up. He needs to look like he was raised in the best of pens. Looks must be deceiving.' And with that she left them to it.
Standing on the battlements as the first ray of the sun broke the horizon, Madame Carcas was filled with a tiny spark of hope, Would her stunt really make any difference? Just then she heard the wet snorting of the pig and she turned to see him being lead along the stone walkway. He had certainly grown over night. His belly swelled tight and cheeks looked fuller. His waddle was much more pronounced and his hide was a fresh, soft pink. 'Perfect,' she thought to herself, 'If this doesn't work, then there is not much hope for any of us.'
'Right, Captain, upon this first sign of any signfiicant activity today, have your men take this pig and throw him over the wall. Do you understand? The pig must be thrown over the wall to land amongst the men.' She spoke condfidently and firmly despite the seeming absurdity of the command.
'M'Lady, I follow clearly, but for all the bicycle riders in the Tour de France (ha ha - thought I'd throw this one in) , I haven't a clue what this is set to achieve.' He stared at her with wide eyes for as long as he dared, then he nodded once and turned to organise his men, and the pig.
And whoever said that pigs don't fly? Later that day this one did, landing amongst a host of Charlemange's men who leapt back in disbelief. When the general himself heard of the odd defenses employed by those from Carcas he concluded only what was immediately obvious.
'There will be no end soon to this blasted seige. We have spent far too many years lying in wait as it is, we will pack up immediately to move out. Our men can be used more effectively elsewhere. And to think we'd intended to starve them out! They must have provisions a plenty in there, they simply must, to throw away such a healthy pig like that, and over the wall at us too...I'd never've thought it!'
And the day after the next saw all fields around the city empty. The townsfolk rejoiced. laughing and singing in the streets, and as the church bells rang they cried 'Carcas sonne! Carcas Sonne!' (Ring out Carcas, long loved Carcas...that's the meaning of it anyway).
I got a bit carried away with this one, ha ha. This is my retelling of the history, or local legend of how Carcassonne got its name. Some believe it to be pure fantasy, others not. Some say Madame Carcas ran the city, others say she was just another citizen, and to think the seige is reported to have lasted five years, that seems a bit crazy to me. Regardless, it gives the city's name an exciting origin, which I think it deserves, because look at it, it's a pretty amazing looking place - a medieval fortress from another time...
Please be aware that, while I heard the story from a guide while visiting the town and I did some further research before writing my version above, I would class what I've written as fiction based on fact as I don't know enough about the people, places and events to make this historically accurate. And also, I may have embellished things ever so slightly....
We visited Carcassonne on a grey and dreary afternoon. Yet this didn't detract from how special the place really is. we took a little guided tour on a train around the outside and then we walked through the streets inside (very touristy inside). The thing that I thought was really amazing was this inner and outer walls (double walls for extra protection from enemies!). Take a look at some of our pictures:
Well that's all for the third part of our adventure, and I think I'm about halfway through, phewww. I need to give myself a stern talking to and get my act together to get the rest of the pics up (instead of crafting and sewing......but there's a baby coming in the family soon, and I need to be the doting aunty!.,,,..but you will get too far behind and forget all the important details......no I won't, I promise......you will precious, now get typing, onto the fourth part my precccciousss!)
'M'Lady, our supplies have all but run dry, there's but a bag or two of grain in storage and and only the most scrawny and sickly fowls in the pen beside the stables, dear me, the circumstances are dire!' the Royal Advisor scratched his head and looked up sheepishly at Madame Carcas.
'Hmm...well, I see...' Madame Carcas said slowly. She turned her head to gaze over the bailey wall at the setting sun, its rays making a last ditch effort to cling to the sky and illuminate the land as the moon's dull shimmer moved in, ready to begin its reign of darkness.
Madame Carcas strode along the battlements, her heels clacking agressively on the stones. She paused at the Western Wall, 'Good Captain, how are we faring? has there been any movement from the enemy today? Perhaps a sign that they tire of this pointless seige?' She meet his gaze with hard, unwavering eyes.
'M'Lady, they have spent the day as they have many others.Very quiet on this side and naught but a little movement. There was a skirmish at the Eastern Wall this morning, but our men managed to put a stop to that.' The captain sighed, 'Yet I can see no sign of it abaiting'.
'Blast that tyrant Charlemange, and all his rotten men! But he will not have Carcas, I will see to that, even if it means brandishing a sword or bow myself!'
She turned abruptly to glance over the stone wall. The field below was dotted with dozens of glowing campfires, and the light of the moon shone a dull grey on the canvas tents erected in rows across the field. Madame Carcas had looked upon this sight for near on five years- very little had changed on that side of the wall. Meanwhile there was much cause for concern in the city, as supllies ran dangerously low and hunger and sickness were starting to take hold in the lower quarters.'Something must be done, we can't go on in this manner!' She turned once more and strode in the directon of the Northern Wall.
She leant heavily on the parapet, and rested an elbow on the rough stones. He will take the city, we can't last another week, Madame Carcas let out a heavy sigh. Despite her confident exterior, she knew she would be foolish to continue to think that there was much of a chance of coming out of this siege unaffected. She looked down over the city of Carcas. Many of the townsfolk were indoors, or hurrying through the lanes with a sense of purpose and urgency. No one felt safe anymore. A chilled silence hung in her ears, and only the sound of a child crying penetrated the dense air. Madame Carcas scanned the street below her, and her eyes fell on figure pulling a rope attached to what looked like a squat dog. As they got closer she could hear a shuffling noise and and some wet snorting. Madame Carcas narrowed her eyes a little and lent out over the wall, straining to see. As they came neaner, the animal, dirty pink with a fleshy hide, became obvious and she realied it wasn't a dog at all, but a pig.
The pig waddled past behind its owner, it's slightly plump behind wobbling on two tiny feet.
I should really have that pig taken for slaughter, heaven knows it would go a long way in the bellies of many of the townsfolk!' She thought to herself. 'Wouldn't it be a right old lark if ol' Charley and his army out there found out that we were feasting on the juicy meat of pig in here!' She chuckled gently to herself. And then it hit her, like a bolt of lightning. A plan so simple, so desperate, yet so easy. Could it be that simple, could it really work?
'You over there, guard, come here please!' She beckoned to the guard stading watch in the shadows behind her. He trotted over to her and bowed.
'See that lady down there with the pig?'
The guard glanced over the wall and nodded eagerly.
'Go and bring me that pig, and do it quickly. Tell the the lady who owns it that it is I who asks for it. and that this animal may make just save us all. Bring it to the kitchens.'
The guard frowned slightly but nodded again and left.
Madame Carcas didn't have to wait long. The pig was brought into the kitchen for inspection. It snorted frantically at the kitchen floor. Obviously aware of the scent of food, it sought hungrily for crumbs or tiny scraps that had escaped the broom and mop. It was a retched looking pig, very dirty, and with a healed tear in one ear.
Yet this was the least of Madame Carcas' worries. 'Bring a bag of the grain please and a two big buckets of water.'The kitchen help leapt into action, and soon returned with all things requested.
'Very good, now listen carefully. Feed as much grain to the pig as it will possibly eat, and be sure to have the water close by, it must drink lots of this too. By sunrise this pig needs to be nice and plump, a pig fit for a banquet,' Madame Carcas told them all brusquely. 'It is essential you carry out my orders thoroughly, afterall, it might be just this pig that puts an end to this dreadful situation.'
The kitchen staff looked puzzled, but didn't dare question the request, but got to work immediately.
Just before Madame Carcas swept out of the kitchen she turned, 'Oh, and a final thing. Clean the pig up. He needs to look like he was raised in the best of pens. Looks must be deceiving.' And with that she left them to it.
Standing on the battlements as the first ray of the sun broke the horizon, Madame Carcas was filled with a tiny spark of hope, Would her stunt really make any difference? Just then she heard the wet snorting of the pig and she turned to see him being lead along the stone walkway. He had certainly grown over night. His belly swelled tight and cheeks looked fuller. His waddle was much more pronounced and his hide was a fresh, soft pink. 'Perfect,' she thought to herself, 'If this doesn't work, then there is not much hope for any of us.'
'Right, Captain, upon this first sign of any signfiicant activity today, have your men take this pig and throw him over the wall. Do you understand? The pig must be thrown over the wall to land amongst the men.' She spoke condfidently and firmly despite the seeming absurdity of the command.
'M'Lady, I follow clearly, but for all the bicycle riders in the Tour de France (ha ha - thought I'd throw this one in) , I haven't a clue what this is set to achieve.' He stared at her with wide eyes for as long as he dared, then he nodded once and turned to organise his men, and the pig.
And whoever said that pigs don't fly? Later that day this one did, landing amongst a host of Charlemange's men who leapt back in disbelief. When the general himself heard of the odd defenses employed by those from Carcas he concluded only what was immediately obvious.
'There will be no end soon to this blasted seige. We have spent far too many years lying in wait as it is, we will pack up immediately to move out. Our men can be used more effectively elsewhere. And to think we'd intended to starve them out! They must have provisions a plenty in there, they simply must, to throw away such a healthy pig like that, and over the wall at us too...I'd never've thought it!'
And the day after the next saw all fields around the city empty. The townsfolk rejoiced. laughing and singing in the streets, and as the church bells rang they cried 'Carcas sonne! Carcas Sonne!' (Ring out Carcas, long loved Carcas...that's the meaning of it anyway).
I got a bit carried away with this one, ha ha. This is my retelling of the history, or local legend of how Carcassonne got its name. Some believe it to be pure fantasy, others not. Some say Madame Carcas ran the city, others say she was just another citizen, and to think the seige is reported to have lasted five years, that seems a bit crazy to me. Regardless, it gives the city's name an exciting origin, which I think it deserves, because look at it, it's a pretty amazing looking place - a medieval fortress from another time...
Please be aware that, while I heard the story from a guide while visiting the town and I did some further research before writing my version above, I would class what I've written as fiction based on fact as I don't know enough about the people, places and events to make this historically accurate. And also, I may have embellished things ever so slightly....
We visited Carcassonne on a grey and dreary afternoon. Yet this didn't detract from how special the place really is. we took a little guided tour on a train around the outside and then we walked through the streets inside (very touristy inside). The thing that I thought was really amazing was this inner and outer walls (double walls for extra protection from enemies!). Take a look at some of our pictures:
 |
| A map of the castle |
 |
| Ooh look, its a moat, how medieval |
Well that's all for the third part of our adventure, and I think I'm about halfway through, phewww. I need to give myself a stern talking to and get my act together to get the rest of the pics up (instead of crafting and sewing......but there's a baby coming in the family soon, and I need to be the doting aunty!.,,,..but you will get too far behind and forget all the important details......no I won't, I promise......you will precious, now get typing, onto the fourth part my precccciousss!)
xxx
S
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