The best road cycling routes around Villar-Saint-Anselme

We reach this small pass at 588m from Puivert on a moderate climb. The landscape is slowly becoming Mediterranean. Now there is a sign for this pass. We stop here for a midday break on the brown meadow.

The ramparts of Carcassonne were built in several stages over more than a millennium by the Romans (3rd-4th centuries), the viscounts Trencavel (12th century), and then the kings of France (13th century). The ensemble was then extensively restored in the 19th century by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

The ramparts of Carcassonne were built in several stages over more than a millennium by the Romans (3rd-4th centuries), the Trencavel viscounts (12th century), and then the kings of France (13th century). The complex was then largely restored in the 19th century by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

The ramparts of Carcassonne were built in several stages over more than a millennium by the Romans (3rd-4th centuries), the viscounts Trencavel (12th century), and then the kings of France (13th century). The entire complex was then extensively restored in the 19th century by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

The Chemin des Anglais in Carcassonne leads directly to the eastern outskirts of the Cité de Carcassonne, stopping near the drawbridge and the famous Porte Narbonnaise.

wonderfully beautiful landscape here

"Carcassonne, located in southern France between Montpellier and Toulouse, was founded in the 6th century BC by Iberian Celts. The Romans transformed the hill into a fort by building a defensive wall. In the 5th century, the Visigoths conquered the city, followed by the Arabs in the 8th century, who were expelled by Pepin the Short in 759. In the 12th century, Count Trencavel built a castle on top of the Roman city wall at the highest point of the hill. Carcassonne became a central element in the defense system on France's border with Aragon. In the mid-13th century, the dilapidated wall was protected by a second, outer city wall." This is how the website for the television series "Treasures of the World – Heritage of Humanity" describes the city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ... The 15-minute film is available – but only in German – in the ARD media library at the following link => https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/schaetze-der-welt/carcassonne-frankreich-folge-125/swr/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS83MTc1NzUw

For years I have been passing by you, you whose age is immeasurable. Some would call you venerable (I will have to look up the dictionary to determine whether or not I am included in this group). What I do know is that you existed long before me, and I hope you will exist long after me.