48 hours of French bliss

So the Friday had finally arrived. Having previously advised The Mad One that I could not possibly pop off to Carcasonne for 48 hours in November , I was delighted I had succumbed to her insistence and was well and truly of " switching off" for 2 whole days. The Caribbean Queen had adopted my usual role of chief organiser , booking flights and driving us to the airport , checking us in online and merely handing me my boarding card when we got to the airport. The Mad One was as high as a kite and actually ran through the airport to embrace Sunshine who had come by bus from the sunny south east. Off through security we went and 5 minutes later were sipping Vodka and Tonics , toasting our much needed break and trying not to cry with child like excitement.
2 hours later we were in Carcassonne having been subjected to a Ryanair Learner Pilots landing , causing the Mad One to utter a very loud four letter expletive on hitting the ground....trust me no one clapped the pilot on this occasion !
On arrival in Carcassonne we took the 10 minute bus journey into Pont Neuf and 10 mins later climbed the winding 60 steps to a gorgeous 3 bed apartment , a bottle of Cava chilling in the fridge and the sitting room giving us the most perfect spotlit view of the citadel. A quick freshen up and off we set. We had failed to notice on our way up the 60 winding stairs the small lit light switches on each floor so began our descent of the semi treacherous staircase in pitch dark , The Mad One squealing like a 3 year old as she kept a vice like grip on Sunshine causing her descent to take place in the skinnier end of the steps , feeling the walls and hearing me shout " get free Sunshine.. .she'll see you down first to break her fall ! " Dinner night one was in the middle of the walled Medieval Village and we devoured warm goat's cheese salads , entrocote , cassoulet and pizza. Our desserts of Tiramisu and Creme Brulee were divine and we toddled home, giggling like schoolgirls , the lengthy route back to the apartment , only to find that a right turn instead of a left one would have led us to realise that we were actually a stones throw from our beds.
Saturday morning we popped into the wine and truffle shop / bar directly across from us to be met by 5 feet 11 of a middle aged ex Carcasonne rugby player called Philippe......let's just say he made us feel alive !!!###$$$ Having kindly drawn out directions for us to the market place , we felt universally that the least we could do was have a little pre dinner drink in his establishment. ...support local that's us !
Breakfast of Croque Monsieur was followed by lunch of fromage and beer , a little patisserie in the afternoon making it a perfect time to pop open the Cava while taking a look at some French TV before heading out. The French are amused by strange things. We happened upon a quiz show where a man dressed as a chicken with a beak competed with a terrier to burst a pile of balloons on a pallet on the floor. All was going well until Albert the terrier , live in national tv , got so excited by his balloon biting that he proceeded to shite all across the studio floor , unfortunately while the cameraman through shock no doubt held the close up of his rear end.....Chateau Neuf du Pape Rodney !!
Philippe was waiting for us as we toddled in for un peu de vino , and we happily supped away stealing to occasional glance at his perfect form , until the taxi arrived to bring us to the gorgeous Le Jardin de L'Estagnol , a family run restaurant in the middle of an industrial estate beside a scrap yard ... a 3 course meal of Steak , Cheese ( yes more ) and dessert washed down by 1.5 litres of house wine came to €120 at which point The Mad One felt the need to enter the kitchen and hug the chef !
Back to Philippe who had been minding the second half of our previously purchased bottle of wine . I happily stuck to water as Sunshine hit the Glen Morangie , The Mad One stayed on Rose and The Caribbean Queen showed Philippe her puppies. Off to bed then at the end of a perfect day in 16 degrees .
A great nights sleep led to packing , descending our winding stairs for the last time before a breakfast of Omlettes , coffee and croissants.....spot the theme ! We said Au Revoir to Carcassonne, blew a kiss to Philippe and thanked God for the gift of such a lovely little sejourne from our crazy lives. We recognised our need to be a little more like the French where no one does anything at speed , a 20 minute wait for a drink or coffee is a chance to stop and sit , not a reason to complain and the joy of simple food eaten and enjoyed slowly with those you love is the key to a happy life. Vive La France x