Carcassonne is a fortified city in France. Signs of inhabitation date all the way back to 3500 BC. It was inhabited by Romans, Visigoths, and briefly under Islamic rule. Today it is a beautifully maintained tourist attraction worth visiting if you're in the area.
The legend of how the city got its name is pretty cool.
The legend takes place in the 8th century, during the wars between Christians and Muslims in the southwest of Europe. At the time, Carcassonne was under Saracen rule and Charlemagne's army was at the gates to reconquer the city for the Franks. A Saracen princess named Carcas ruled the Knights of the City after the death of her husband.
The siege lasted for five years. Early in the sixth year, food and water were running out. Lady Carcas made an inventory of all remaining reserves. The villagers brought her a pig and a sack of wheat. She then had the idea to feed the wheat to the pig and then throw it from the highest tower of the city walls.
Charlemagne lifted the siege, believing that the city had enough food to the point of wasting pigs fed with wheat. Overjoyed by the success of her plan, Lady Carcas decided to sound all the bells in the city. One of Charlemagne's men then exclaimed: "Carcas sonne!" (which means "Carcas sounds"). Hence the name of the city.
I arrived in Carcassonne by train. It was a fairly short train ride from Barcelona. I didn't have any interest in touring France, but I thought that I should have at least one night in the country. I had a couple of reasons for not wanting to explore France. The main reason was money. My budget was limited and I wanted to stretch out my trip for as long as possible. Staying in expensive countries would make for a short trip.
The second reason is my own prejudice. I've got this idea that all French people are stylish and fashionable. I'm neither of those things. I've never cared about fashion and I actively avoid brand names. I'll pay extra for clothing without a brand name rather than wear something with a giant Nike Swoosh. I didn't want to tour France because I didn't want to feel like a slob in my tee shirts and cargo shorts.
I decided to stop in Carcassonne because a friend recommended it and because a very popular board game is named after it. I've played a lot of board games and still do (just got a new one 2 days ago), but so far I've never played Carcassonne
Source: Board Game Geek
I checked into my room at Hotel Bristol and dropped off my bag. Then walked up to the castle.
The light wasn't very good on this day, or maybe I had fingerprints on my phone's camera lens. Whatever the reason, I don't have many good pictures from this day.
Inside the fortified city, it was fairly crowded with tourists, but it's wasn't too bad. The city is big enough for everyone to spread out and not be bunched up.
It's hard to imagine what it would have been like to be stuck in a city like this, under siege for years, running out of food, people throwing their poop and pee in the streets.
After wandering around and taking a few photos, I headed back into town to find dinner. There were places to eat in the fortified city, but it was all overpriced tourist stuff. I went into the modern town to eat.
I slept in my hotel and left early to catch my train to Germany. My apartment wasn't too far from the border with France, so that would be my next stop. I wanted to adjust what I had in my backpack and enjoy a night or two in my own bed. I also wanted to use my washing machine instead of washing my clothes in a sink.
Leaving France, I saw a couple of cool things from the window of the train.
According to the GPS on the photo, this is Narbonne.
This place seemed idyllic. Had I been traveling by car, I would have liked to stop and explore it.
To get home, I had to change not only trains, but train stations in Paris. It wasn't too difficult, but there was a moment when I though I'd miss my train out of Paris. Luckily I made it to the correct train station and had enough time to enjoy a relaxing beer at an outdoor cafe.
Paris
Eventually I caught my train and made it back to my apartment for a couple of nights. I'm not including Paris on my 
Something unique from Carcassonne
The lamps in Carcassonne were one of my favorite things in the city. They're an elegant flourish on the bold utilitarian structure of the fortress.