Late Afternoon Stroll

From the bridge that carries the traffic. 

I went for a little walk yesterday afternoon--taking a route that was completely new to me.  I am embarrassed to admit that I am such a creature of habit, that I always walk in the same direction, and that it's taken me this long to explore this street.  I am feeling a little panicked because my time is slipping by and there are still places to be discovered.  I found a new patisserie--maybe the best in Carcassonne, a different view of the Cite and the Aude, and a "boulodrome" where men gather to play bocce, or boules in French. 

Another view of the Aude and "wicker man"

The patisserie rivals Le Notre--the every elegant one in Paris.  This place, Bimac, creates works of art and beauty. One of their creations would make any dinner party quite special.  The proprietor is also a chocolatier, and makes delicately decorated confections.  The saleswoman offered me a free sample of chocolate covered marshmallow; fortunately I don't like marshmallow, so it was easy to resist.  I will splurge when my guests come and we will see if their cakes taste as good as they look.

I love the "teeth" of the walls and their shadows

I walked across the Pont Neuf--the "new" bridge that carries traffic southeast across the Aude.  I got an entirely new view of the Cite and the wicker man on the island. It was breathtaking.  

The Narbonne gate?  I am not sure.

Across the bridge, along the Aude, I also discovered the boules courts--and there were several games in full swing.  One thing that I noticed was the absence of women.  Is this still a men-only game?  Do women just lose interest?  I leaned on the stone wall above the courts and watched for quite some time. It was interesting to me to see that they had strong magnets on long strings that picked up the boules  when it was time to retrieve them.  The men didn't even have to bend over.  Believe me, these men were taking this VERY seriously.  Maybe it's the Carcassonne version of the Super Bowl? 

This is serious business

Long late-afternoon shadows

Who is closest?