The Festival of Lights or Fête des Lumières takes place every year around the 8th December as a celebration of gratitude towards St. Mary. I’ve heard several variations of the story concerning the event, but here is one short version of it:

The name Carcassonne might sound familiar if you are into board games, I myself have never played it, but the fact that it involves a castle gives you an idea as to where the game has gotten its name. The medieval fortress sits on top of a small hill just outside of modern Carcassonne. On my way there, I marvelled at the cuteness of the little houses and the beauty of the clouds.

My first little voyage in Southern France to Saint-Guilhem proved to be a nice start to warm up my travel muscles and make me excited for more to come. It is a small village by the Hérault River that is part of the French Chemin de St. Jacques (St. James Way) to Santiago de Compostella in Spain.