Now we are into the daily routine, breakfast at 8:30 and in the van by 9:30 for our excursion. Today we went to Legrasse, a small village not far from Carcassonne. It was about an hour away and I confess it may not have been worth the drive. There was a small "halle" or marketplace with a few shops and an old cathedral, St.Michel de Legrasse, dating from the 13th century. I'm sure it was beautiful at one time but it had fallen into a sad state of repair, with pieces of plaster missing and large parts of once-lovely murals gone. We walked across a lovely stone bridge to go to the Abby St. Marie d'Orbieu. On the way we went into a cemetary. They do something I've never seen before by placing plaques on the grave that say "brother" or "friend", etc. We toured the Abby and found it interesting, dating from the 8th century.
Back at 1:15 for lunch, another feast! Quice of cheese,bacon,veggies along with a salad and bread. Next the cheese course, goat cheese and a soft cheese eaten with fruit. We managed to knock off 2 bottles of rose. At this point we began to keep track of our wine consumption. For the time on EMMA, we drank 32 bottles. Added to the wine off EMMA, Paris,St. Emilion, etc, we hit 55 for the trip.
The canal continues to meander and along side is a trail, a long-ago tow path that now carries walkers,joggers and bikers. The canal was begun in 1667 and took 14 years to build using 12,000 men. (roughly the same time as US 41 in Bonita for all you FL residents!!). As we went through one lock today, there was a small bulldog-like dog, Cece, who knew to beg for food from the barge. Later on, a few miles away, there was Cece, working the canal at another lock.
We docked in Homps around 5pm and walked into town.It was small and since cocktails beckoned, we did not see much of Homps. The port at Homps was bustling, mostly with "plastic boats" but there were a few that were very nice.
Since the weather had turned cool and the breeze had become a wind, we ate inside. Appetizers of goat cheese round, breaded and fried and served on a bed of lettuce. Naturally, a local white was served. Next, Broiled salmon over mushroom rissoto along with local red wine. Following the cheese course, we had a fruit tart with creme fraiche, excellent.