Bonjour, Campers!
Sylvain’s shopping day is Wednesday. That means no lunch on the barge. Instead we took a trip to Lagrasse, a small village in Aude and lunched in a restaurant.
Wayne loves the Deux Chevaux auto made until 1990. A vintage model parked next to us tooted it’s own horn.
As we wandered through Lagrasse, another Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, it’s charming nature stood out.
Speaking of “charming” our group has decided the word is now drastically overused describing every turn of a corner and each utterance requires a “Cher Slap”.
Our walk went past the cemetery so in we went. French bury in family graves so they are adorned with pictures and “souvenirs” of each family member. The large monument is for the Berliotz family who were benefactors to the abbey and lived in the household portion until 1922. The four stones at the top of the arch are thought to by the Master of Cabestany, making it significant in ancient sculpture.
On to the Abbey. There are two separate areas, one the previous home of a ruling monk and the working abbey. We were not allowed into the working abbey but a monk did come out to say “hi”. The piece of “in situ” art in the former household chapel was completed by Christian Jaccard in 2017 by applying an ointment to the wall and setting it aflame.
It’s always worth taking a peek over the garden doors to see what lies behind. These are “allotment” gardens, city owned plots where citizens can create their own secrets.
Des roses et le chien overwhelm with charm – – – uh, change that to “are overwhelmingly captivating”.
A small and delicate cathedral had typical pews of chairs tied together with a kneeling bench in back. These colored by sun shining through stained glass.
After boarding the barge we took a short cruise and arrived at our mooring next to a lock house. After a walk in the evening light we dined on Sole Meuniere (food post to follow). Bonsoir, Campers.
