On Saturday we visited the medieval town center of Mirepoix, then took a long drive around the Languedoc countryside, enjoying the rolling hills and vineyards and the beautiful autumn weather. Back at the auberge, we took a long walk along one of the many paths that crisscross the region.
We ate at the auberge on both Friday and Saturday evenings, because we found that the owner, Alex, is a top-notch chef. He keeps to a limited menu, with fresh, local foods, and turns out wonderful dishes. We had cassoulet, chicken wrapped in jamon with a light roquefort cream sauce, grilled salmon, and quail stuffed with foix gras over the course of the two meals. Yum!
The drive westward from Mirepoix to Pau (pronounced PO) again took us along back roads, through lovely small towns, across clear rivers, with the Pyrenees always to our left. We stopped at a sandwich shop for lunch, and arrived in town in the late afternoon. The center of town was filled with people, including many children playing with inventive percussion instruments in the courtyard of the chateau.
We are in a very comfortable modern hotel just outside the historic quarter, and have spent most of the time here just walking the streets and seeing the sights. We had dinner last night at La Brochetterie, where all the meats were all cooked over a wood-fired grill and served on skewers. My French completely failed us, and we ordered without really knowing what we were going to get. It was all good, though I *still* don't know some of what we had.
We have been blessed with beautiful weather, which I hope the photos will show. They can be found at https://goo.gl/photos/3LsgWVtnWbFnv8rP9 and https://goo.gl/photos/NNqpXLecmMAC3qW48
Tomorrow will see us back in Spain, where we will be able to talk to the people we meet! We hope you are all well.
