This was the day we bid adieu to Domaine des Clos. Sometime during our stay here our cars shrunk, as our suitcases would no longer fit in the cars as before. Actually, we think Sara R's got wet and was swollen. The old joke "how many people does it take" would be completed with "to pack a car?" The answer is six, and it still wasn't a very good job. BUT we got it all in the two cars and after another lovely breakfast on the patio, we headed to Nimes by way of St. Remy. Yes, that was backtracking a bit, but we had more purchases to make. Sadly, the one shop we went back to shop in was closed today, but never fear, we were successful in making other purchases.
Finally, we were off to Nimes to see the arena, which is a smaller version of the Coliseum in Rome. Before touring, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant, pizzas and salads and -- you know the drill -- vin. The tour explained a day at the arena, which was basically a lot of killing, drinking and eating. We have the drinking and eating part down pat, but so far none of us have wanted to kill one another.
Off we headed to Carcassonne, our castle awaiting. I'm afraid, though, we had a little French road rage on the way. "Sweet, demure", or so we thought, Sara R. spoke sign language with a truck driver. He answered back double ditto. Ah, the universal language.
Somehow the Sara car arrived at the castle first. Upon arrival of the Debbie car, the Sara-car girls were packed like sardines in the tiny car that takes you through the city walls to the castle. Soon Maxime arrived with another chariot and whisked the Debbie girls to the castle also. It's the Hotel de la Cite' a five star Orient Express hotel.
Again, words will not describe this place. We have left the Redneck Riviera and now we're in a storybook, six Magnolia princesses. Our rooms are luxurious with every amenity you can think of. The gardens are breathtaking as well as everywhere you look. We are all giddy with excitement.
The town is just as it was back in medieval times, only now it's filled with charming shops and restaurants and history. We will explore the city tomorrow. Tonight we ate at St. Jean, recommended by the hotel. Cassoulet is the traditional dish here. It's white beans with duck sausage and duck meat and a bit of ham. It's delicious. We all agreed it would be a great winter dish.
Patsy just wanted the cassoulet. So she ordered a la carte, not realizing it could feed a small family.
There was a guy playing the guitar and singing. When he took a break, he went to the tables selling his CD. Sara R wanted one for our French dinner celebration back in the States. We learned he had lived in Cuba for a year. To make a long story short, the conversation led to Patsy and Debbie telling him they taught Latin. He didn't even know that Latin was a language, although he had changed his name from Niko to Marius, a great Roman who spoke Latin. They finally gave up trying to explain it to him. Easy on the eyes, but dumb.
A note about restaurants: All of them have at least two prix fixe menus, differing prices, and it's really the way to go. We have learned to try the local fare. However, we did not try the moules (mussels) in Nimes but wish we had. Another thing about restaurants is each waiter has a credit card reader. So your card never leaves your sight. It's also much quicker. Many stores do the same thing.
After dinner we headed back to our luxurious hotel rooms. We gathered in Gina and Patsy's room to drink a fabulous bottle of wine we bought in Avignon at the Palace of the Popes. Ohhhh, it was sooooo good. We feel like royalty. What are the simple folk doing tonight
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