We woke up to the heartiest breakfast of our trip at Domaine Caraman! Marion prepared an egg omelet with herbs, ham, cheese, yogurt, breads and croissants, cafe au lait, and fresh fruit. She grows her own kiwi and makes jam. So good!
After breakfast, we left the farm for Revel. The food market there is considered one of the best in all of France. It was terrific! We bought grapes, croissants, a cooked potato dish, crispy cookies, and more. We enjoyed walking around and looking at the many varieties of produce available. We also enjoyed the almond "melt in your mouth" cookies that we bought.
We went to the tourism office at the market and received advice about a couple of places to visit nearby. We took the advice and drove to Soreze, a village only 5 km from Revel. Soreze is an ancient village with a large abbey, still active. As it was sprinkling rain, the flowers were particularly beautiful.
On our return south, we made a stop at La Pomarede, a chateau that has been converted to a town inside, with the town hall, post office, a school, and a hotel with restaurant.
Then driving a little further south and to a quiet spot on the Canal du Midi, we parked the car and went for a walk. The engineering feat of the Canal du Midi is impressive, with 241 km of man made canal, 12,000 workers were employed to build it, 45,000 trees were planted to reinforce the banks, and 350 engineered structures were built (bridges, aqueducts and locks), all in 14 years and it was inaugurated in 1681. Canal du Midi is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We stopped at the Monastery de Priohle, a Dominican monastery still in use. We saw nuns out for a walk. Then we drove up the hill to Fanjeaux, an ancient city with a cathedral built in 1206 and panoramic views of the whole area. While at Fanjeaux, a light rain started to fall, so we were happy to get back to Domaine Caraman within a few minutes. Papa went on a tour of the farm buildings with the owner/farmer, William. They've done a tremendous amount of work on the property and it is quite evident. We are happy to be warm and dry in a nice spot.
