Axat and the Gorges de St-Georges

Got up and bought Gazoil (Diesel) today. The station was attended so I paid cash. We paid 1.52 Euros per Liter. With the exchange rate being $1.62 to 1 Euro, it translates to about $9.32/gallon. Gasoline is about the same price. The Citroen C5 wagon got 38 miles per gallon... very impressive for such a large car.

The weather was much nicer today, so we rode south on the D118 through Defile de Pierre-Lys and folled the L' Aude for 26km. We went in the direction of Usson-Les-Baines but decided to turn back before getting there. The highlight of the trip was the Gorges de St Georges, pictured here. The route was a slight uphill on the way out and downhill all the way back. The route took us through the village of Axat, where Robert Redford has a home.

We cleaned up and drove to Caunes-Minervois , a Medieval village of steep, twisting, narrow streets and sand-colored stone buildings surrounding the great 8th Century Abbey that lies at its heart. It is a quiet village. We had an espresso at the local bar, then were coaxed into a wine shop for tasting by elderly woman where we bought a bottle of wine to bring back.



On the way back we stopped to Carcassonne, a fortified city with a rich history, to say the very least. Unfortunately it has become little more than a tourist trap, and Kay and I couldn't get out of there fast enough.