Nap Time
Patrick warned us that Frederic, the proprietor, might not be available to let us into our rooms due to his afternoon nap. According to the sign in the window, he was right!
Day 11 of our journey we
arrived
in Canunes-Minerviois in mid afternoon for a two-day stay at Hotel
d'Alibert; an old-world hotel with unique charm and intrigue.
Patrick warned us that Frederic, the proprietor, might not be available to let us into our rooms due to his afternoon nap. According to the sign in the window, he was right!
The winding, narrow village streets leading to our hotel were too small for the bus. We had to walk from the bus a few blocks away and were (again) thankful for the Rick Steves' philosophy to pack light.
Hotel d' Alibert has many rooms; each is unique with special character and setting. Patrick selected the Versailles Room (as we called it) for our pre-dinner social. We all chipped in for some eats and brought along our favorite adult beverage. These were typically harvested from various wineries or markets along our journey. Never lacking for something to talk about, we continued on-going discussions from the bus that day.
For an up-close-and-personal visit to this social event, check out the video link below.
Regardless of his afternoon nap, Frederic found plenty of time to prepare his famous Cassoulet for us. A dish from Southwestern France some say with origins from the Arabia; others claim it was created in Castelnaudary during the Hundred Years war (14-15th Century). It consists of a meat and bean stew (or casserole) using sausage, duck, and other local ingredients.
Wherever it originated or whatever it had in it, it
was great! Many on the tour felt this was the best meal of the trip.
A small (but very nice) village market was located across the street from the Hotel d' Alibert - a handy place to pick up snacks, adult beverages, and our picnic lunch for the trip to Pont du Gard the next morning.
 
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