Day 7: Brock's B-day & Cruising to Le Port du Somail

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROCK DAY!!!!

A super fun day is planned for Brock's birthday!

We greeted the day early and set off for Le Somail!

A travel writer described the village as:

Situated along the scenic bends of the historic Canal du Midi lies the tiny hamlet of Le Somail. This hidden gem is tucked away in the heart of the Minervois in Occitanie.

Le Somail is a picturesque canal port where time stands still. Its peaceful setting on the Canal du Midi is the perfect place to unwind and relax. Le Somail is full of old-world charm and its vibrant ambience means there is plenty to enjoy on the banks of the canal or on the water all year round.

We first walked around the adorable Hamlet of Assignon.  Many of the restaurants and inns are owned by the Belgian owners of the winery we were about to visit.

The prettiest boat on the Canal du Midi was named CAROLINE:

Nice people and GORGEOUS flowers!  And quite the nice barge.

A lovely little smoothie nosh from Kate:

Pictures of the restaurant we dined at last night from the barge:

Cruising along the Canal du Midi:

A quick pic before we head out for the day:

The winery where we tasted delicious wine and had the most lovely picnic:

Our picnic spread set up by Joanne and Emma:

After our birthday picnic lunch in the vineyards, we headed to do the Chateau Castigno wine tasting.  You can't tell by my photo but the building is encased in cork to look like stone and is in the shape of a wine bottle.

Here's an aerial view I found:

From there we went to an olive mill and did an olive tasting.

After that we drove back to the barge and regrouped before dining at 8:30pm and the grande finale of celebrating Brock'e big birthday.  We again laughed and talked until it was late.  Another fun night aboard Alouette...

Tomorrow we rise early and go for a run, then shower and head to market with Emma, the chef.