“In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.” ― Julia Child

As the sun set on our first day cruising the Canal du Midi,

its designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site became understandable.

Remembering our week aboard Winifred,

I can easily come up with…

My Top Three Very Good Reasons to Cruise the Canal du Midi

#1 

The convenience of having the option to cook and enjoy a leisurely meal canalside…

paired with local wines 

after perusing the local markets in order

  to feast on seasonal goodies.

And then there is the ubiquitous bread…

fresh flaky croissants and required baguettes.

 Mornings were quite relaxing when we opted for breakfast on the boat and Ren Man won the prize for the most creative concoction with his…

using pizza as the crust for a quiche.

Our meals up on the deck were some of my favorite moments...

lingering until the sun went to bed.

Of course, we also let someone else do the cooking. 

Finding the perfect place to dine out along the canal became an adventure and we made some very good choices.

We enjoyed the most amazing fresh, grilled anchovies 

in this little mom and pop cafe…

La poissonnerie Moderne in Trebes.

Following the 'When in Rome' philosophy, 

we felt impelled to experience the infamous Cassoulet of Castelnaudary…

and were not disappointed.

Pure yumminess baked in a clay pot for.ever. at Chez David.

Needless to say you knew my #1 would involve eating!

Countdown continues…