One of the many things that we really like about Carcassonne is that there’s so much to do and that the city documents much of it on YouTube. The main square, called Place Carnot, has the fresh fruits and vegetables market three days a week and then at least two nights each week (and up to 7 nights a week in the summer) there is some kind of live entertainment there. Before we found our place to rent, we looked at several attractive apartment listings that open right onto the square. While quite convenient to everything in town, we might not have enjoyed all of the sounds coming up from there on so many nights of the week. It’s really nice to walk there, participate in the events, and then walk home to our quiet neighborhood.

Last Thursday and Friday was the Wine Festival that featured vineyards from Minervois, a region just to the northeast of Carcassonne known for its reds. We walked around to all of the booths trying to figure out what to sample, finally settling on one winery, Domaine Villepeyroux Forest, that had a selection of both red and whites. While tasting their delicious St. Louis carignan/grenache blend, named in honor of the owners’ son, Bill met a couple from Australia (imagine that) who asked if we would like to share a bottle with them which we gladly did. We went back the next night for a couple more samples and to pick up a bottle of the red that we liked so much to welcome our friends Gaynor and Pete from England.

Since wine tasting is clearly incomplete without an Elvis serenade, the city arranged for a concert that we believe was done by an impostor. Here’s a link to the YouTube video and if you look carefully at the 42-second point in the upper right hand corner, you’ll see that we really were there. Bill’s in a light blue sweater and I’m facing the camera right under the word Minervois.