'twas raining when we awoke, as it has on so many mornings. This morning we just took it easy, reading and what-have-you until lunchtime.

We had decided to have lunch in Caunes today, at a restaurant down by the bridge, but it was not open, despite the advertised opening hours. We walked around the ancient walled village but were not inspired, so we went over to the new part of town (probably only 300 years old) to the restaurant that also doubles as a pizzeria, L'argent Double (same name as the petite river) and what a surprise! For 12.50 euros each we had three courses, 1/4 litre wine and coffee. There was no choice in entrees, so we both had the pâté. Pâté over here is not what we expect of a pâté back home. These pâtés are more like our terrines, using minced/chopped meats (no poultry livers were harmed in the making of the pâté, much to Tom's relief). For mains Tom had boeuf et frites (steak and chips) - he was delighted and very happy with the quality of the meat. I had saumon fume bruschetta - smoked salmon bruschetta, also very nice. And dessert? The creme brûlée for me, chocolate mousse for Tom. All followed by a little tiny coffee. Tres Bon!

We returned to our little cottage. I'm still not 100% so I had a little nap while Tom went off to explore the abbey, which was inhabited by monks until the French Revolution, and still used today as the local Catholic Church. Abbeys and the like were very important in ancient times - they provided food and shelter for travelers.