Day 601, 24 Jan '16, Cognac Excursion. We have some folks visiting us in late February and today we headed to Cognac for reconnaissance purposes. It's been a stunning couple of days weather-wise - brilliant sunshine and warm air. Perfect for strolling around Cognac. We poked our noses into St Leger church which was full to the brim with Sunday worshippers then headed down to La Charente river. We marvelled at the massive Hennessy cognac house on the shores of the river and then took a look at Chateau de Cognac. This was the castle of Francis the 1st of France and is massive. After crossing the bridge for the perfect view of the chateau, we unpacked our picnic bag and had the quintessential French lunch on the banks of the river - baguette, ham and cheese followed by coffee from our thermos and pain au chocolat. Tres economique! We finished off our outing by walking back into the heart of old Cognac, through the gardens up to the main square. Mission accomplished! We are now qualified to show our friends around Cognac - we've even found a quirky and beautiful Cognac house for tastings and lunch (most definitely not Hennessy, Camus or Martell though... they are there to make money not friends!)