Mick loves travelling on trains, and when the chance to travel on a 120 year old railway line in an open air carriage through the Pyrenees was presented, we had to go.

Of course we had seen signs advertising this train trip when we stayed in Fenouillet before, but because we were always here during winter, the train was not operating.

With our friends Helen and Derek, Mick and I boarded a train at Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet at 11.20. At the same time, a second train arrived from Rivesaltes and its passengers boarded the open-air train and we all headed to Axat, where we arrived at 12.45pm.

Luckily we found a space in the partially-covered carriage, as it was a very hot day.

The scenery was spectacular and was complemented by a live audio presentation – in French. Hence we understood very little. But that did not bother us.

We went through four tunnels and underneath several bridges, all of which we had driven over or under or around during our time here. This trip gave us a whole new perspective on the area. The longest one was just over 500m. They had been built between 1899 and 1901. Pretty impressive engineering.

At Lapradelle, the train paused on top of a viaduct to allow us to get a good view of the ruins of the Château de Puilaurens ………..

On the way to a brasserie that Mick and I had dined in before – in December 2016, we spotted some brave people negotiating the rapids of the Aude River.

One of the extreme sportspersons took the time to wave at us and they almost ended the raft into the side of the bank. The instructor chided them, but it was all very safe and in good fun.

While lunch was much cheaper than yesterday,’s all four of us were happy with our choices. The boys went for beef tartare and a very rare hamburger. Basically the same meal, only Mick’s had been warmed for a few seconds.

We were lucky enough to get a seat inside the carriage on the way home, as by now it was very hot.

We arrived back in Saint-Paul at 4.15pm and headed back to our accommodation for a shower and a rest, before our next outing.

 

After pre-dinner drinks at our Chambres d’Hôtes with some of the wine we bought on our first day when we were a bit over excited, we walked about 300m to the local bar – l’Emotion – where we had a reservation for 8.00pm. Mick and I have eaten there quite a few times and we were made to feel very welcome by the owner and chef – who gave both Helen and me a faire la bise – a kiss on both cheeks. A great start.

The boys took some time to decide on their meal, but in the end they both chose the lamb shank, while Helen and I selected a salad.

My salad was the ‘chef’s choice’ and consisted of tomatoes, anchovies and olives plus a stunning dressing. And, the tomatoes actually tasted like tomatoes.

To finish off the meal we had to have one of the chef’s desserts.

Chocolate ganache with olive oil and salt topping for Helen and me, while Mick went for a citrone panna cotta.

Absolutely fantastic.

As we emerged from the terrace to the main street,  we noticed that there were many people in the small square enjoying either playing or watching a game of petanque.

 We stayed for a little while and enjoyed taking in the local culture.