• On the final day of our tour we travelled to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert and to our farewell dinner in Aigues-Mortes

• As we approached Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, we were treated to this beautiful view of the Gorges de l'Hérault.

• The group getting organized for our stroll through the village

• The Giant's Castle, a combination of natural stone and manmade structures, overlooks the village.

• The Giant's Castle

• Julia gave us an overview of our walk through the village.

• Entering the village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert

• In the town square under the Giant's Castle

• Our group at the fountain in the town square

• This massive tree provides shade for much of the plaza.

• The Abbey of Gellone, established by St. Guilhem in 806, and an important pilgrimage site on the Way of St. James.

• A view of the back of the Abbey

• A shell marking the Way of St. James

• A natural spring below the abbey

• Entrance to the Abbey of Gellone

• Interior of the Abbey Church

• Interior of the Abbey Church

• Close-up of Jesus on the cross

• This is the most important relic in the abbey, a piece of the cross upon which Christ was crucified.

• In the cloister of the abbey

• The cloister

• The cloister

• Our group in the cloister

• A covered walkway in the cloister

• A fresco in the cloister

• After leaving the abbey, we strolled through the village to lunch.

• Note the elevated bottom step over the running water

• Our destination for lunch

• The dining room hovered over the river

• A view of the Hérault River from the restaurant dining room

• The dining room and the Hérault River

• After lunch, we took a leisurely walk back to our vans.

• The Abbey is nestled into a beautiful spot.

• Stéphane had a bag of tricks. Here Julia is trying to catch the ball on the stick.

• Betsy aced it!

• Aigues-Mortes was built by Louis IX as a port to launch expeditions during the Crusades.

• No good port sites were available so Louis IX settled on marshland. Thus the name 'Aigues-Mortes', meaning bad water.

• Frédéric Bazille, 'Les Remparts d'Aigues-Mortes' - 1867

• Sea salt extraction across the bay from Aigues-Mortes

• Sea salt extraction across the bay from Aigues-Mortes

• Today Aigues-Mortes is a living village with homes, restaurants, and other businesses.

• We dined at Villa Mazarin.

• Our farewell dinner at Villa Mazarin

• Our farewell dinner at Villa Mazarin (photo from Dawn)

• The dinner was excellent.

• We left Aigues-Mortes and returned to our hotel in Palavas as the sun was setting, literally and figuratively, on the first part of our 2022 European adventure.