France | Robert Humrickhouse

Walking the canal offers another view.

Morning light brings clear, crisp Aude skies.

As always, click on thumbnail to expand.

After breakfast we set off west towards Toulouse. And we joined the main artery of the Canal du Midi. In the process we crossed two rivers, the first the Cesse, then disembarked and walked alongside the canal, and then reboarded and traversed Repudre Aqueduct, the oldest navigable aqueduct in the world, built in 1676. In some of these shots the view seems from a bridge but in fact is from the aqueduct and we are cruising on the barge. Fred guided the barge through one of the tightest bridges on the canal with nary a scrape.

At each lock sits a lock house. They are a simple duplex. The plaque on each house shows the distance to the next lock in either direction. In France, lock keepers were generally women. Shortly after World War I, war widows were offered jobs as lock keepers which provided housing. Many of the women fostered war orphans so the houses were often filled with children. Now it seems cats have taken over.

Walking the foot path (originally used for horse drawn tows) is a wonderful perspective, weaving through some very local sites.

The stretch of canal that we walked today was barren of the famous Plane tree. The canal was lined with them in the1800’s but since 2006 many succumbed to a fungus and had to be felled. Restoration is on-going with a new type of Sycamore tree called the Platanor. A vaccine has been developed and test trees are identified with a tag. The Pyrenees complete the backdrop.

While the trees might be seedlings the wildflowers were flourishing. Yellow Iris line the canal along with the occasional field of poppies. The vineyards seem infinite.

After lunch we toured an olive processing commune. Nothing much was happening since the trees are just flowering and harvest doesn’t begin until fall. Then we were off to the city of Minerve which has just achieved designation as a Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. Minerve is a small, compact town perched on top of the gorge of the river Cesse. With only one bridge of entry is was easily defensible and survived six weeks of a siege only to have the attackers cut off their water supply from a well near the river below. There a few streets, mostly just cobblestone paths lined with homes that still burn fire for heat. Oh, and the occasional cat.

Steps 13,767 to 13, 777 were boarding the barge to enjoy the evening light before dinner.

A single moment can tell an entire story if you are willing to let it.

From Chicago to Paris to Narbonne

An airplane, a long walk, two hotels and a train ride

We started out Thursday evening with an uneventful flight from Chicago to Paris. Landing early Friday morning we hopped on a bus to Gare de Lyon, our hotel was within walking distance from the station. After three miles hauling luggage over cobblestone we had sufficiently worn our feet to nubs and our muscles ached. A light drizzle started at dinner and turned into a sort of deluge throughout the night and into Saturday morning giving Paris an overcast. Perhaps a leftover mood from the tragedy of Notre Dame.

Click on images to enlarge. A note; since last posting the site has been upgraded so forgive me while I try out new features.

A quick taxi to Gare de Lyon to board our train for Narbonne.

Our train pulled out on time and we were soon on a winged bullet flying through the countryside. Capturing views from the window of a high speed train is nigh impossible but I gave it a try.

The rolling hills quickly transformed to seaside views.

Nothing better than entering your room
and seeing french doors and a fireplace.

We selected Narbonne as the meeting point for our group of seven to start our barge trip through the Canal du Midi. We anticipated a simple sleep over and nothings special. What a surprise! Who knew we landed upon such a charming town.

To the ladies of France
A palm, it is after all, the SOUTH of
France
Roses line the canal

We met a new friend while walking along the canal. If you ever met our dear Isadore the smile and personality will seem familiar.

In the city center is Narbonne Cathedral. Normally we just pop into a cathedral for a quick tour but the history of this church dates back to 331, the gargoyles staring at you from every crook and bend dared us to go inside.

We just happened to be touring the interior while a choir was rehearsing for their concert that night.

The vaulting was extremely high and seemed out of proportion but made sense when you understand that only the “choir” section of the church was built. The rest of the cathedral was left unfinished due to poor planning requiring the demolition of the city wall abutting the site.