Crossing France in style - but not in a train!
Our bed and breakfast in Lezignan-Corbieres was in a little lane and was locked up tightly until opening time at 4. Marea and Michael were stuck in Carcasonne so Tony left me on the footpath with all the baggage while he set off to collect them and their luggage. Eventually we were all reunited after a pretty hectic day.
Recovering at Maison Helene.
That left new problems for the morning – we now had a car! So we collected all our gear together and headed for the canal boat using the car for transport. Marea and I stayed at the dock while the men returned the car and caught an expensive taxi back…….Our voyage could begin.
The canal was fantastic and taking our boat through the locks was a great experience. The most dramatic was the 6 basin lock which takes about 45 minutes to do the up hill way and 30 to go down hill. On the way downhill it was blowing a gale which added to the fun – the boat was difficult to manoeuvre and there was dirt in the wind. (needless to say I thought it was great).
The canal is tree lined most of the way and it is beautifully relaxing and calming to just potter along. There are lots of villages but, unlike the brochures indicated, many businesses and restaurants were closed for the season. So it was a case of stock up when and where you could.
We had a couple of memorable meals along the way and some very enjoyable French wine. Exploring the architecture of the villages and churches and the shops (where open) provided a real insight into this fascinating part of the world. One open attraction was a hat museum - all sorts of head gear from all around the world and a good span of history.
We crossed bridges and aqueducts, visited art galleries and craft shops, went through a tunnel (Tunnel de Malpas) and climbed to the top of a hill to visit a Gallic village called Enserune – shame it closed to visitors an hour before lunch!
Our bikes looked very nice on top of the boat. I have basically not ridden since we left Karratha so I am very rusty and the first trip saw me wobbling along and bouncing up and down. The weather was a bit against us after that as the wind was very strong so we didn’t ride again until near the end of the trip. Later we could see snow on the hills. We did a wonderful 10 km ride along the tow path, through the village of Homps and out to a Lake where Tony and I had lunch and our first taste of real fois gras.
Returning to port was a rather sad experience but it was to be the beginning of the next adventure. We all piled into a taxi and set off for Lezignans-Corbieres where we planned to catch the train. Oops. We arrived at the station to find that the station assistant was just posting the strike notice. Fortunately our driver was still getting back into her car so we all did a scramble, climbed back aboard and headed off through the countryside again. All a bit like a bad French farce really.
And so we arrived in Carcasonne. What a city. There are 2 parts – the old Medieval Walled City and the newer town. A photographic delight and we took enough pictures to prove it. We have continued to sample local fare – French onion soup, soufflé, and cassoulet have been added to the list. The Canal du Midi is very close to our hotel and there are lots of places to walk and wander.
Marea and Michael have now returned to London (unless the airport was on strike) and we are planning a quiet Sunday afternoon sorting photos, uploading blogs, charging batteries and packing our bags….we have our seats booked on the train……Espagna is just over those hills!!!!
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