The Canal Du Midi runs from the Mediterranean to where it
joins the Garonne River, then flows to Bordeaux on the Atlantic coast and is 240 km (149 miles) long. Before its
construction (from 1666 to 1681), goods were either carried overland or ships sailed
around the Spanish peninsula, through the Gibraltar Pass and then up the coast
to deliver cargo. It was a world wonder, a marvel in its time, and still is
today. Though it isn’t used for cargo anymore, unless you count humans, it is
kept up as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is used especially in
the summer months for tourists and sailors alike.
If one followed the Canal from its beginning to its end, one
could spend days or weeks and really come to appreciate the southwestern part of
France. I did this years ago on a bike. I rode the tow paths, stayed in youth
hostels and hitched a ride on one of the few remaining cargo “
péniches”
barges at the time. I even met my husband aboard his father’s
péniche,
Stella, on a connecting canal in Toulouse, the Canal Lateral. Ah, reminiscing…
But I’ve seen it many times since; walking and picnicking on its banks with our
children, eating in its restaurant barges, even last year we followed it for a while
by car, taking in the
Malpas Tunnel,
Les Neuf Écluses de Fonseranes, and
visiting a friend’s vineyard (See D tomorrow!) on its banks.
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| The Malpas Tunnel, famous for being the first one! |
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| Older photo of the nine "locks" of Fonseranes near Beziers. |
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| A barge "peniche" going through the locks |
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| The last lock (ecluse), or first depending... |
Today the Canal du Midi is getting attention it doesn’t want
as the large picturesque “plantane” trees (Sycamores) that line much of its
length are dying and being cut down. They’ve discovered that part, if not all,
of the cause is from WW II ammunition boxes dumped in the canal during and
after the war that poisoned the water for the trees. Now, thousands of dollars
are being spent to replant the dying trees, so that the look of the canal can
continue to entrance those of us who love this enduring legacy.
Not all the trees are gone, and so this world wonder still
bewitches not only those who know and love it, but also those who choose to
learn about this region either by barge, bike or on foot.
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| Cycled this "tow path" in my younger days... |
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| This is how I've known the Canal to look for over 30 years. |
Last two images from:
xeniaboatlog
freewheelingfrance
All other photos by Buie-Collard
AND NOW TO IWSG FOR APRIL
This post will be sooo short, for obvious reasons. Just wanted to share that I will be ready in the next few weeks to send a readers copy of my current WIP out to my beta readers for their comments! I'm excited and anxious at the same time. But I'm happy to be at this stage in the novel's life, because this novel has taken me longer to write than any of my others.
The wonderful co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG are
Please visit their blogs and thank them for co-hosting!
Missed some of my A to Z 2019 posts? Well look no further...
