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We set out on our canal adventure. It was misty and cool and we
got an abrupt start on our downhill trip as we crowded into four
locks, one after another, with about a dozen other boats. Like us,
most of them were just starting out and there was quite a wide range
of boat handling expertise in evidence.
For the next two weeks the daily routine was pretty much the same.
Each day some early riser (usually Bill) would wander into the nearby
village for baguettes, croissants, pain au raisin, pain au chocolat,
etc. at the local patisserie. Back at the boat it was often necessary
to make a lot of noise with the coffee preparation to get the rest of
the crew moving. By 9 or 10 AM just about everyone was up and about
and then it was time to go shopping for lunch. This was done at small
village stores or, occasionally, at a Super Marché. Typical fare
included more baguettes, numerous cheeses and pates, sliced meats,
cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and olives and, of course, lots
of wine. That gave us an hour or two to motor on down the canal
looking for a particularly picturesque spot to pull over for lunch.
No naps for this dedicated crew. After lunch we would motor on while
consulting various guide books to determine the best place to stop for
the night; preferably a quaint little village with sights of historic
interest and a couple of good restaurants. While underway the ladies
were often hard at work preparing snacks or lunch, working on the
crossword puzzle, reading or just enjoying the passing scene. The
guys did most of the driving and we all pitched in on the line handling
required to move the boat through the locks. There were a total of 70
locks on the trip so that is an average of about 5 or 6 a day. We even
had one epic set of 7 locks in a row, called the Fonséranes staircase,
dropping steeply down into Béziers on the Orb river.
The canal has several bridges that carried us over rivers and streams
below. In one place there was even a little hill that had the ancient
site called the Oppidium of Ensérune on the top and a 160 meter tunnel
through the base for the barges and another tunnel below that for
trains. The site was fascinating having been occupied from 800 BC
through the beginning of the Christian era. It has a nice little
museum.
The first really large town we visited was Carcassone where we stayed
for a couple of days so that we could take in the sights. The primary
sight is an extraordinary fortified old city on the hill by the river.
It is well worth an extended visit. We also enjoyed market day, which
was like a huge sidewalk sale that filled the entire center of town,
complete with brass band.
Béziers was the second major city we came to and we spent a day there
doing major sight seeing. Highlights for us were the
"Plateau des Poètes"
public garden and the 19th century covered market which is still very
much in use.
As we reached the end point of the barge trip we continued beyond the
company's marina to the town of Agde, originally a prosperous Greek
trading port and one of the oldest cities in France, where we visited
the 12th century cathedral of St. Étienne, the museum, and had lunch
in the town square.
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After the night in Bourg La Reine, just outside Paris, and a visit
with Françoise and François Pougheon, we (Frank and Carol Plasil,
Bill and Valerie) left Paris early, by train from Montparnasse, for
Castelnaudary on the Canal du Midi in south eastern France about
70 km north of the border with Spain. That afternoon we picked up
our "barge" at the
Crown Blue Line
marina.
The boat we chose was a "Royal
Classique" with one plush cabin forward for us, since Valerie did
all the booking, and two smaller cabins aft. Each cabin had its
own head - an important requirement! and met the other couple who
would join the Plasils and us for the next two weeks. They were
friends of Frank and Carol, Jonna Datz from Oak Ridge and John
Wurtz. Even though we were starting out near the highest point
on this canal (the canal extends from the Atlantic to the
Mediterranean) we were only 190 meters above sea level and 156 km
from the marina where we planned to leave the boat at the end of
the trip. Overall the weather this time was a bit cooler than
we had on our trip two years ago, and we had some occasions when
there was a little light rain.
After we turned in the boat and said goodbye to Jonna and John, we went
with Frank and Carol to rent a car and then drove up into the
French mountains along the Corniche des Cévennes, about 80km north
of Montpellier. Near the village of St. Jean du Gard, way up into
the steep wooded countryside is the inn, ?Le Canton.? It is a
converted farm house that is now a mixture of modern comforts,
rustic exteriors and a homey communal dining area. It is run by
Luc Mazloum, the brother of Françoise Pougheon, and his wife,
Claude David. Françoise and her husband François had come down
from Paris to see us again and Peter Armbruster from GSI Darmstadt
and his friend Monique Bernas were also there. It was "old home
week" for the scientists! We had a full schedule of outings for
the couple of days we were there with Françoise leading the charge.
One outing was to the "Bambouseraie de Prafrance" which can best be
described as a huge bamboo nursery and a mini-Disneyland. Wonderful
plants of all sizes and shapes from all over the world.
(Subsequently we have learned that there is something similar
in Marin County north of San Francisco.) Another outing was to
the "Musée du Désert" which documents the birth of protestant
religions that apparently took place in this mountainous region
where it was easier for the local people to hide their beliefs from
the Catholic authorities. A final excursion was to the old walled
city of Uzès where we were completely soaked in a heavy downpour.
It was unfortunate because it is a lovely Provençal city but it also
was exciting as some of the steep, narrow streets we were following
began to fill with water and became raging torrents. Needless to
say, however, the rain did not dampen our abilities to shop and to eat.
