he 300 plus year old Canal du Midi extending from the city of Toulouse to the Mediterranean seaport of Sete, was the idea of Pierre-Paul Riquet who devoted the last 15 years of his life and his considerable fortune to its completion (he died a few months before it was opened).

Statistics: 12,000 workers, 328 structures (bridges, dams, locks, aqueducts, tunnels), 45000 plane and cypress trees planted along the banks, 240 km of canal dug by pick and shovel!

The canal is a section of the Canal des Deux Mers that stretches from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and provided a trade route that avoided the perilous Straits of Gibraltar.

Today, although the canal is no longer a trade route, it serves to transport water for irrigation and as an attraction for tourists (like us!).

Tuesday was market day for us. We had stopped in Narbonne on Saturday on the way to Cesseras but the market was closed. Today we returned.

They have a great public market with a very good assortment of all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, sausages, olives, etc., etc.

We had lunch at a pizza parlor on the main square. Very good pizza - thin crust. On Saturday we had eaten at another restaurant on the other side of the square - the l Agora. We were late as all lunch places close at 2 PM, but the owner talked the cook into staying a bit longer and served us. Cost for six - € 68.40. Narbonne also has an Internet service just off the main square so we were able to catch up on our email.

The cruise was a two hour affair starting in the late afternoon. It was an interesting excursion. One fact that I found fascinating was that they drain and clean the entire canal every year.

Canal cruises in France are a popular tourist attraction. Things move pretty slowly but folks seem to enjoy it. There was a large tour boat moored at Homps where we picked up our boat. It was full of folks and the appeared to be enjoying themselves. Interesting to note was the fact that when we went back to the same location for lunch the next day the same boat and group was still there. Bare boat charter are also available.

We capped the day with dinner at the Relais Chantovent in Minerve, but we covered that meal in the Sunday excursion page.

Wednesday is for Carcassone.

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