Canal du Midi 2025 - Days 10, 11 and 12

 Narbonne - Thursday 22nd May

It was a very windy night which kept Steve, Tracey and I awake for a lot of it.  Someone slept through the whole thing!

We had planned our visit to Narbonne so that we were there on a Thursday as one of the regions biggest markets is held there.  We had no idea where it was going to be so it was a pleasant surprise to find that it was on the boulevards on both sides of the canal.  Because it was higher than us we hadn’t heard a thing!

Richard and I went off in search of croissants for breakfast and found a boulangerie not far away, we returned with our bounty to eat with some lovely jam I had bought in Le Somail.

It was then a trip to the market which was mainly clothes though there was a food section, I bought some cherries and apricots. I could have bought lots of clothes but resisted!

In the afternoon we went on Le Petit Train to see the sights. Some of the city is very pretty but some of it isn’t. The Main Street (or at least I think it is) is the Boulevard Dr. Ferroul and is very attractive and typically French!!!

There was an gelato shop by the train stop and, of course, it would have been rude not to have one! 

I had washing to do so took myself off to the laundrette. It was all very efficient and quick. 

The wind had been pretty relentless all day so we hadn’t been able to sit out at all.  But I really like Narbonne.  These are a few of the houses that I felt are very French!

Narbonne was established in Gaul by the Roman Republic in 118 BC, as Colonia Narbo Martius, colloquially Narbo, and made into the capital of the newly established province of Gallia Transalpina. It was located on the Via Domitia, the first Roman road in Gaul, built at the time of the foundation of the colony, and connecting Italy to Spain. Geographically, Narbonne was therefore located at a very important crossroads because it was situated where the Via Domitia connected to the Via Aquitania, which led toward the Atlantic through Tolosa and Burdigala. In addition, it was crossed by the river Aude. Surviving members of Julius Caesar's Legio X Equestris were given lands in the area that today is called Narbonne. 

Saint-Nazaire-d’Aude - Friday May 23rd

It was still windy when we woke up, will it ever go away!?  

We left our mooring spot and headed down the canal until we could find somewhere to turn round.  When we got back to the traffic lights to get under Le Pont de Merchands and the lock, we went to tie up but the light turned green. Great we thought. Suddenly a portly Frenchman appeared gabbling at us in French. I gathered that he was from the trip boat behind us and had set the lights for him to use and we were not to go through. Five minutes later he went through and signalled for us to follow, which we did. However, the gates closed and we were stuck with nowhere to moor. We did find some bollards to tie to and Richard had to walk back through the town to the traffic lights and start all over again!  We eventually got through and passed the trip on its way back. The crewman saw us and said I’m sorry over and over again!  I should think so!  

When we got back up to the part of the canal that joins the River d’Aude it was windier than last time and the water was very muddy for some reason.  All went well and we were soon back on the canal and going through the Gailhousty lock.  

The following lock, the Salleles Lock, is very deep.   Tracey, Steve and I were down in the bottom on the boat, with Richard at the top when Rio started to scream.  I thought he had been trodden on but it went on and on. Eventually he stopped but he was very distressed and just cuddled into me. In the end we reckoned that he had been bitten on or in his ear as he squealed when we touched it.  

We continued up the locks with Rio not far from me.  We pulled over just after the junction with the Canal du Midi and tied up, just then a girl on a bike came up and said that it would cost us €27 to moor there.  €27 for what? NOTHING!  We pulled pins and moved on through Le Somail and wild moored.  

Rio was very sleepy all evening though he did eat some dinner.

Paraza - Saturday May 24th

Rio had a good night though was still feeling sorry for himself.  Richard took him for a walk which he enjoyed more than yesterday.  We decided to have a good look at and down his ear.  Richard held him, Tracey held the torch and I peered!  I couldn’t see anything.  We left late as he we only had a short way to go, to Paraza.  

We went by Ventenac-en-Minervois with the lovely Chateau de Ventenac-en-Minervois right on the canal side.  I thought it was a church to start with!  The building dates back to 1880 and was built as a winemaking cellar.  Today you can have a tour round and then a wine tasting.  It is run by the smallest winemaking cooperative in France - nine members who work 70 hectares of vines, including 6.5 hectares that has organic certification.  

We arrived in Paraza at lunchtime and spent a quiet afternoon. We were going to OKN9 again for our last dinner out.  They remembered us from last time - I’m not sure if that is good or bad!  They change the limited menu frequently so we had new things to choose from.  We met some English people who had just bought a holiday home in the village and it turned out that they come from Droitwich and use the same dentist as Tracey, who lives in Redditch!!