Canal du Midi in Carcassonne

Thursday, April 18th, 2019

Headed over to take the 2hr. Boat tour of the Canal du Midi. I was on the fence about it because it was really windy and chilly, but decided to do it anyway when I saw the boat had a corner I could shelter in. We started with a lock which lifted us up about 10 feet and then putted up the canal for about an hour to another lock which lifted us up further at which point we turned around and headed back. The Canal du Midi is interesting because it was built with permission and some support from the king, but largely by a gentlemen, Ricquet, who was a tax official, not an architect or an engineer. At the time it was built, it cut the shipping time from the center of France to the coast from a month or two to three days! 240km, 63 locks, finished in 1681. More on that here: https://joinusinfrance.com/episode/episode-22-canal-du-midi/

Here’s a Wikipedia with a map etc. Canal du Midi

After the boat ride and a cup of tea to warm up, it was time to find some lunch. I had run into a French soldier as I stopped for a nightcap last night and he had told me the La Table de Norbert was good if you liked steak, so, that was definitely warm up comfort food. So far dining in Carcassonne has been somewhat below mediocre, this place did a good job and was reasonably priced. See this pix. Norbert himself running around checking on people and the steak served with an Opinel #10 as a steak knife.