We had a great night’s sleep on the barge. We woke early, showered, and were met at 6:00 by a big morning bowl of coffee. A bowl, not a cup. Fresh pressed coffee.
I had seconds.
We ate some bread and an apple, dropped Gail’s suitcase for the pickup by BagaFrance, and left at 7:00 after kisses goodbye.
A good note on the logistics of this walk: We are shipping Gail’s suitcase with some of our stuff, from Toulouse to our end point in Séte. We are using BagaFrance, a company that will transport luggage, bikes, even people from point to point all along the canal. They do this also along the Loire Valley. Here is their website.
The service is very reasonable at €18 stop to stop or €36 for the whole way end to end.
We started out on a paved sidewalk alongside the canal, filled with joggers, walkers, bikers and commuters biking to work. But as we got to the edge of Toulouse the “traffic” thinned and we were able to walk without jumping at the constant “ding!” of the bike bells.
The canal became peaceful. It is lined with giant trees that hang out over the water, shading the entire canal and walkway. It is like walking through a peaceful, green tunnel.
We stayed on the right bank (going south) because the left bank was a dirt trail and this paved side was just easier. We passed a dome, the first electron microscope in the world. T
here was some artwork painted on the sides of buildings, and then the canal passed over the main highway!
The canal on a bridge!
It was interesting looking at the canal barges, with firewood piled up on the decks (many of them have wood stoves) and bicycles, nice little bistro tables, party lights, even garden boxes of vegetables and flowers.
One barge was a floating sunflower farm!
Our first break was at 9:00 at the Castanet Lock, about six miles in two hours forty-five. We had beer and water.
The cafe owners are interested that we are from California, and no one blinks when we say that we plan to walk the canal.
Later, there is also a cafe at the Vic lock. I wish I had known this.
It turns out the "guide book" for cyclists has left out a lot of information. But we are learning.
On and on we walked, looking for a cafe to get a lunch. Our guesthouse is out in the country and there are no cafes around, so we need to eat now, on our way.
We finally made it to the Onion Cafe run by a lady who does it all. The set menu of the day had three choices, unfortunately for me two of the choices were sold out so I was stuck with the smoked sausage in curry sauce. Not exactly what I wanted on a big walking day.
The appetizers of smoked salmon and a shrimp-fish pate were good, but the main meal wasn’t great. The best part was the dessert, since we needed the sugar energy before walking the last 11 KM to our guest house.
Our guest house is just next to the Negra lock. It is a big, old stone farm house, all warm yellow in the sun, with shutters at the windows and doors. The family dog came out to greet us and we knew it would be a good stay. Our room is huge, with 12 foot ceilings and exposed beam and wood ceilings, and the French doors open out to a little patio and picnic set. There is even a nice swimming pool out back.
Oh it was good to arrive.
I spent the afternoon of my dreams out at the cold pool and laying in the hot sun, soothing sore legs.
Yup.
Walking nineteen miles to this little French countryside house, swimming… hot sun…
OUCH!
SHIT!!
A bee crawled up my leg and stung me… right in the balls!
I jumped in the pool, and the cold water took away the immediate sting, but I was somewhat “tender” that evening.
It turns out the lady we are staying with will cook dinner for you. Wish we had known that, but it isn’t on the website or in any of the reviews.
She also sells the local wine, so we bought a couple glasses, listened to some music on my phone, rested and planned for tomorrow.
19 miles total for the day, in 9 hours including lunch and drink stops.