Summer in France - day 6: cycling along the Canal du Midi.
The strong wind that cooled the past few days has gone down. Already from the morning it promises to be a very hot day.
We spend the morning at our pool. The pile of books I brought hasn't really been read yet. After noon, it is ideal to cool off on the shady banks of the Canal du Midi.
We have two bikes available and decide to make a bike ride out of it. The canal runs through the valley where we stay. It's close, and we shouldn't take major roads. We cycle along the vineyards to the canal.
The Canal du Midi (Canal of the South) was dug in the second half of the 1600s. It starts in Toulouse and ends at Etang de Thau, near Sète. The canal to the Garonne connects this canal to the Atlantic Ocean. In this way, a waterway has been built that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The canal is busy sailing by pleasure boats. You can rent a boat without a license. Some dexterity is required, because you have to go through a lot of locks that absorb the differences in height. We occasionally witness the use of such a lock.
