September 12, 1997
To Narbonne
The road to Narbonne was virtually flat for the whole distance - but the weather changed dramatically, producing gray skies, threats of rain, and strong headwinds. Much of the route followed the navigable Canal du Midi and passed through vinyards. This is the height of the harvest season, and all day long we were passed by vans of harvesters shuttling to and from the fields, and by small tractors hauling grape-filled wagons away for processing.
Our hotel in Narbonne was also adjacent to the canal. Probably the most entertaining moment of the day came while watching a pair of barges navigate the small, self-operated lock in the center of town. One crew of three men had great difficulty with their boat, which was turned crossways in the locks by the current of the filling basin. One of them very nearly suffered the indignity of falling into the canal in front of an audience of about ten spectators.
We spent the afternoon wandering through Narbonne's cathedral and ruins. The cathedral is quite odd - a huge gothic affair which was never completed. The choir was built in the late 1200's, but the project was abandoned when the city was impoverished by a series of devestations in the following century - the black plague, an invasion by the Black Prince, and the silting of the mouth of the Aude, which ruined the use of the city as a port.
Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 530 miles (853 km)
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