Le Canal des Deux Mers à Vélo day 7 - 69 km from Carcassonne to Narbonne

This stage followed the canal initially, but instead of staying on the canal through to Béziers, it is a detour into the hills and vineyards approaching Narbonne. I had been told that Narbonne is a beautiful city to visit, so I had planned to get myself there and have a day to explore.

And it’s well worth taking a day to explore Narbonne. It’s a very pretty town and was a major port in Roman times. The cathedral was my first stop and it Dow look spectacular. It seems so incredibly tall for its footprint. After that, I visited the Bishop’s Palace museum, which has all sorts to see relating to the history of Narbonne. The staff there are so friendly. While I was looking at a tryptich, a guide came up to me and started telling me the history of it, which was very amusing. And then in a room at the top with a vaulted dome above, the lady at the desk was showing me how you could hear someone whispering on the opposite side. And I enjoyed clumping around making the loudest steps I could in order to trigger the unusual echoes that seem to occur in there. Great fun. The final section of that museum is an art gallery, which was fascinating. It is packed with French orientalist art, picturing scenes from around North Africa, Turkey, and the Middle East. It also has art from artists native to those regions. Admittedly much of that ties into France’s colonial history, but at least to me, the feeling was a celebration of the people, artists, and cultures of those regions.

The food in Narbonne was excellent. On my first evening, I ate tagline at Le Figuier; a Moroccan restaurant by the river. That was great value, friendly, and a nice change from the more traditional French food I had been eating on the route. For lunch on my rest day, I went to the market. I always love checking out the fresh ingredients in French markets, and this one is excellent with some great looking seafood. In the end, I ate steak frites, but I spotted that the restaurant will also cook any fresh ingredients that you pick up in the market. If I went back, I’d definitely give that a try. I’d love to pick up some fresh fish and shellfish and eat it there and then.