A Voyage through Time on the Canal du Midi

France Today ^ | October 19, 2014 | Florence Derrick

[SunkenCiv]

...Pierre-Paul Riquet, the man behind one of the 17th century's greatest works of engineering -- and some say, works of art -- remains in Vauban's shadow, despite his life's accomplishment, which was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

This 150-mile long waterway was once known as the Canal Royal en Languedoc, for good reason. French revolutionaries may have removed the 'royal' from its title in 1789, yet this is a canal which remains fit for a king. Dappled sunlight streams onto its emerald-green water from between the leaves of the 42,000 plane and oak trees which line the canalside -- securing the banks with their roots as well as providing shade for the horses which once drew trade barges.

The canal meanders from the Garonne River in Toulouse... to Sète, where a vast lagoon, the Étang de Thau, borders the Mediterranean. Aromatic meadows of lavender, thyme and rosemary dip in and out of view, sunflower fields and vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see. Gothic chapels and medieval chateaux are dotted across the landscape, spotted momentarily before again being concealed by trees...

The Canal du Midi was built between 1666 and 1681 under the rule of Louis XIV and the supervision of Riquet. However, the idea of linking the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea began to germinate in the early 16th century with a project envisaged by Francois I and Leonardo da Vinci during his visit to France.

The prototype was the Canal de Briaré, completed in 1642, though the Canal du Midi would be a far more challenging project...

This enormous task, which took 15 years and 12,000 workers, is now regarded to have been crucial in paving the way for the Industrial Revolution...

[patton]

www.locaboat.com

you can drive yourself

[BroJoeK]

21twelve: "I used to read my kids a book where some animals would watch the boats on the canal and they would dream of going on a cruise."

Sadly, many years ago I drove over this canal four different times, without ever knowing what it was, or taking some time to stop and smell the flowers...

A beautiful piece of history.
There's an old canal along the river just by my home, but long since disused & filled in.
In New York the old Erie Canal has some of the same feel as Canal du Midi, but on a scale of one to ten, in terms of ambiance, if the French canal is a ten, Erie Canal... maybe a two.

New York State Barge Canal (old Erie Canal):

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!