France by Bicycle | PART 17: CANAL DU MIDI

[@dondonner1095]

You guys know how to live for sure. Great score on that room and that view in the end. Wow.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

A perfect spot for a rest day!

[@michelesauret7779]

Carcassonne is one of the 34 fortified towns in France but the biggest I think. It's a shock to see it for the first time. I had the same shock seeing your Colorado grand canyon the year 1980....

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hello Michèle, I live for moments that sweep me off my feet. Carcassonne was one, the Grand Canyon another! The world is full of them, but you gotta go get 'em!

[@atmrtwbike]

What a fantastic castle!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

It is truly magnificent!

[@dreuxdemack1417]

OMG that last closing shot of the castle made me drop my mouth open with my morning coffee. I literally gasped out loud. What a view, what a way to end the day at your B&B. You never disappoint with the scenery and loving vibe you two have on the bikes and at rest after riding. Goodness, that castle...and that tree lined path when Juliana stopped and turned to the camera, wow. I'm just in awe.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

When we approached that tree-lined path it took my breath away. When everything just lines up perfectly. Like something out of Tolkein!

[@fionahunt8530]

Thanks for this. Brought back happy memories of our similar bike tour. We stayed overnight in Castelnaudary mainly so my husband could eat cassoulet in the town where it originated. We chose a riverboat restaurant and he was not dissappointed. The next day we continued on to Carcassonne and I'll always remember my first view of the fortress from a few miles away, like something out of Disney!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Right? When I first saw Disneyland I couldn't believe the castle was a fake. Here, you walk in and it's so full of magic, and goes forever. We get into the walled fortress in our next episode. Stay tuned!

[@maxdugan5319]

Great way to start the weekend! Beautiful views, learn about a new place in the world for me and watch two great people enjoy life!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Max! Yeah, that canal riding is as sweet as can be! this part of France is exquisite!

[@TerrapinCyclist]

Love traveling ‘with you’. Cycling France looks so appealing

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Great to have you along for the ride!

[@johngorentz6409]

I haven't watched all your videos yet, but of the several I've watched this is my favorite so far.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you John! The videos get better with the scenery!

[@lindahowes5949]

The view of the castle is jaw dropping! Loved the corridor of trees you rode through. Another wonderful episode. 💜

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yeah, those trees! Its like a fantasy.

[@nancymalone3838]

You two are such an inspiration!!😊My husband and I truly love your videos. It is sad to say that there are not a whole lot of touring videos. So thankful for yours! ❤

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Nancy! It's one thing to film, but putting together something like this takes so much time. No way I could do this if we weren't retired. I'm so glad you're enjoying them!

[@westpacificmarketanalytics2384]

So love you two and how your living the journey and again THANK YOU!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank YOU so much! These videos ain't nuthin' without people enjoying!

[@MarcelBijl1]

Very very beautiful again! Love it!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Merci beaucoup, Marcel!

[@alethearobinson8132]

Another outstanding episode. And thank you for throwing in a date (helps with future planning) The bird songs were incredible. 🐦🎶🎵🎶 And your view of the castle, breathtaking.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Alethea! We really got lucky with that room. We don't book in advance, we book as we go, so you never know what you're gonna get.

[@dooley-ch]

Wow, what a wonderful trip! Thanks once again.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank YOU James! I love all the diversity of experiences you can find in one country!

[@klasjansson5814]

Very nice!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Klas!

[@e-BikeLife]

What an incredible view of La Cité! Encroyable!! South of France is great in the fall! And, riding along the Canal du Midi under the plane trees? Trés jolie! And, did I see Julianna eating Rhum Raisin ice cream?!?! That is my favorite! Carcassonne is one of our favorites. Inside the walls is such a tourist trap, but we love it. We stayed inside the walls so we had the mornings and the evenings to ourselves as most people are daytrippers. Thanks for another great episode!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank YOU! Carcassonne was splendid, we cover it a bit more in the next episode. South of France was amazing in the autumn, but then isn't everywhere? It's certainly MY favorite time to travel, and it always goes so quickly!

[@carmenraedelaney2795]

Hello! So many epic riding days! It would be hard to pick a favorite. Once again a great video with the perfect music. Nice editing !

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yes, even the days where nothing much happened were great. Cycling in Europe is a dream.

[@garyseckel295]

Great touring couple. Beautiful how well they highlight the locales! Fun to watch and always entertaining. Great shared videos!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Merci beaucoup, Gary!

[@jw8360]

Super video-- thank you! My son and I did the same ride but stayed on the rough gravel all the way to Carcassonne, resulting in a flat tire. Wish we had taken your beautiful countryside route!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Glad you could do this with your son. My daughters and I did a nice multi-day ride in Slovenia last year. I hear they are working to try to get the entire canal route more cycle friendly. Some pretty rough stretches.

[@PumpkinVillage]

What a beautiful country and that last nights view was really spectacular. You could probably set there all night just looking. Take care, Al

[@TheBicycleTourists]

We enjoyed a bottle of wine on the terrace, and stared until our eyes ached!

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Bonsoir R&J. Roland, you have a sharp sense of observation, indeed leaving Toulouse, which is to Airbus what Seattle is to Boeing and entering the département de l’Aude, density of population drops significantly down to 55 inhabitants/square Km (half France average) which compares very much with Colorado which population density is also 55 but per square mile. More about that rough section, which should be fully upgraded by now, tomorrow.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Interesting stats! In Colorado, a huge percentage of population is clustered in cities. Once you get out onto the wilderness and rangeland in the west, it gets pretty darn empty. I loved this part of France, I could easily make a home there!

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Not much different for Aude, there’s a, de facto populated corridor, parallel to the canal, linking Narbonne to Toulouse. Using US designation, a rail track, Interstate, former RN 113 (now “de-federalized” D6113) and A61 freeway, a three lanes corridor. The rest of the population is mainly by the coast. Going South, from Carcassonne in the direction of the Pyrenees, the population density drops quickly down to 5 per square Km. Sadly, the number of MDs drops even more, which is problematic.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Right. You could feel riding along the canal that you were in the busy corridor. It makes sense. All the transportation tends to follow the same way through.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Absolutely, that busy corridor splits into 2 branches in Narbonne, a southern branch, sans canal, towards Barcelona and an eastern branch towards Montpellier and Marseille. Little quiet, sparsely populated, Aude is caught in between submitted to the economic attraction pull of cities. Voilà, c’est simple avec le contexte expliqué.😉

[@Biking360]

The most beautiful bicycle tour in the world??!!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I remember you saying something about how amazing you found riding in France. It truly is an amazing place to tour. Great people, great infrastructure for bikes, incredible scenery, beautiful people, and don't get me started on the food and wine!

[@bobimt77]

Beautiful ride!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you!

[@colinwellman9480]

The final shots from your apartment window were lovely, sheer luck you found such a nice place. We planned a visit to Carcassonne but a good friend said it gets terribly busy with other tourists so we cancelled. I wish we had gone. I didn't notice as many cycle tourists along the canal, maybe a bit late in the year for the French. Many thanks for sharing this episode.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I think it depends on the time of year you go. I've never actually spent time in Europe during the high tourist season so I don't know what it's like, but I'm sure it's very crowded. In October? It was awesome.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Spot on, (again!😉), it *is* crowded. Carcassonne attracts 2m visitors/year, France #3 most visited place, Mont St Michel is #1, Arc de Triomphe #2. In August, up to 16 000 visitors/day. Come September, and people in the tourism industry/catering/hospitality, who’ve worked 7/7 for more than two months, are much less stressed and are happy to welcome off-season visitors in better conditions than they could in August.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Something to be said for doing what others don't.

[@eff6582]

Bonjour I'm back, after having traveled 415 km(258 miles) in 5 days along the Loire with my friends, everyone is ok, ans ready for the other side of Loire, Next year! Some lates videos, but It's Always enjoy to see your trail in south of France. It's crazy what you did, you are an example for people you had AT Time 🤙

[@TheBicycleTourists]

That's awesome! So glad you all were able to experience the sweet Loire Valley. I bet it's gorgeous in the spring!

[@dennispiciullo8060]

Wow, what a way to end the day! Very cool, looks like it would be hard to find your place to stay. It all looks the same, was there a place to check in, or they text or emailed a code to get in. I probably would be lost! But a pretty nice place to stay. Thanks

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Those Air BnBs can be hard to locate. No signs, but we always find them eventually!

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

AirBnB hard to locate ? Per chance, for fear of bothering people, would you rather navigate your way, relying on your connected devices, rather than asking locals for directions ? If so, you shouldn’t. Likewise, got a gut feeling that you overestimate the so-called language barrier ? Lost tourists are a common occurrence in touristic hot spots and locals are used to it. Counterintuitively, many French have more patience and time for foreign tourists, even if they can’t speak french, than for their fellow citizens (Go figure !).

[@dennispiciullo8060]

Ok, come to think about it, Italy wasn't much easier. But I wasn't really looking for an address to a Air BnB. Wow, but they look pretty nice inside. I remember a flat a friend was renting in Catania Sicily, pretty nice. Nice furniture and marble floors. Cool, looking forward to next video.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I think a part of the enjoyment of the experience comes from solving problems. Figuring out the street and address systems, figuring out how to cross the language barrier. It's all new, and it has to be resolved somehow. I love it!

[@RichardWright3450]

Another great one. How do you book your rooms? Days ahead or searching the day of? Nice to be flexible but don't like to chance not finding a room. Riding with you. Richard

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Richard! I doubt if we ever booked a room a day in advance. Maybe if we knew we were wanting a rest day in a certain town. Otherwise, late morning or early afternoon on the day of. We had an issue near Nantes, but it could've been resolved with a few more miles of riding. In France or the US, it was never an issue. (In the west of the US, we knew we would potentially need to camp or even wild camp, so we were prepared for the big distances. But, yeah, you're taking a chance.

[@metoymi1910]

Really enjoyed your video. I am a cyclist also and I am inspired by all of your sense of photography, scenery and biking areas. I vacationed in Toulouse last year with my son. On our last full day, I suggested we take the train to Carcassonne. But the hotel hostess said that SNCF was featuring a round trip fare to Albi for 1 euro. So we decided to go there instead. And I just vacationed in Montpelier (October) and intended to visit Carcassonne then, but rain stopped that opportunity. But will get there eventually. Can you share the name of the Carcassonne hotel where you stayed? Spectacular view both day and night! Thanks.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yes, Carcassonne is a rarity in that it's a real tourist trap that's absolutely worth it. We got our room through BookingDotCom, its a private residence. LE SAINT GIMER, Terrasse Privée Avec Vue Cité

[@rexroganblat2690]

How much of the Canal du Midi bike route is dedicated, car free and how much is shared with cars? Thanks.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I don't have a percentage, but easily most of the route is rideable as an off-road trail. WE took to the roads because of trail conditions, but I understand they are working on the rougher sections. I think we did 20% on quiet country roads, few issues with cars.

[@rexroganblat2690]

Thank you very much.

[@richardweil854]

I notice Julianna have red "opinel"

[@TheBicycleTourists]

No, it's a Laquiole Bougna that she bought soewhere in France along the way.

[@michelesauret7779]

Laguiole a famous french knife....

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Bonjour R&J, Unless it escaped my attention, I am afraid you missed « la plaque commémorative » at « la Maison Éclusière de l’Océan » in memory of President Thomas Jefferson, then US Ambassador in France, visit to the, then, called « le canal Royal du Languedoc à Sète » ( this syntax in French should help Google to find the relevant information) Jefferson sailed (?) the canal in 1787 and went as far as traveling on a horse back to Saint Ferréol where water is tapped to fill (refill ?) the canal. Sadly YT doesn’t like me posting links, an earlier comment with a link cut/paste didn’t survive... Oh, Well.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

We did indeed miss it. (We miss a lot!) Interesting information. I assume the Canal du Midi inspired the canal building in the US, the Erie and the C&O, both of which are excellent cycling paths in their own right.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

History isn’t my forte (but working on it). Weren’t canals very much a thing, back in those days ? Suez, Panama, Kiel Canal (1895) springs to mind. Have you found that « plaque commémorative » (Dunno english name) affixed in 2009, 220th anniversary of the French Revolution ? Hope you have and will translate the kind words written in 2009 i.e., then Ambassador, future US President Thomas Jefferson and about the French-American friendship.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Canal du Midi was began in 1666. C&O began in 1828. Erie in 1817. Suez 1859. Kiel in 1887. There of course were canals in Mesopotamia days, but I think of the Canal du Midi as being pretty early as far as modern canals go.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Not so early😉 Obviously, when I read that, I went ... Of course, easier after than before, I looked it up (Tks Google). First known canal in France was built by (of course moment) a Roman. 102 A.D roman General Marius oversaw the construction of the Arles to Port de Bouc canal. We should have guessed it, Romans invented « Civil Engineering » (roads straight as an arrow, bridges, aqueducts, sewers... etc) as we know it today. Carolus Magnus (Charlemagne) had a go in today’s Germany at building canals ( successfully-unsuccessfully is open to speculation). Educating myself i.e. canals history, learnt that canal locks are an Italian invention, perfected by Leonardo da Vinci who had the idea to create a small door in locks doors. First application the « canalization » of the River Vilaine (Britanny) Phase 1, 1538, Phase 2, 1575. 1st modern canal in France is Canal de Briare, Phase 1 :1605-1614. Phase 2 : 1638-1642. For the record, Oude Zijds Voorburgwal canal (NL) :1342. Have a nice day, Roland.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks for the investigative work. We also had the pleasure of crossing the Briare Aqueduct over the Loire, a magnificent structure, earlier in our trip.