Among the most fascinating places in southwestern France is the medieval fortress of Carcassonne, a World Heritage Site. With over 50 towers and 2 miles of double walls surrounding the old town, the fortifications rise majestically from the surrounding countryside with its vineyards.

Inhabited as early as 3500 BC, Carcasonne became an important trading center in the 6th century BC. Fortified by the Romans, the Visigoths, and later by Simon de Montfort during the Albigensian Crusade in the 13th century, Carcassonne was an important military citadel until the 17th century. By the mid-19th century, it had fallen into such disrepair that it was threatened with demolition. However, the fortress was eventually restored under the direction of the famous architect Viollet-le-Duc and is the most complete medieval fortified city in existence today.

According to legend, during an attempted siege of Carcassonne by Charlemagne in the 9th century, the city was saved by a trick of a certain townswoman. When she was told that all that was left in the way of food was a little grain and a pig, Madame Carcas fed the grain to the pig and threw it down from the highest tower in front of the invaders. Charlemagne assumed her action meant that the residents still had plenty of food, so he gave up the siege. As he and his men were leaving, Madame Carcas told the townspeople to ring all the church bells. One of Charlemagne’s men shouted “Carcas sonne” (Carcas is ringing), whence the name of the town.

On a recent trip to the Midi region in southern France, I took  the time to explore a special place: the famous Canal du Midi in the area known as Languedoc/Roussillon.  This manmade waterway is a wonder of hydraulic engineering, and its entire length has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here are a few facts about the Canal du Midi. It was built during the reign of Louis XIV by a wealthy individual called Pierre Paul Riquet. It was dug by some 12,000 workers using only raw manpower. (Backhoes and front loaders didn’t exist in those days.) It was conceived to enable the transportation of goods between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as a shortcut to a lengthy voyage around Spain and Portugal through the Strait of Gibraltar.

The southeastern part of the waterway, 130 miles between Toulouse and Marseillan (near Sète), used to be called the Canal Royal du Languedoc. The northwestern section, about the same length between Toulouse and Castets (near Bordeaux), was formerly known as the Canal Lateral à la Garonne because it runs parallel to the Garonne River. The full length, once completed, was first named the Canal des Deux Mers (the Canal of the Two Seas), but the entire system is now commonly known as the Canal du Midi.

Today there is virtually no transportation of goods on the canal. Instead, it is used almost exclusively by self-driven pleasure boats and luxury barge-hotels. As I said, it is an amazing piece of engineering, and as it lazily winds its way through vast areas of vineyards and olive groves, it is one of the loveliest and most peaceful waterways in France.

The most striking feature of the canal, in my opinion, is what I would call its “signature look” - tall rows of enormous plane trees lining both banks, arching high above the waterway and shading its entire path all the way down to the deep blue Mediterranean. Imagine floating gently down the nave of a leafy Gothic cathedral for miles on end! Also notable is the ubiquitous tow path where horses once pulled the freight barges and where one can now take leisurely walks, jogs or bicycle rides.

During this one-week trip, I only covered the southeastern section of the canal. I traveled up and down between Carcassonne and Marseillan on the Bassin de Thau. I visited a dozen places, met quite a few people and took a lot of pictures. You can get more details on my visits from the full article I posted on our website.