Another view of the Cathedral.

The restaurants are busy.

After checking in to our hotel we took a little walk around the area. This is St. Andre Cathedral.

Time to try our first Bordeaux in Bordeaux!

Marie de Bordeaux (City Hall)

Picked up rental bikes with waterproof panniers, front bag, helmets, locks, & repair kit & pump. They were originally fitted with wide, cushy saddles and we had them exchanged for narrower ones. Took the bikes for a spin along the waterfront and back to the hotel.

This oven has been fired daily since the time of Louis XV (1765)

It’s a lovely sunny day.

Place de la Bourse.

Exquisite monument with waterfalls.

Inside St. Andre Cathedral.

Back to the hotel to get organized for our cycling adventure, Bordeaux to Sete starting in the morning. Everything we don’t need as well as Dolly’s backpack will go in Rich’s suitcase and we will drop it off to be stored at the bike rental shop.

Stopped in at Boulangerie ‘Au Pétrin Moissagais’

Got an early start to explore the city. Nicely decorated shops.

We enjoyed a cappuccino and tart—delicious!

Monument aux Girondins.

Handles for placing bread into the oven and removing the bread when done.

Riding along the Canal du Garonne.

Stopped for a cappuccino. Whipped cream on this one!

Lunchtime! Raining, but lucky to find some shelter.

Good breakfast at the Ibis and ready to start our ride.

Cycling by lots of vineyards.

Happy hour at our accommodation.

71.9 kms today. Some rain, cloud & sun. No restaurants nearby but we were able to order a dinner from our hosts. Salad & Pasta Carbonara with a glass of wine.

Stopped for a refreshing drink.

The canal aqueduct going over a river.

Back to the canal. It is raining but comfortable riding.

Enjoyed dinner at our hotel.

So many locks along the canal.

Picked up a bottle of local Bordeaux.

Leaving our accommodation after a breakfast of bread, jam & coffee. (Not going to get us very far down the road!) Will ride back to the Canal du Garonne over hilly terrain similar to the undulating route from the canal we rode yesterday to get here.

Arrived in Tonneins, our destination for the day. 73.6 Kms. Took a walk along the water.

Some areas have lots of canal boats parked.

Yikes! Is the noose really necessary? We can read the sign!

Clearing up and we are enjoying the ride.

Good surface for riding. Bikes are working well.

Damazan City Hall with a marketplace underneath.

Lots of half timbered buildings.

Checked in to our hotel and went out to explore the city. 57.6 Kms today.

Happy Hour on our little deck. Great day!

War memorial.

Opera House.

Good breakfast at our hotel. Around 14C to start the day.

Back to the canal.

Stopped for a cold drink when entering Agen, our destination for the day,

Agen Cathedral.

Lunchtime.

Old well in the centre of Damazan.

Side trip to Bruch. Half timbered passageway,

Another side trip to Buzet. Beautiful church.

Left the canal and took a side trip to Damazan.

Enjoyed the sites in Bruch.

Boat waiting to go through the lock.

We came over the Agen aqueduct yesterday on our way into town.

Everywhere you turn the buildings are amazing.

Historic marketplace.

Sign said ‘no cycling’ so we pushed our bikes.

It’s a beautiful day and cycling is great!

Took a side trip to Auvillar. It was quite a climb to get here but well worth it.

Back on the Canal du Garonne. Aqueduct at Moissac.

Salad, pasta & green beans for dinner along with a nice bottle of Bordeaux.

Clock gate tower.

Settled in at our apartment in Castelsarrasin. 65.7 Kms today.

Happy with our breakfast this morning that included bacon and eggs. Not expecting rain today. 13-21C.

Always have to watch for signage as to what side of the canal to ride.

Looks like another stellar riding day. 13-22C.

It might seem that cycling along the canal would be completely flat. However, about once every few kilometres there is a road-bridge crossing with a short, steep climb.

Cappuccino time!

Lunchtime!

Place du Capitole.

Balconies on the buildings.

Toulouse is beautiful and we enjoyed our evening here.

Donjon building in Charles de Gaulle Square.

Arrived in Toulouse, our destination for the day. 63.7 Kms. Walking around to look at the sites. Basilica Saint-Sernin.

Other side of the Basilica.

Inside the Basilica.

Years ago these buildings along the canal housed the controller, tax collector and rooms for guests.

There are always lots of canal boats near towns along the canal.

Stopped for cafe au lait.

On each building is a sign with the name of the lock and distances to the previous and next lock.

Spar store nearby. Salad, asparagus and Tagliatelle with Arrabbiata sauce for dinner.

Great day on the Canal du Midi! We are no longer in Bordeaux Region. \240Currently in Occitanie Region so time to enjoy wines from this area.

Boat waiting to go through the lock.

Arrived at our apartment in Castelnaudary. 64 Kms today high of 20C. Lots of gravel trail.

Good signage.

Lunch break. Nice to find a bench.

Enjoyed breakfast at our hotel this morning. Ready to ride 14C, cloudy. The Canal du Garonne finished in Toulouse and now we will ride on the Canal du Midi.

Thanks to the GPS in Rich’s brain we made our way from our hotel back to the canal. We are now on the Canal du Midi. Before Toulouse we rode along the Canal du Garonne.

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I had slices of duck breast, salad & fries. No—I didn’t eat all the fries!

Only 44 Kms today and arrived in Carcassonne before 2:00.

After sunset we walked up to get a view of the Citadel at night.

Then coffee after.

Stopped on a pedestrian street for a cafe au lait.

We are here for two nights and tomorrow we will walk up to explore the Citadel.

Rich had to try the regional specialty, Cassoulet. A meaty stew of duck, sausage, pork, and beans, all under a rich, dark brown crust. He said it was delicious!

Stopped at this lock for picnic lunch.

Leaving Castelnaudary after breakfast in our apartment. 14-24C. No rain expected.

Rode around the city to take a look around.

Checked in and carried our bags up 58 stairs to our room on the top floor. Bonus was that the rooftop terrace with city & castle views is across from our room.

Hoping for coffee but cafe was closed.

Pretty areas with park benches.

Trail is good here but some sections very rough gravel.

Trail gets pretty narrow in this section.

Inside the basilica.

Dolly had the Pork Ribs, salad & fries.😋 Enjoyed our time in Carcassonne. Back on the bikes tomorrow.

Pretending that I belong in this elegant hotel!

Magnificent Citadel known as Cité de Carcassonne, Gallo Roman Period, 1st century BC to the 5th century AD.

Restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc between 1853 and 1879.

Stopped for a cafe au lait and Rich had a chocolate crepe.

Dinner was Toulouse Sausage, salad & fries for Rich.

Lots of hotels, shops & restaurants. This hotel is particularly stunning and you could visit inside.

Leaving our hotel in Carcassonne.

Back on the Canal du Midi

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Villages on the hillsides along the way. Some of the boats are very nicely decorated.

Rough surface and strong headwinds.

Stopped for coffee here at Homps on the canal.

Arrived at Le Somail, our destination for the day. 62 Kms today with headwinds all the way.The convenience store is on this boat.

It’s a quaint little village on the canal.

Cycling between the canal on one side and vineyards on the other.

Found a lovely restaurant nearby. Salad & pizza. Made it back to our little cottage beside the main building before the rain started.

Cobblestones over the bridge.

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Excellent riding in this section. Lots of boats, Many are rentals.

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This is our accommodation for the night. Bikes are securely stored in the bike garage. No internet here.

Back to the Canal du Midi.

STORMY NIGHT!

Thunder, lightning, heavy rain & windy last night. Lost power. Water came pouring in under our door. Picked everything up off the floor and put towels under the door. Luckily rain stopped before we started riding.

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Bumpy cobblestones!

Gravel isn’t too bad considering the heavy rain last night.

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Rich had Cuttlefish with potatoes. When we got back to our hotel we received an email that our train back to Bordeaux was cancelled due to a landslide. Spent a couple hours on Trainline figuring out how to get back to Bordeaux in time to return bikes and catch our train to Paris. Had to give up our last day of cycling in order to take 4 trains back to Bordeaux😢

Dolly had the salmon & scallops with a potato/cheese dish, cabbage and puréed carrots. We had a lovely local Chardonnay.

Checked in to our hotel in Agde and off to find goodies for ‘Happy Hour’

Riding by Beziers.

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Vineyards at Ouveillan.

Check out the guy on the boat cheering Dolly on!

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Our front desk clerk recommended this barge restaurant. It was wonderful. Amazing salad!

Checking out our route into Agde,

Lots of vineyards and some olive groves along the way,

Crossing the bridge near our hotel.

Boats travelling through Tunnel de Malpas, built in 1679. World’s first canal tunnel. 173 metres.

Picked up a salad and sandwich for lunch. Weather is very pleasant.

Waiting for the train.

Got on the train carriage with the big bike symbol so that bikes could be securely loaded.

No elevator at this train station! I carried the four panniers up the stairs and Rich carried the bikes up one at a time.

Rode around a bit in familiar territory from when we were in Toulouse several days ago.

After a quick change to the second train we are now in Toulouse for a couple hours before the next train.

After 4 trains and riding to our hotel we are happy to have arrived back in Bordeaux before dark and before the rain started. Picked up a bottle of Bordeaux wine!

Taking bikes out of the hotel bike garage. Will ride to the train station to catch the first of 4 trains to Bordeaux.

Cité de Vin (Wine Museum)

Quai de Bacalan

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Gardin Public

Leaving the hotel we booked when we found out that we had to return to Bordeaux a day earlier because our original train was cancelled. We will check in to the Ibis after 2:00.

Cycling on the Quai Richelieu.

Beautiful ride along the Quai

Bourse Maritime

It’s a beautiful day to cycle around this very cycle-friendly city.

Monument aux Girondins

Miroir d’Eau (Water Mirror)

Back to the Miroir d’Eau and the reflection is much better now!

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Making our way to check-in at the Ibis. We will unload the panniers and handlebar bags then cycle to the bike rental shop to return the bikes.

Bikes are returned and we will take the tram back to the hotel. Great day! Still somewhat disappointed that we had to miss the final day of cycling along the Mediterranean but apparently landslides causing train delays is not uncommon here. Bikes were returned as scheduled and we are able to catch our booked train tomorrow to Paris, then Eurostar to London.

We were thrilled with the 600 Kms of riding on this cycling adventure. Rental bikes from Velocé were great. No flat tires or maintenance issues. Overall weather was good with very little rain while riding; some wind and rough riding surfaces.