The weather prospects for France up to our planned departure were a bit grim.. with some sun showing in the Perpignan area, so we headed for Narbonne.This lies at the end of the wonderful Canal du Midi, so one of the trips out was to nearby Beziers where there is a seven-lock flight with beautiful views back to the city! We saw a pair of boats ascend it (in pouring rain, of course!)
Narbonne itself is an impressive place. It claims to be the most eco-friendly city in France, and is proud of its history - particularly as the centre of protests by the suffering wine workers early in the 20th century. These days things are not so bad in the wine business and we were struck by how much more in bloom the vines were here in contrast with the Bordeaux region we had left.
An impressive indoor market is open every morning
