Merging streams

After sitting on trains all day yesterday I needed some exercise, so I set off this morning to follow the canal that runs outside my apartment. I chose to go South because I was hoping to see some flamingos closer to the sea and Google Maps shows some big blue areas about 12km away.

Once I got clear of Narbonne it was a lovely walk. The canal to my right, fields to my left. Fishes were jumping and there were hardly any people about. Being beside the canal meant there were no hills and it was impossible to get lost.

I saw lots of cranes and wading birds but no flamingos. What the map showed as open water, proved to be rice paddies and fields. I did see lots of snails.

I stopped by a lock to eat the croissant I’d bought on my way out of Narbonne and phone Skye, and then it was all about retracing my steps. By now the Sun was up and there were swallows diving on insects over the canal and rustling sounds as my footsteps scared lizards back into the undergrowth.

All up it was a very pleasant 24km although I had to wait until I got back to Narbonne for a coffee as one thing the canal lacked was any villages to stop in.

I’m just about to set off to meet Jennifer at the railway station. So this evening our stories merge again.