Unexcused Absences

“Of all the methods of travelling I have ever tried this is the pleasantest. I walk the greater part of the way along the banks of the canal, level, and lined with a double row of trees which furnish shade. When fatigued I take seat in my carriage where, as much at ease as if in my study, I read, write, or observe.”

-Thomas Jefferson, from a letter written as he traveled in France via the Canal du Midi in 1787

Footpath along the Canal du Midi

The canal life soothingly immerses one in gently moving water. While the modern world outside the canals is markedly different since Thomas Jefferson voyaged on the waters of the Canal du Midi, this “pleasantest method of travel” remains nearly unchanged — perhaps even more appealing today than 200 years ago.

Lock mechanism

Our travel along the canal, although powered by diesel rather than by horses, proceeds at the same pace as Thomas Jefferson’s voyage. We accomplish our movements through the locks by hand, operating mechanical gears covered with decades of grease and employing huge levers. The locks use only the powers of water and gravity to move us up and down, carrying our boat as they have countless others for nearly 400 years. We proceed at a pace in tune with our DNA, much slower than modern technology permits but at a speed our bodies understand. We don’t get anywhere quickly at 5 mph.

Night in port

In order to procure supplies or visit the sights of interest, we walk or ride our bicycles. Riding in the cool evening air through the streets on the way to a concert or a restaurant reminds me of college life. When did we start driving everywhere in the evenings? When on land, we move only under our own power; life is simultaneously less and more complicated. We always find a place to park right in the center of town but can only fit so many groceries on Après Ski!

The market in Narbonne

With a refrigerator the size of a large handbag and a pantry only slightly bigger, we eat what is local, fresh and seasonal. Eating also means learning about different local specialities: prunes of Agen, delicate white lingot beans from Castelnaudary, Charolais beef of Bourgogne, fleur-de-sel salt from the Camargue. Regional distinction gives each day a sense of immediacy without creating the anxiety to accomplish which so often accompanies a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Yes, it’s sad when we can no longer find Le Castelou cheese, but a Salers or a cabicou of chèvre appears, taking its place in our routine. Not only do regions change, but during our voyage the season also wanes. Buttercups give way to poppies in the fields, and at the markets strawberries give way to melons which in turn are replaced by peaches and cherries, then grapes and apples. Day to day life changes subtly, but individual days two weeks apart are remarkably different.

Countryside near Sancerre

Carcassone

Traveling at the pace of a brisk walk, we explore French history unfolding in the landscape around us. We travel between châteaux, historical industrial sites, engineering projects, monuments and artistic endeavors at the pace of their builders. We can’t visit four major châteaux in a day because people 500 years ago couldn’t either. We piece together threads; Louis IX, Henry IV, the Capet family, the Guise family, the Dukes of Burgundy and Anjou, slowly untangling the Henrys, the multiple kings named Louis, and all the Marguerites of Bourgogne.

Each day is a distinct segment of travel, a shade different from the day before and the day after. Subtle differences in season, local flavor and history weave the rich tapestry of our voyage. The “pleasantest method of travel,” indeed.