Arriving on the Anjodi

Our next destination was the Canal du Midi and a trip on a hotel barge the Anjodi.  The Anjodi was built was a barge in the 1920's and later refurbished into a luxury hotel barge.

The cruise was magnificent. Definately the highlight of the trip and an awesome way to celebrate my birthday.

The Canal du Midi is the most beautiful of the canals in France.  It is lined with plane trees that form a green canopy over the canal.  We spent 6 nights on the Anjodi.  8 passengers, 4 crew and 6 bicycles to use whenever you like.  And, a Jacuzzi on the deck.  The boat travels at about 8 kms an hour so you can get off and on the boat whenever you wish and walk or ride along the tow path.  Colin rode 10kms one day and a shorter distance on another occasion.

Every day we got off the boat, usually in the morning and visited nearby towns and villages.  Our first excursion was to Minerve a medieval hilltop village, the ancient of the Minervois which boasts a 12^th century Cathar fort surrounded by deep limestone gorges.  The fort is now almost gone, only a tower remains.  We walked up all the steep steps and paths and the views were awesome.  We then walked right to the bottom and walked along the dry river bed and through a gigantic tunnel or cave where the river goes.  It was hard work.  The river bed is full of boulders.

Minerve

Minerve