A short 19km stage, with no mistake missing turns today. However, it wasn’t plain sailing. I have a swollen left ankle/shin, and not sure whether it is an allergic reaction or shin splints. Whatever, it was painful each time my left foot hit the ground.
I left through Carnon’s high rise flats, soon reaching the Sète to Rhône canal. It was pretty similar to yesterday’s walk, with L’Or lagoon on my left and the Mediterranean, out of site for the most part, on my right. There were also a number of birds and flamingos.
It started to rain soon after reaching the canal, first lightly, but gradually increasing in intensity, so soon the umbrella wasn’t enough. It lasted about an hour, but the break was short lived, as it soon rained again.
It was a bit stop and go, as I occasionally rested my foot. With the view finder on my camera working again, I also tried taking pictures of some birds that were flying overhead.
After about 11km, the landscape changed. The lagoon gave way to countryside. A few kilometers further and the canal crossed the Vidourle river and two massive flood gates. The river and canal were both very calm today. I spoke to a fisherman, rod fishing at the intersection. He’d caught some small fish which he’d thrown back in, and was still hoping for the big catch. (Note the hare on the picture below, and coloured birds sitting on the barbed wire, in the picture below that).
The canal banks changed form after the intersection, the banks being much greener with low bushers and shrubs. A tractor with a lawnmower attached was keeping the growth on the banks low.
The canal goes north of today’s destination, Aigues-Mortes, so I followed the a branch of the canal into the medieval town, with its main tower visible from some distance. My B&B was just across from the tower, soon it was easy to find.
I washed and took a stroll around the walled part of town, which was packed with tourists. The town dates back to 1240, and today Aigues-Mortes is a perfectly preserved Provençal town, a miniature fortress with ramparts and streets laid out in a grid. With 10 gates and 14 towers, including the 108-foot-high Tour de Constance, it feels very much like a smaller version of Carcassonne. Although it was once a major port, it is now marooned three miles from the sea. However, it does stand on four navigable canals including the Canal du Rhône à Sète, running north of the town.
The main streets within the walls were full of bars, restaurants, ice cream parlors and tourist shops. I walked in some of the other areas, where there was barely a tourist in sight. I was here in the early 90’s, and neither my wife or I remember it being particularly touristy back then. I visited the church and its super modern stain-glass windows.
I found a restaurant a bit away from the busiest streets. It opened at 7pm so I wandered around and called home, before returning at 7.15pm. I asked for a table, but the waiter told me they weren’t open today until 7.45pm. I didn’t want to wait that long and went to the Italian next door, which was very popular with the locals, as it soon filled up and about 60% of the guests knew each other and were dealing cheek kisses to the left and right (but not me!). They gave me a table if I promised to finish before 8.30pm, which I did. I walked back to the hotel through the lit up, and now largely empty, town.
Although my ankle had not gotten any better and it was clear it was not something I could walk off. It left me a little worried about tomorrows relatively long, but luckily last stage to St. Gilles.
