Myownpathfinder: Day trip to Beziers

Our local social centre has a French language course that I've been attending for the past two and half years. Lately, after two volunteer teachers left and another one came in, the course is more of a social thing. Rather than learning the grammar and vocabulary, we tend to just have discussions, go for walks or do day trips to nearby places.
This latest one was a trip to Beziers and instead of the normal numerous gatherings, only three of us went this time. Which actually wasn't a bad thing at all. We walked a lot and got way more done than you would with a bigger group.

The main destination for the day was the Fonserannes Locks, a flights of 9 staircase locks on Canal du Midi, now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

'It consists of eight ovoid-shaped (characteristic of the Canal du Midi) lock chambers and nine gates, which allow boats to be raised a height of 21.5 m (71 ft) in a distance of 300 m (980 ft). The flight was originally built as an 8-rise, which together with the ninth lock (the écluse de Notre-Dame, 710 metres (0.44 mi) to the north-east) allowed boats to cross the Orb river on a level and reenter the canal further downstream. The "9 locks" name dates from this time.' (from Wikipedia)

Apparently one of the oldest canals still in use in Europe!

We spent a good long while admiring and observing this marvellous piece of work. It was fascinating! I'd definitely like to do one of these boating holidays one time - talking about taking it slowly and just relaxing.

The boats are almost ready to move into the next chamber.

And after several locks and a good, looong while, the boats set off again onwards on the Canal du Midi.

View from the canal into Beziers old town and the cathedral.

After the canl bit we walked back into town and cross the brigde to get the car and onto the next attraction.

Which was the tunnel of Malpas, built in 1680, by Pierre-Paul Riquet, and it is the first navigable tunnel passed through a mountain.

This tunnel makes it possible to boat your way from Atlantic to Mediterranean.

Next on to the Oppidum of Enserune, a fortified Gaul village, dating back to 6th century BC. By this time the sun had finally come out properly, so the views were fantastic.

And from the hill you get also a great view to a place I've wanted to see for a long time; Etang de Montady, the dried lake of Montady. I just didn't realise we were going to come here until I clapped my eyes on it. Just goes to show I'm away with the fairies the best part of the time!

Again, Wikipedia explains it better than I could:

The Étang de Montady, the "pond of Montady", is a drained "lagoon" or more accurately a former freshwater wetland that is popularly said to have been "constructed by the Visigoths" but was realised by monks during the second half of the 13th century, under authorization of the archbishop of Narbonne^,The Étang de Montady is near Colombiers, midway between Béziers and Narbonne, in the western department of Hérault, in southern France.
The area was drained by making radial ditches from a single center point out to the extremities. The water flows to this center point and is then drained through an underground culvert and through the Malpas hill and under the Malpas Tunnel of the Canal du Midi. The field plots are of a triangular configuration due to the radial lines from the center.
The fact that the drain for Montady went through Malpas encouraged Pierre-Paul Riquet, the designer of the Canal du Midi, that he could build a tunnel through the same hill for his canal.

Afterwards, in a nearby giftshop-cafe place we could see a mini model of the said area. And here we are; the three tunnels, one on top of the other. Quite a feat of engineering. How they did it, is beyond me.