Tuesday, May 30 – Canal du Midi: Villefranche du Lauragais to Port Lauragais
Fearing rain, we headed out at 9am – too soon as we were really enjoying our conversations with Catherine and Dominique, not to mention the freshly made breakfast crêpes and homemade jams! Nonetheless onward we trudged. In a few hours we arrived at Port Lauragais, past our evening destination, but a lovely place to eat lunch and learn more about the Canal du Midi.
While Dave focused on the Canal’s technological wonders, I learned about the production of the indelible blue dye that is used unsparingly on shutters, doors, and fences in the Lauragais region. Isatis tinctoria (pastel in French and woad in English), is the biennial plant from which the dye is obtained. Pastel plant leaves were harvested up to six times per year over the two years of the plant’s life. Taken to a pastelier mill, they were crushed, drained, dried for several months, and then molded by hand into balls. Once dry, the balls were ground into powder and poured into a tiled vat. Timely additions of urine and stagnant water accelerated the process. The smelly paste was turned 2x per week with a shovel. The resulting dark gray-blue material was bathed several times in water, turning first yellow, then green, then blue. And voilà! Take another look at the view from our picnic site on Day 3 below. The unmistakable color appears throughout the region creating a truly charming color palette.
In Avignonet Lauragais, Luis, a stained-glass artisan from Valencia, Spain, welcomed us to his home, studio, and guest apartment, and we settled in for the evening.
Luis.
The very large living area/dining area/bedroom.
Cool kitchen with a washing machine. We really came to appreciate these!
Lovely terrace where we dined.
The view from the garden. Magnifique!
After dinner Luis gave us a tour of his workshop, and we met his partner, David. A truly delightful couple!
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