The Canal du Midi winds its way through the south of France, from Sète on the Mediterranean to Toulouse, as if it were a natural river, right through the land of the Cathars. Ancient plane trees provide shade for leisure boaters, cyclists, and locals. They are and remain independent-minded by tradition, friendly, proud, and quirky. The Romans were here, as were the Goths, the Saracens, Charlemagne, and Catherine de Medici. Troubadours traveled from castle to castle, founding European poetry. A stroll through the old, beautiful cultural landscape of the Midi.