Walk on a Winter's Day

Afternoon light along the Aude banks

With apologies to the Mamas and Papas...I am not California Dreamin';  I am Carcassonne rambling.  After church this morning, I desperately needed to stretch my legs.  The ten-minute walk home just wasn't enough, so I packed a sandwich, made a pot of coffee to put into my new thermos, put on my Occitan hoodie and set off.  I wasn't exactly sure where I was going; I knew it was going to be along one of our bodies of water.  The Aude won out.

Mirror-like Aude

Aude is calm

Today was extraordinary.  NO WIND, and temperatures in the 60's made it ideal for a long walk.  I set off with my camera determined to be one hour out and one hour back.  You know what they say about the road to hell.  Maybe if I hadn't had my camera along, I might have covered more ground.  

Cormorants and their reflections

I headed east along the Aude, a route I have never before taken. The gravel path is well marked and maintained, although I found myself very quickly out in the country once I passed the stadium.  The Aude was like a mirror.  I have never seen it so reflective.  A pair of cormorants drying in the sun captured the attention of several of us as we marched down the path.  The bare trees afforded me great views of the river.  I encountered few other walkers or bikers, but I never felt isolated or edgy.  I found a flat rock for my picnic, one walker wished me "bon appetit" as he passed by.   I feel eminently safe here, even walking alone out in the countryside along the riverbank.  

My picnic "bench"

Winter reflections east of the city

Given that I walk about a 20 minute mile, I figure I covered about 1.5 miles each way.    Not bad for a ramble.  Next time, I will start earlier in the day and keep exploring this river I love. 

Downstream from the spillway

I came across a spillway and old equipment

A closer look