Le Mas d’Agenais To Buzet du Baise

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Another sweltering hot day awaited us as we cruised further east on the canal. The most important activity was finding shade if one wanted to be topside on the barge. The salon and bedrooms are air conditioned and delightfully cool.

We’re now 107 kms south east of Bordeaux

With four hours of sailing scheduled before lunch some of us decided to brave the heat and cycle along the towpath.

Cycling ahead allowed for bridge shots as the barge approached.

More quiet time – everyone is deep into a book delighting in the opportunity to simply relax and read. Holly, our server/sommelier, is amazing and keeps everyone hydrated (well, yes, some beverages do contain alcohol).

Pity this can’t be accessed in North America.

After lunch we were transported to the historical birthplace of the water lily in the small town Le Temple-Sur-Lot, 25 minutes away. The nursery was created in 1875 by Joseph Latour-Marliac, a French botanist searching for a way to genetically combine tropical and hardy lily species. He succeeded and grew his collection successfully enough that at the 1989 Paris World Fair (the same place/time as the Eiffel Tower was unveiled) the lily exhibition was a resounding success.

Of equal historical importance was that Claude Monet saw the exhibit and ordered a quantity for his pond at Giverny. Water lilies became the subject of his more than 200 paintings and in effect, his signature landscape.

The temperature during our visit was 38C (100.4 F) which meant both visitor and plants alike wilted. The gardens will likely be in full bloom in the coming weeks.

There are 65 cultivation pools containing over 300 varieties of water lilies.

Latour-Marliac was also one of the foremost experts on bamboo in Europe and he imported various varieties to the nursery. Some grow more than a metre PER DAY.