Another flat day of riding along the Le Canal des 2 Mers cycle way, with a side excursion to Auvillar to check out one of ‘Les Beaux Villages’ in France. Again the forecast for the day was for a stinking hot day, but we started at least with a shady route along the canal, after checking out the port at Agen and heading out of town. The facilities along the way are fantastic - more for the tourist in the canal boats than for cyclists I suspect, but they are shared. A ‘dry’ toilet with plants growing on the roof, a decommissioned abattoir turned into a place for showers, meals and toilets are among some of the highlights today. As usual, it was a lovely ride even as the heat of the day mounted. We again rode past huge areas of kiwi fruit production, many under nets. We did see in the distance the cooling towers of the Golfech nuclear power station. Residents nearby will no doubt be reassured by the action of EDF, the power plant operator: “An information campaign, as well as a preventive distribution campaign for iodine tablets, are being launched to benefit all residents who live next to nineteen French nuclear power plants, within a 10 to 20 km radius,” stated the French Nuclear Safety Authority. Since 3 June, the persons concerned have been receiving an information letter, while iodine tablets will be distributed in September, or rather, those eligible will receive a voucher to pick up their tablets at a pharmacy. Taking potassium iodide tablets saturates the thyroid with iodine, avoiding any contamination by radioactive iodine, which is one of the most common effluents in the event of a nuclear accident.” Our detour today was to Auvillar. A stop on the paths of St Jacques de Compostelle, the former Gallo-Roman oppidum dominates the valley of the Garonne. First known as Alta Villa, Auvillar was an oppidum set on a rocky outcrop. It suffered many invasions, especially Norman until the eleventh century. In the twelfth century, the city became the capital and property of the Count of Armagnac. In the sixteenth century it became part of Navarre. Auvillar became attached to the crown of France after the crowning of Henri IV in 1589. It was subjected to many conflicts in the region, from the Crusade against the Albigensians, the Hundred Years' War, the wars of religion and the Catholic League. In the seventeenth to the nineteenth century Auvillar owed its prosperity to two industries, pottery (the plant was located at a place called Lance), and the preparation of pens of goose feathers used in calligraphy. After our detour, and an early lunch overlooking the Garonne valley, it was time to head onwards and eastwards to Moissac. Moissac is famous for its abbey and cloister, listed here as the oldest in the world. Historical records indicate that it was founded by Saint Didier, bishop of Cahors, in the middle of the 7th century. The establishment of the monastery was difficult because of raids by Moors from the south and west and the Norsemen from the north. The abbey was sacked by the Arabs of al-Andalus twice around 732 and was looted in the 9th century by Norman pirates and in the 10th century by Hungarians. The 11th and 12th centuries were the first golden age, as Moissac was affiliated to the abbey of Cluny and accepted the Cluniac Reforms. Papal support, and its location on the pilgrim road made the abbey one of the most powerful in France. In 1793, the French Revolution put an end to monastic life in Moissac. The abbey church of St Pierre is relatively intact and is still an active church, but the outlying buildings have suffered considerably. In the middle of the 19th century, the laying of a railway track threatened the cloister but it was saved (though the refectory was demolished to facilitate the railway cutting) and listed as a historic monument. Since 1998 the church and cloisters have had international protection as part of a World Heritage Site, "Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France". The town itself is long and thin, jammed between rivers, canal, rail lines and main roads, but has some interesting areas. A large part of the town was destroyed in floods in 1930 (6000 out of 7000 inhabitants made homeless, 120 perished), leaving a heritage in the rebuilt areas of art deco. To aid in the recovery, donations were received from far afield places including Morocco, which lead to North African styled houses being built in one area. They are very attractive. Of course, on a sunny day, the boats and canal are interesting places to visit too. The Tarn River flows just south of the Garonne canal, for us a re-acquaintance. There are many waterways in this area, the canal to the nuclear power station is huge and wide too, much more industrial in appearance than the shady and recreational Garonne canal.