The Saint-Sernin sets off again in the late morning on the final stage of the cruise. A few kilometres along the way we have a curious experience : the canal we are sailing on takes the form of a grey-stoned canal bridge, enabling us to cross over the river Fresquel, a tributary of the Aude. Immediately after that, another quadruple lock awaits us. We take them in our stride now.
After this stretch, since it’s lunchtime and the lock keepers invariably shut up shop and never make exceptions to the mealtime break, we find a welcoming spot on the bank and pour an apéritif drink.

We sail past plane tree after plane tree, but they don’t meet in an archway above us as they did at the beginning of our cruise. Moreover, after the Villedubert lock there are more and more majestic pines and umbrella pines on the east bank, contrasting with the plane trees on the opposite side. The pines, bathed in sunlight, give the atmosphere a more Mediterranean air. We have the waterway all to ourselves, apart from the ducks, of course.

Crossing a small river by means of another canal bridge, we get a glimpse of an old town with its church in the distance : Trèbes. We arrive there after an old, narrow bridge and a few bends. We meet a boat filled with sightseeing tourists who wave enthusiastically in friendly greeting. Just ahead of our bow, a man in a canoe is paddling frantically to get out of the way. We are flabbergasted, but full of admiration! We tie up the boat and set out to explore. Rue Riquet beckons to us. It must be a sign! We thread our way through the narrow streets in the direction of Saint-Etienne church, which is recommended in the waterways guide provided by Locaboat. After passing some pretty houses with painted shutters and a small square where some children are playing, we find ourselves at the high, square-shaped, 13th century bell-tower whose bell has been chiming out the time from a height of 40 metres since the 16th century.

Inside, a surprising sight awaits us : 320 oak corbels, painted with human and animal portraits, support the beams of the entirely wooden nave. A real gem, dating from the 14th century, which was only discovered in 1977 because part of the false vaulted-ceiling collapsed the day before a wedding. Beautiful stained-glass windows light the chancel and a 16th century stone cross, sculpted by the journeymen of that period, bears witness to the piety of a French village.

The river Aude meanders round the other side of the town. One house-front bears the town coat-of-arms : around 1220 three ‘B’s replaced the original three mallets. For history buffs the allusion is of major significance. Could the town have been established by three master builders ?
The symbolic similarity between the ‘B’s and the mallets would seem to support the theory. However, I may be sticking my neck out a bit too far.

We set off again and, on leaving the town, we pass through a lock opposite a splendid old mill guarded by a solitary swan.