We picked up the boat (named Bages) from the lock called Negra (We had originally thought it was a town), just south of Toulouse. Luckily we had bought essential supplies in Toulouse for the first night’s dinner (ie. a packet of spaghetti and a tin of tomatoes also the onions and carrots we had brought with us from Venice), as there were no shops in Negra, just the boat company and the lock. We took the boat, and headed of to our first lock, first of 80 odd in the journey south towards the Mediterranean sea. We ran into a few walls and luckily the first lock keeper spoke English and was very nice and helpful, as we really had no idea what we were doing! The following seven days consisted of 17th century locks, pretty country side, bridges decked out with planter boxes with wonderful flowers, the occasional grumpy lock keeper when we ran our boat into the gates, clichéd French villages with chateaus and castles straight out of Las Vegas (in fact at times it felt like we were on a amusement park ride straight out of something like France World!). We ate baguettes, foi gras, cassoulet, black pig sausage, numerous different cheeses (including the fromage blanc which turns out to be yoghurt!) all washed down with French wine. By the end of the trip we were called Monsieur and madam Bages!
We are now back in Toulouse, and fly out to Marrakesh tomorrow. Possibly no quite as relaxing as our days on the languid cannel.
Typical spot where we spent the nights and our boat Bages
One of the stranger lock keepers houses
The post of Carcassonne at night
The old Cite of Carcassone with the witches castle!
View of central Carcassonne
One of the may locks we went through
The port of a little town called Trebes
The helm and captain!
Typical stretch of the canal
First night celebrating going through our first locks
Ben controlling the boat in the lock
Carcassonne's old cite at night
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