September 13, 2022 Short day today arrived at Colombiers about 1:30. Took 245 photos along the route, posting 38 of them. Highlight of the day was going through the long tunnel, then mooring and walking back through it.

Morning reflections

A gray overcast day.

The answer to yesterday’s question. In order to reach the shore power outlet we had to turn the boat around, which means we have to turn it around again the morning when we leave this morning. Thank goodness we have Jeff at the helm because he always makes these maneuvers look so easy even when they aren’t. We have a 14.95 meter long boat and and the wind can really affect how it handles.

It is needed because there are boats that are obviously exceeding 8 K/M.

A great way to experience the canal.

Now that is a house boat.

We very seldom see rip rap along the sides.

Sometimes the canal is narrow and other times like now, it is very wide.

Some boats demand that you take a photo.

Where people did their laundry in days gone past.

From vineyard to winery.

Grape harvester.

With the trailer following

Low bridge

Closeup of the stone and brick work of the bridge.

Another interesting boat.

Tunnel ahead

sound horn before entering.

Tunnel interior. I could have written, the light at the end of the tunnel, but I didn’t.

Black raspberries.

Everyone loves a tunnel.

I am going to walk that way.

It is very steep climb at the other end of the tunnel to get to the top.

However, the views are worth it.

the Romans erected mileage markers on their roads. This is one of them.

Their is more to the tunnel than meets the eye. There is a road on top, then the Canal du Midi tunnel. Below the canal tunnel is a railroad tunnel and below that tunnel is a water tunnel.

Sometimes our boarding plank is just long enough.

Sightseeing boat that was going very fast with a large bank eroding wave.

If you reach out to touch always remember to duck.

Moored for the afternoon and night.

Nothing like a photo of a sign to document where we stayed.

By evening all the spaces were filled.

Happy hour.

The mains. Both courses were fish.

Dessert. What a difference a night makes. The previous night was one of the worst meals I have ever had in France, while tonight i had one of the best. C’est la vie.

September 12, 2022 This morning we traversed Canal de la Robine and Canal de Jonction before once again turning onto Canal du Midi. Once on Canal du Midi we have some 40 kilometers to sail on before encountering the set of locks.

Morning reflections.

It really is real.

Almost like entering another dimension.

It looks just as awesome on the return trip.

The day’s first duck.

Traveling a short distance on the Aude River.

What’s not to like about a trip on the canal.

Drydocked and refurbished. It looked like they were getting ready to refloat it today. Unfortunately we could stay a watch as we had miles to go before we sleep.

Traffic light at a lock.

This lock was so deep it had pipes for the lines.

How they work.

Proof you can teach new sailors old tricks.

The cleats on the four corners of the boat anchor the lines.

There are little things wrong the boat, this is one of them. The cleat was broken when we took rented of the boat. I makes it harder to tie off the line at times.

Our journey will take us beyond Beziers.

Grapes, grapes and more grapes along today’s route.

No people with baskets picking these grapes for wine..

Entrepreneur alongside the canal. Unfortunately we didn’t stop

Where you are sitting sometimes determines whether or not you need to duck.

Note the smashed grill on this boat.

Aqueduct and overflow with towpath from the late 1600’s.

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Our stopping place for the night appears in the distance.

yes, it is the right place.

Our spot for the night. Note the direction we are facing versus the boat in front of us. So who is going the wrong way? Tune in tomorrow to find out.

This local winemaker was having a free tasting. I really liked his viognier, admitting it was better than the last one I made, though I think my first batch was just as good as his. Had to buy a bottle as the wife also really liked it, but most of it is mine to drink, babe.

Palm to face! I took a photo of the truck rather than the electric motorcycles they were displaying. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you’re an idiot.

Local beer before dinner.

Dessert. Unfortunately other than the 9 raw oysters for the appetizer, what came after that and before this dessert wasn’t nearly as good.. Can’t win them all.

September 11, 2022 Spent the morning in Narbonne then left about 2 PM and traveled approximately 4.5 kilometers up the canal to a lock where we moored for the night.

Morning reflection in the canal

Some 100 years ago there was a large laundry built over canal directly behind us next to the lock.

Sunday morning breakfast of bacon and eggs enjoyed by our shipmates while we walked around the old city area.

Expresso machines in a shop window.

Yesterday afternoon this street was packed with people, early Sunday morning it nearly deserted.

Too early for the shoppers to come out.

A great idea on how to use an old chair seen in front of a flower shop.

Old city area architecture.

Typical street in the old city area.

The place to get your poodle coiffured.

The sign says it all. If you can read French, which i can not.

We were lost for a time in the maze of tiny narrow streets, then suddenly there was the cathedral in front of us.

The back of the cathedral offers distinctively different views from the front.

It is hard to get it all in a photo.

Trying for a natural frame.

Interesting style.

The transept back here was never finished.

This was not supposed to be a bird photo, but these pigeons just had to fly in and land to get in the photo.

Don’t get too excited about another gargoyle gallery. This cathedral had a very poor selection of gargoyles. This one is obviously a dog.

This one resembles a cat and was the next one over from the dog.

A person with an iron collar maybe?

A hound with its head broken off?

Another animal with its head missing. That is all the gargoyles I could see that were worth photographing.

When you wander you never know what you will stumble across.

Back on board the boat, an aperitif to salute the day.

Leaving Narbonne.

Bridge under a bridge above a walkway beside a canal.

No problem with where to go.

Giving the Capt. time away from the wheel.

The night’s mooring alongside the canal near a lock.

A nice quiet, shady spot.

Here the water level was a little above normal.

Our meal was fixed aboard the boat.

Good food, good friends, good times.

And we even had ice cream for dessert.

The mooring even had a guard cat.

September 10, 2022 A very slow lazy day of travel off Canal du Midi on two other canals to the town of Narbonne. Once we turned off the Canal du Midi we never saw another boat during our entire trip to Narbonne, plus all the locks were automatic with no lockkeepers. The downside was that it was another very hot day, the excessive heat in Europe continues.

As always, reflection start the day.

So calm and peaceful in the early morning.

Picture perfect.

The grocery boat.

Shortly before I took this photo of the three geese alongside our boat, a couple with a small dog walked past. The dog turned towards the geese and let a bark. Bad move, One of the geese immediately went into attack mode, stretching out its neck at the dog while honking and hissing. It was so fascinating to watch that I never thought to take any photos. My Bad!

Our paths crossed in the early morn.

Old and new.

The first of our “ducks” during the day.

Our first of many locks during the day.

The control box, same as before.

An empty lock does not fill gently.

The locks were close together.

Our boat slowly entering a lock. How calm it is compared to the roiling rushing water as the lock was filling.

Jeff and his lookout. He is a master at handling the boat, never bumping into the sides of the lock as he enters or leaves.

View from the bow of the boat as we enter a lock.

Much of the day was like this.

Bird photos two days in a row?

The roots of long gone plane trees line the bank in many places.

How sad all the trees have had to of been cut down due to disease.

More stumps.

Interesting bridge.

The remains of a building alongside the canal at the edge of a field of grapes.

pretty plant with grapes growing in the background. Along the canal there were huge fields of grapes that extended for many kilometers.

Capt. Jeff, the former Naval officer, has taught us how to properly coil our mooring lines.

She’s never met a flower she didn’t want to photograph.

Cathedral

No doubt what the name of this city is.

Remains of a Roman road.

A pretty sculpture.

This 10K race literally went right next to where we had the boat moored.

One of the many runners that we cheered for as the passed by the boat.

September 9, 2022 A long hot day on the canal.

RV’s parked overnight as seen from our cabin window where we were moored in a marina at Homps. This section had no shore power hookups, but once again our generator worked all night to provide the current needed to power all medical devices used overnight onboard.

It is actually over 100 years old, but it has been completely restored and modernized by its proud owners.

Reflections on the good Life.

Reflections of modern life.

What can I say, I like to take images with reflections in them.

This hotel boat took up the entire lock and caused us to wait a half hour for it to arrive and pass through the lock.

For quite some time, i.e. quite a few locks, we had three boats in the lock each time. Finally the other two boats sped up and we were left behind which meant easier locking for us.

Exiting a lock with the other two boats in it. Depending on the size of the boats in a lock there is a certain order in which they have to enter and exit.

In this section of the canal the water level appeared to be about 4 to 6 inches lower than normal.

Lunch is ready.

lunch is being eaten while moored along the canal while the lockkeepers are on their lunch break.

Hard working but happy, deckhands.

Lockkeepers garden.

12th century chateau.

Another view of the chateau.

Every trip I do a bird photo, this is the one for this trip.

Houseboat

A very nice houseboat.

The electrical outlet in our bedroom is up at ceiling level. The weight of all the plugs and cords tends to pull everything downward. You can see my solution to the problem.

A better photograph of what The previous photo was showing. The surface is on the bed being charged. Phone hotspot is on top of the cabinet where my hearing aid charger is also sitting.

At times today the canal was right alongside a fairly heavily travel road.

Photographing the photographer.

Selfie.

It was very hot and tiring today, so a few moments of rest was very welcome.

A very pretty, but also very low bridge ahead.

It was indeed very low, but also very pretty.

We moored along the bank tonight, very near the grocery boat.

This Citroen was parked near the boat.

The grocery boat. But it sells more than groceries, so it could also be called the beer and wine boat. This is a local beer and I was told it was very dark and very strong, making it just my preferred kind of beer.

These folks were selling hot dogs in a baguette. The baguette is cut in half, a hole cut from the cut end to the unsut end and the hot dog inserted into it. Sorry, but no photo. Still is was another good day on the canal.