Today we start our trip back down (or up?) the Canal Midi. We are planning to take it a bit slower and enjoy the view! Must say, it is difiicult to not take the Canal Midi slowly, fast walkers can walk faster than us, max 8 km/hour. Locks only open at 9 am, so it's no use starting early, close at 6 pm. And of course, lunch, 12.30 to 1.30, when all locks are closed. So it's a gentle cruise with no stress. Do not do the Canal Midi if you are in a hurry, or do not like locks, is my advice. Do like the English couple in the boat next to us in Toulouse. They found a boat, thought it would be fun to do the Canal Midi, and for the last 3 summers, have just cruised up and down the canal. Beautiful and wonderful as it is, I am satisfied with the return journey we are doing.
Leaving Toulouse. It takes almost an hour to leave the city. The Canal is lined with barges, most of them uninhabited. Maybe the owners come for the summer. Some are quite well looked after, but most are in quite a sorry state.
Leaving the city by means of aqueduct over the motorway
View from Lellebelle while crossing the motorway on the aqueduct.
Toulouse is known for the European space centre and the Arian space rockets
And the Airbus assembly plant. We pass close to one the Airbus and Intespace plants.
Some more photos of the barges alongside the Canal.
First boat we meet today. Is that Bart Simpson?
Very colourful in any case.
Second lock, automatic. The gates refuse to close. Not my fault this time, I "appuyed", that is I pressed all the right buttons, that is knobs, but the gates did not close. Ok. So now I have to call the lock keeper and explain that there is a problem ( think French, uuuun prrobleem). Fortunately a energetic youngish Frenchman doing his stretching exercises after a jog, came to my assistance. They are very chivalrous, the French, does not matter that a woman is over 60! I asked him to call the lock keeper, which he did and " j'arrive" in 10 minutes. And she did. A really friendly woman with a dog ( rescue dog, she told us) arrived and closed the gates. She asked where we were going and just for fun we said, Sweden. In That Boat? We have heard that so often. We have gone far " in that boat"!
The photo is of the lock, the lockkepper and her rescue dog.
One of the many wonderful bridges we pass under. We have read that Monsieur Riquet constructed these bridges of bricks from Toulouse because there was no quarry nearby. The three bridges, Deyme, Donneville and Montgiscard are still in place today. However, during the battle of Toulouse in 1814, General Sault, blew up these bridges to protect his retreating troops. The bridges were restored in 1821.
After a whole day of less than 8 km/hour, locks and lunch breaks we have arrived at this place, Port-Lauragais. Here I found a horse with spots on the hindquarters. We saw a horse like this in Toulouse this morning.
Port-Lauragais is a tourist complex and truck stop. The tourist office is closed untill May.
So is the Capitainerie meaning we could enjoy free mooring and electricity. We have learnt the rental boat mooring technique. Stern to and tie as hard as you dare against the jetty with a few fenders I between. Works very well in calm waters.
Second night with lamb chops and salad, to bed early.
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