Two Weeks in a Barge on the Canal du Midi - Another "Bucket List" Item Ticked Off!

At the helm, with my lookout, Karen J.

Our route - 308 km on the Canal du Midi and the Canal du Rhone a Sete in southern France, from Negra (near Toulouse) to as far east as Lattes and Aigues Mortes (near Montpellier), with 57 locks. We took 14 days; you can drive from Toulouse to Montpellier in less than 3 hours!

Our barge - the good ship Homps, a 15m Penichette with a flying bridge,

The spacious interior of Homps, including four double-berth cabins, each with en suite.

The crew - Karleen and George from Portland (OR) and Karen, Mal, Johno and me, from Rarotonga.

We soon settled into cruise mode.

And into a (sort of!) routine at the locks etc.

Karleen was a very able "Second Mate" to "Captain George", a borne helmsman.

Karen was a great rope handler and runner on shore, while Mal ensured the bow was always in the right place.

Once a friendly lock keeper had told me to "look at the sky", I managed to improved my skill at unlooping the aft line (rope) from the bollard. 

There were so many highlights it is difficult to decide which ones to describe - briefly!

The breathtaking scenery…..

Uplocking, and downlocking…..

Having time for contemplation…..

The wonderful food - in this case cassoulet - and wine…..

The companionship - here we are celebrating Karleen's birthday.

History - the fortified city of Carcassonne.

One of the many quirky places to buy the daily baguettes and croissants.

The Malpas tunnel - Europe's first navigable canal tunnel, excavated in 1679.

Charades, Karen style….

The staircase of 6 locks - écluse de Fonserannes.

The locks raise boats a height of 21.5 metres over a distance of 300 metres.

"Crashing" a birthday party at a local restaurant.

The night lights - as well as the night life!

Pink Flamingoes on The Camargue.

Knowing my kotuku was never far away….

Running with the bulls at Aigues-Mortes - we were just spectators!

Our end-of-cruise dinner - with considerable sadness.

And the lowlights? None, unless you count…..

Mal buying a supply of pate, and eating it - only to realise later that it was cat food! Meow!!

Having the "official" Au Revoir photo taken.

Saying farewell to our fellow bargees.