A blog about our trip to France in September 2023. Featuring Bernhard, Clare and Annie and meeting up with friends Christine and Jim on the Canal du Midi.
This blog will always show the latest entry on top and is in reverse order with the earliest entry at the end. We hope you enjoy our little trip.
Update (28th of April, 2024). I’m still attempting to finish this blog. I was enjoying myself so much during the trip, I didn’t keep the blog updated. I think I remember most of it (but there are already parts I’m forgetting) and so those parts that I remember, I’ll write up. I really wish I had location tracking turned on for my photos, it would have helped the memory a lot.
This trip was so good, I have to go again.
The last day was our most full on day; we really packed it in and could never have planned it.
An early start to the day with a bus ride to Montparnasse and breakfast at "Le Ciel de Paris" at the "Tour Montparnasse" (meh!).
By that I mean it was the worst food experience of the whole trip. The location was amazing with one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower and the "Parc du Champ de Mars".
But ...
I'm tired, but WE'RE IN PARIS. Yay!
Breakfast at the near by cafe.
We noticed many people going past with with shopping trolleys; was there a market nearby?
Market
Bed (for me) Clare and Annie went back to the market.
Up again.
WOW. I'm referring of course to the photo above, where we finished the day at the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. Magnificent meal, magnificent location and magnificent service. This place was incredible, and we undertook the peak holiday experience and also one of my personal bucket list items. I'd love to come here again.
Belondrade and the Quadruple lock of Castelnaudy
A Relaxing Doddle Day.
Today, we woke up and motored the last two kilometers to the last lock of the trip, the qaudruple lock into Castelnaudary. And it turned out to be pretty easy. Annie and Clare both stayed off the boat (after the first lock) and walked the bow and stern lines ...
Carcassone to Belondrade (just outside Castelnaudary)
It's early Thursday morning and Jim and Christine are heading off to the train station to catch a ride to Toulouse Airport and Greece.
20 Locks Today
We have the most locks to handle in one day for this whole trip and I'm concerned we will struggle. I was wrong. We did ...
Carcassonne
Last day with Jim and Christine, but we didn't see them that much which was a shame. Jim decided to stay on the boat, I think he was catching up on work, while Clare, Annie, Christine and I went to look at the old fortified city and castle of Carcassone. Once we got there, Christine decided to go off on her own.
Trebes to Carcassonne
A short trip into Carcassonne with only 7 locks. With yesterdays trip much longer than planned, that is, we stayed overnight at Trebes, todays trip was quite short and we ended up in Carcassonne by lunch and had a prime mooring spot just outside the docks facility building of showers, laundry and toilets, as can be ...
Argens-Minervois to Trebes
Oh my goodness; it's so humid!
Yes, super humid. The worst of the trip. It was so close, the cloud was on the ground and it felt like it was constantly drizzling, but it wasn't. The temperature was in the low 20's, so that was alright, but because of the humidity and dampness it was unbearable (for me ...
Capestang to Argens-Minervois
Dull, dull day; she is not a sunny day at all. Oh well.
Took off reasonably early and had a breakfast that was typical for the rest of the boat journey, which was Coffee, Croissants & Pain u Chocolait, which we ate as we sail along.
Immediately, we ventured under the lowest bridge on the ...
Not much to say about today, but a long drive down to the south of France.
Pretty hectic driving here. We mostly cruised at 130kmh on a very packed tollway.
The little Renault Megane we hired was not the most stable at that speed and didn't have a lot of power. I must admit that I was a little stressed and tired with this drive as ...
Today, we left early-ish, about 8:00-8:30am, and drove down to Basel in Switzerland. We had to hop into Germany for a few kays and then into Switzerland (Basel). Naturally, we lost our mobile signal again.
The weather was very grey and drizzly. It cleared up about halfway through Switzerland at lake Geneva and Montreaux (as seen in ...
We woke up and did some early shopping in and site seeing in Colmar and inteded to go to Munster again and try the Cheese Tasting.
Unfortunately, we got there too late and it was closed for lunch and the restaurant was closed for the day, so we drove over to Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg (opening picture, above).