1/7/2011

This was our last day on the Canal du Midi and we had to have our boat back to Homps, the original start point by 2pm. We timed this to perfection but when we arrived the office was closed so after successfully backing the boat into it’s mooring we waited for them to open.
By 3pm we were back on the road. We had heard about a place called Fonserannes Lock (French: écluse de Fonserannes, les neuf écluses). This is a staircase lock on the Canal du Midi near Béziers. It consists of eight ovoid lock chambers (characteristic of the Canal du Midi) and nine gates, which allow boats to be raised a height of 21.5 m, in a distance of 300m. The most we had negotiated was 3 so we decided to go and see this. (see pics)
From here we made our way via the tolled roads to Calella in Spain. It cost us another €16 for this privilege but saved over an hour of travel time. Again we passed through a border but this time it was more noticeable. Spain is drier and appeared more expansive and the buildings design changed.
Something that we found quite different on the Spainish motorways, was the prostitutes dressed in really skimpy provocative underwear, sitting on chairs under an umbrella, about every 100 meters at one stage.
We arrived into our really nice BB at Calella around 7:30pm after having a little trouble finding it as there were a lot of one way streets. It’s only about a 3min walk to the beach and even closer to the many shops with sales on……oooooh no.
Around 10pm we went out to a cafe called Top Bar Cafe for a mixed selection of Tapas as advised on Trip Advisor and then headed back home around 11:30pm.

We were up early today as we thought it was 7:30am when in actual fact it was 6:30am. The clouds had gone and it was another stunning day. This now meant we had and extra hour to go and have a look at some of the shops in the main street of Carcassonne before heading away. By 8:30am we where on the streets window shopping but most of the shops did not open until 9:30am. We spotted lots of shoe shops that had sales on of up to 70% off so decided to wait until they opened.
By 10:45am we had bought two pair each and now needed to get to the boat as we had one and a half days sailing to do or we would not have the boat back in time for the next day (Friday) at 2pm.
The first lock was at the harbor of Carcassonne so this would be our first attempt at managing a lock going down rather than up (it’s called locking down). This did not go quite as smoothly as we had hoped as you have a down current and this morning there was a bit of a breeze to contend with. Sheree had to work the back of the boat and as the water goes down you just feed the ropes out.
By the next lock we where looking much better and from then on we looked pretty professional. Later we helped another boat of older people who were having major troubles with the ropes as none of them could jump off the boat.
It was a fantastic trip down the canal for the rest of the day and really hot again.
When we reached the town of Trebes about 1pm we decided to stop off and by some groceries for tea rather than stopping over night and buying tea at a restaurant. This would mean we would get further down the canal by the end of the day. The lock keepers stop work at 7pm.
First we went to the tourist information centre were they had local produce. We bough a bottle of wine and beer and some olive paste. They showed us were the supermarket was about 15 min walk away. Here we bought local kababs, rice salad and tubole. On the way back we stopped at the local bakery and got some really nice looking sweet treats for desert. Then we were back in the boat and on our way down the canal.
By about 7pm we had found a nice spot to moor at, and it is here that we will have a few wines in the late afternoon sun and cook our tea before bed.

Today we were up at 7am had breakfast and were heading for Carcassonne by 8am. Being so early we got thru the remaining 5 locks (3 boats at a time) really quickly and by 11.30 we had arrived. We were very disappointed to see floating in the canal plastic bottles and other rubbish & thought this spoiled very much what we had seen up till now.
After debating where we should stop, we pulled into a mooring that was near what looked like a main road. An elderly man grabbed our rope so we asked him if we could moor here. The next minute a lady comes up & asked us if we want to moor in the boat harbour ( which is thru another lock). The cost for us 2, no power or water but use of the showers and washing machines etc for the boaties was 12 Euro for the night. Plus it is only 2mins to the town. Steven had a lot of fun backing our boat into the mooring as it has no steering in reverse. With the current and the wind it was not easy at all and everyone watching didn’t help.
Once we were all moored we headed to the Carcassone Castle on the hill which is surrounded by a old walled town. We took the novelty train that tows several carriages of passengers up to it. It’s is like an old Medieval town inside the walls and several people had period costumes on including a guy with a sample of the food served in his restaurant. Yes we got talked into having a genuine medieval meal of the time and local speciality called Casteline which consisting of haricot beans, roast duck and a sausage. (see pic) This proved really filling and we will not require much tea at all tonight.
The weather was overcast & windy today and although it was still in the 20s we really felt cold after the wonderful sunny 30 degree days we have become used to.
Tomorrow we head back toward the base at Homps which will take us back the way we have come but should prove easier at the locks as you just hook the rope around the bollard & let it loosen as the boat is lowered. Looks easier anyway, time will tell.

We woke up early after a pretty average sleep as it was so hot during the night. After breakfast we set sail, saying good bye to our new boating friends. Mooring up along the edge is a bit like camping were you get to know the people next to you.
Our first stop was a little town called Puicheric. It was supposed to have a market on today, so we off loaded our push bikes and biked into the town. There was no market on, so we bought another buegette for lunch, loaded the bikes back on the boat and carried on. The first lock was a double one which kept us on our toes and the next was the same but this time we watched as they placed 3 boats in the lock at once. Thankfully we were not one of them. However by the time we reached the next one we had to bunch in with a few others who were from Austarlia and Tasmania. When several boats are in the lock at once it’s a bit like dodgem cars but with boats.
It is really hard work getting the boat through these locks and little Sheree was doing an amazing job catching ropes, tying up and passing the stern ropes back to me and holding the boat with the bow rope as the water rushed in and raised the boat. She had to soak her feet in a bucket of cold water at one stage (see pic). Some of the triple locks lifted us nearly 20meters
As the day went on it got hotter and hotter and soon we were both covered in sweat working these locks. They expected it to be 35deg today and we think it was all of that.
We finally arrived at Trebes around 7pm. This will be our stop for the night so we tied up again along the canal edge. We had a quick wash and headed into the town for tea which is only 2 mins from the boat.
It has been a very busy and tiring day but OMG what a lot of fun and it is so lovely cruising along the Canal De Midi. We have seen and experienced something that is so unique and loved every minute of it.
Tomorrow we will be up early and heading for Carcassonne.

Today we left the Isle de Sorgue. We bought some groceries at the local super market before leaving and headed off for Homps and our canal boat trip.
The trip was again a reasonable one of just under 3 hrs and that included taking the toll roads. It’s always great when you get on these three lane highways and although they are expensive you can zoom along at 130km/hr and cover quite a few kilometers very quickly. In our case it cost about €12 for the whole trip.
We arrived into Homps after missing the first turn off that cost us another 24km but got there pretty much on time.
They were quite busy at the main office for the canal boat trip and we had to wait nearly 2hrs before we finally slipped our moorings and were under way.
It was such a thrill to be on the canal de Midi and motoring up under our own steam. Iris as lovely here as all the photos portray with grape vines in the fields and wild life every were along the tree lined banks of this amazing water way.
Our first lock loomed up very quickly so it was all hands on deck as we approached. Sheree jumped off the boat just at the beginning of the lock so she could grab the ropes tossed to her once the boat was inside the lock. This we pulled of without a hitch and felt quite proud of ourselves. Even the lock keeper commented on how well we had done. It was so cool being in the boat as all the water rushed in and quickly raised the boat up about 3 meters. We bough a nice bottle of Rose wine at the lock keepers stall for €4 before proudly carrying on. A few narrow and not very high bridges later we arrived at the little canal side town of La Redort . We parked up the boat on the side of the bank with a little help from another experienced Dutch boatie who spends half his year in Spain and the other half in his boat on the canal, he has done this for 11 years.
Once we where all secured for the night we walked along the edge to a little restaurant on the canals edge. Our tea was delightful and we wondered back to the boat and set up the bed for the night. As you read this I am sitting up in bed writing this story of a wonderful day and will close of now, enjoying the absolute peace and quite of this place.

Isle de Sorgue is a nice small town that is sometimes called the little Venice. This is because it has a canal that runs thru the centre of the older part of town. There are a few water wheels that are an obvious photo opportunity for tourists, they are covered in moss. After a very hot walk of 800 meters into town, we hit the crowds of people that come for the famous markets that happen on a Sunday. Apparently this town has the biggest markets outside of Paris & also is famous for it’s antiques which were on the streets as well as many antique shops. This surrounding area of Provence is also known for the Lavender that is grown, so in the markets this was for sale in many forms. We could’t resist buying some fabulous smelling soap which came in many flavors & wished we had brought some more.
One of the vendors asked us where we were from and when we told him he said he had never heard of NZ. Then he asked the next vendor along if he knew it and he said it was off Africa. We tried really hard to explain where it was but he had no idea. Then both the vendors laughed at Sheree trying to explain, at which stage Sheree realized they had both been having us on. They explained they do it quite often together and it always gave them a great laugh. Some people go to the extent of drawing pictures and do not appreciate the joke at the end. We were well & truly sucked in & had a good laugh over it with the guys. After the hot walk back from the market we couldn’t wait to jump into the pool at the hotel & then have a rest in the shade on the sun loungers. Drove the car into the town for tea & easily found a free park.
Off to Homps today for our canal boat trip so may not have internet for a few days.

Today we headed for L’isle Sur La Sorgue in Provence with a couple of stop’s in the towns of Grasse about half an hour away, then Castellane about 1 hour further, and then Forcalquier another 1.5 hours further on before heading on to the Hotel Cantosorgue in L’isle Sur La Sorgue another 1.15 hours away. This meant for a long days driving and a bit to see on the way.
The town of Grasse is renowned for it’s perfumes. It has many perfumeries and also a museum and working factories that you can visit. We visited both of these. They are well worth spending a lot more time at than we, unfortunately could afford. Sheree said that she wished we had visited this town instead of spending a day at St Tropez. The museum is large and very interesting and informative and the factory has a large shop that sells some wonderfully aromatic perfumes. After the visit we had a quick lunch in the street on this very hot day and drove on. We also could not leave without both buying some smellies.
The town of Castellane was a bit of a surprise, it offers canoeing and hiking and is obviously a favorite spot for campers. It was evident by the winding roads high in the hills you need to negotiate. With steep drops to the cannons and water below how this would appeal to out door enthusiasts. It was a lovely place with some more quaint shops and streets. We stopes at a shop that hand made chocolates and availed our selves of more that one of these delicious morsels. While we were there a wedding party drove by with the bride and groom sitting high up on the tops of the back seats of a convertible car all tooting frantically.
We went down to the river a soaked our feet as it was 30 degrees, before carrying on.
The trip from here to Forcalquier was exciting as we came upon a deviation in the road due we think to road works. This took us high into the mountains along some of the skinniest roads we have ever been on and had to contend with oncoming traffic. It was just like some videos we had seen on you tube, of buses and cars passing on high, skinny mountain roads and the tyres teetering on the edges and lose stones falling over the edges. We had to drive with our side-mirrors tucked in to avoid loosing them. This added quite a bit of time to our journey and were very happy to finally arrive at Forcalquier as Steven had cramped hands & clutch foot & Sheree had a tense arm from holding tight to the seat belt. This town was all but shut by now but we did stop here for a yummy pizza & frites ( fries) for tea. This was very nice with live music as we ate. By this time it was after 9:30pm, so hit the road again and did not arrive at our destination until 11:15pm after yet another shorter deviation to contend with in the dark. Glad to hit the sack tonight.

This was our last day at Antibes and I have to say that we really like this place. It’s a good balance of not to big but big enough if you want something, a great selection of very nice beaches, easy to walk around and the weather was stunning.
For this day we decided to have a look at a fortress on a hillside. It was still being renovated but we went all the same. The main attraction for us was to get the view from the top over Antibes. It was well worth the walk up to it as we could see right across the bays and boat harbor. We also took a picture looking back to our apartment in the distance.
Andrew and Bex wanted to just chill out on the beach at the base of the fortress while myself Sheree and Chris went to check out the biggest mall in Nice. It was a big Mall similar to what we are used to at home and the prices are about the same as what you would pay in NZ dollars but they are Euro, so that doubles the cost of most things, so money stayed in our pockets. On the way back from the mall I decided not to use Jennifer the GPS as the passengers said they new the way. Not long after the first turn we were on the wrong road and lost. I have to admit that at this stage I threw an un-necessary wobbly and suggested some one else could drive . With no takers Jeniffer was reinstated and we finally arrived back for a stop at the beach and a good cool down. This was just the ticket and not long after we got there Andrew and Bex arrived. Andrew suggested a stone skimming competion was in order so the search was on for the flattest stone. Modesty now prevents me from stating who won, but you can see the pics of my throwing style.
later we all went out for an earlier tea as Sheree and I were going to take Andrew and Bex to the Nice airport at 7:50am to catch their flight.
The next morning Andrew drove to the airport and a quick goodby was made at the ‘kiss and drop lane’ (as they call it here).. But as Jennifer had decided not to restart this morning we had a problem for the trip back. With no GPS we were flying blind. Apart from knowing the general direction we hit the toll roads to avoid the twisting turning roads in the towns and hoped for the best. A short time later and 1. 40 Euro poorer we arrived home. A quick read of the GPS manual revealed how to reset Jennifer and with great relief we were back in action. It’s amazing how reliant we have become of the GPS and without it we really are lost.
Chris did not fly out until 9:30pm so we dropped him off down on the beach to fill in the day, said our goodbyes and about 10:30am we were on our way to ‘L’isle Sur La Sorgue’ in Provence.

Today we decided to visit St Tropez. This is about one and a half hours away via the toll roads, or two and a half hours without the tolls, so we opted for the toll roads.
About two thirds of our way into the journey and at about the start of the St.Tropez Bay and with still about 15km to go, we hit a massive traffic jam that had drawn the traffic for miles to a complete holt. The temp was just on 30deg and with the 5 of us in the small car, with the aircon on full it got hot and boring.
After sitting still for about 30 min we made the decision to tell Jenifer the GPS to ignore the road where the traffic jam was (better to be moving and doing something than sitting still in the heat) and to find and alternative route. This she did….but man did we go on some skinny, out of the way roads. It took us another 40mins to finally reach St. Tropez, hot, bothered and desperate to find a toilet. Andrew had done a brilliant job as our driver and some how he had managed to keep his cool for most of the journey. We had no idea wether or not we had benefited from this maneuver, but suspected we had.
St. Tropez town itself was not at all what we expected. We had been told that this is where the ultra rich play. We saw none of the opulence of the likes of Monaco. It was much older and apart from the large luxury launches it was hard to see what the appeal really was. It had some quaint lovely streets and shops but nothing that much different to other places. We could see more of a modern city on the other side of the bay and started wondering if that was where the rich play.
What we did find was a very nice beach with the clearest water we had seen so far so we spent a big part of the day after our late lunch at 2pm just swimming and sitting in the sun.
As it was now getting a bit later we decided to head home after a big Gelato each that was just great on such a hot day.
We made our way back to the other side of the bay to see if it was any different to the side we had just visited. We had no sooner got on the road than we where in another traffic jam. Thankfully this one moved along a bit faster but the other side of the bay was no different other than being newer with some large camping grounds going right down to the beach.
We all agreed that for the time and toll fees it took to get there, we would not have missed much had we not gone. However we have been there and seen it and that’s another one ticked off.
We did not get home until about 8pm so decided to go out for tea. We found a great Moroccan restaurant that offered some of the best food and service we have experienced by far. It was a lot of fun at the beginning trying to ask if they had gluten free options for Andrew. Thankfully one of the other dinners spoke English and translated for us… Lots of laughs and good fun.
We finally headed home around midnight on this very calm and very warm balmy night before our last day in Antibes.

We woke up later this morning after last nights effort to yet another beautiful warm blue sky day. We decided to first just go back to the beach at Antibes and chill for a bit and then go and have a look at Cannes just 20mins away.
The beach again was lovely with a water temp of 24deg and the air temp of 29deg and it was great to just relax here for a while.
We bought some lunch from the beach side shop and had a last dip and a rinse off under the shower on the shore before heading for Cannes later in the afternoon.
Cannes was again a very opulent city that is full of name brand shops such as Gucci, Lois Vuitton, Prada, Rollex to name just a few but they are all here.
We wondered around the beach, saw where the Cannes film festival is held and then had an iced coffee at a cafe on the street. Just watching the high fashion people walk past was worth the trip.
On the way home we went to a supermarket and bought food for tea. Bex and Andrew made a great pasta chicken dish which we had with some salad and St Tropez wine.