"The lovely thing about cruising is that planning usually turns out to be of little use." - Dom Degnon

Here you have it...

 #3 of the

Top Three Very Good Reasons to Cruise the Canal du Midi.

(see here for #1… and here for #2)

All the random surprises and quirky discoveries waiting to be enjoyed 

make a week on du Midi quite the adventure.

Our second day out we stopped for a walk through the vineyards

 growing in the Minervois region of France.

Clusters of grapes hung beautifully from the vines...

and we were tempted to put snails on the menu for dinner,

but alas we had a chicken roasting.

After moving on down the canal a bit, 

we stopped for the night and had a hail storm for dessert.

Ren Man had prepared for this.

I have to admit I made fun of him when he placed that all weather gear in his bag.

He showed me.

So yes…

we lived through a grape ruining hail storm on the Canal du Midi.

And yes…

we stocked up on wine before the prices were adjusted.

Discoveries along the canal included…

very cool sculptures…

created by the gentleman

who in addition to being an artist

is also the lock attendant.

Quite entertaining.

What would a cruise be without a concert?

Further on down the way we docked for the night and took off for a stroll.

Seeing a party getting started 

we joined the locals…

and grooved to the tunes of a band from Canada!

Life is good on the Canal du Midi.

“Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.” ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Revealing #2 of the

Top Three Very Good Reasons to Cruise the Canal du Midi…

To quote Dr. Seuss…

Oh the places you'll go,

as you meander the canal…

pulling over when something strikes your fancy 

and gliding past when the captains of your boat make you stick to their schedule. 

(insert eye-rolling emoji here)

With many small hamlets along the way,

like the circular village of Bram…

and Villesquelande, with its remarkable tree…

of the 15th century.

Of the larger cities on our route, 

my favorite is Carcassonne with its medieval fortress.

It even has a board game named after it.

The Cité de Carcossonne sits up on a hill…

 approached by foot or tram from the city below.

Despite the 'Disney' feel…

with plenty of diversions for children…

its history is UNESCO worthy.

In 1887, Gustave Nadaud described Carcassonne as a lifetime destination.

 Of course, I am sure it sounds even more lovely in French.

Castelnaudary, actually referred to as a commune, 

is another larger township,

where we experienced our first downstream lock.

Much less dramatic than climbing.

The lack of flowing water filling the chamber as our boat rises to the canal 

was a bit of a let down.

Meanwhile,

our captains were pros after 59 locks.

 We managed to dock for the night on the Grand Basin...

offering amazing views of the city from Winifred...

and easy access to explore.

This wall sculpted by Emile Peyronnet, 

lists the names of deceased soldiers…

 and is known simply as 'widows and orphans'.

Castelnaudary's claim to be the world capital of the cassoulet 

was enough evidence for us to enjoy the filling, rich dish...

before watching the city lights fill the sky from our floating oasis.

Reason #3 coming soon.

“In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.” ― Julia Child

As the sun set on our first day cruising the Canal du Midi,

its designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site became understandable.

Remembering our week aboard Winifred,

I can easily come up with…

My Top Three Very Good Reasons to Cruise the Canal du Midi

#1 

The convenience of having the option to cook and enjoy a leisurely meal canalside…

paired with local wines 

after perusing the local markets in order

  to feast on seasonal goodies.

And then there is the ubiquitous bread…

fresh flaky croissants and required baguettes.

 Mornings were quite relaxing when we opted for breakfast on the boat and Ren Man won the prize for the most creative concoction with his…

using pizza as the crust for a quiche.

Our meals up on the deck were some of my favorite moments...

lingering until the sun went to bed.

Of course, we also let someone else do the cooking. 

Finding the perfect place to dine out along the canal became an adventure and we made some very good choices.

We enjoyed the most amazing fresh, grilled anchovies 

in this little mom and pop cafe…

La poissonnerie Moderne in Trebes.

Following the 'When in Rome' philosophy, 

we felt impelled to experience the infamous Cassoulet of Castelnaudary…

and were not disappointed.

Pure yumminess baked in a clay pot for.ever. at Chez David.

Needless to say you knew my #1 would involve eating!

Countdown continues…

Rick was pleased to note that: "there are very few signs telling you what to do, or not to do." Much to his pleasant surprise he discovered that "the French, certainly in the south, are actually nice." ~ Minervois Cruisers on Rick Stein's French Canal Boat Odyssey

Happy 2015!

Photo Cred…Carol B.

As we usher in a New Year, 

all kinds of newness are on the horizon for Traveling Simile.

After enjoying many cherished days with family and friends here at home in Texas,

winter sweaters and wool scarfs and boots
 have been emptied out of my suitcases,

replaced with cotton and linen and sandals.

Whaaaat?

Yes, that's right…
my toes will soon see the light of day… 
because we are moving to Bangkok, Thailand.

Ren Man has already there actively searching 
for the BEST pad thai and papaya salad…

 and I will follow shortly…

after a pit stop at our current home in Aberdeen.

With a backlog of travels to share 

before sensory overload takes over in our new home,

here is my concerted effort to fulfill a New Years resolution, 
and catch up with my life.

Snapshots of our memories of the Canal du Midi were shared here…

and others have been waiting patiently to be revealed.

The locks became increasingly easier…

as we learned how to enter,
leave room for other boats, 

tie up,
exit the lock efficiently...

and more impressively with each meter we climbed.

Here, a terrible photo was tweaked in order to show an example of how we rose a few feet per lock as we traveled upstream.  

The two boats above,
 are waiting at this triple lock for the water level to rise,
carrying boats up to their level in order to continue west. 

This graph gives you an idea of our journey climbing the canal,  
traveling northwest from Beziers,

ending our journey a few miles before Toulouse.

Since we traveled at a whopping speed of 5 mph,

it was easy to run along the canal

 or even bike while others stayed aboard.

Biking on board was also allowed
because we were the boss of our boat.

Along the way we encountered wildlife above the water...

and reminders of why you would not want to swim in the water.

I am pretty sure this guy…

swam with the gar at some point,
as he paddle boarded the Canal du Midi.

And then there were these guys and their team???

Training for the Iditarod?

The excitement of seeing field after field of sunflowers never grew old...

and still makes me smile.

Especially on this cold and rainy day in January.