driving the boat. Thanks for the help, Fede.
departing Toulouse
I am on the move. I left Toulouse on a lovely day, after a monsoon the day before. I was fortunate to have Fede join me for the beginning of the trip, and especially to help with the climb to the summit of the Canal du Midi. The Canal du Midi is one of the very first commercial ‘summit’ canals in the world, built around 1680. The locks are a unique oval shape, built that way for strength. The concept works, though the shape makes navigation within ‘interesting’, especially if sharing with inexperienced people.
the long line of rental boats at Castelnaudry basin
top lock of staircase of 4 at Castelnaudry
one of the low bridges at locks on the Canal du Midi
The canal is very quiet for this time of year. Usually, I am told, almost all of these boats would be rented and moving, and this is one of about 10 or 12 fleets. I am sure that the virus issues will have a major impact on the boat traffic, as people either cannot or do not want to travel. The relatively few boats certainly makes for easier travel for me!
June fields along the Midi
