The South of France is glorious!

Dear Family and Friends

There’s hot and then there’s South of France hot!! August was absolutely glorious – blue skies everyday and temperatures in the high 30’s and low 40’s. The only downside is that when we were either in the locks or waiting to enter the locks, the sun was merciless. One day, Phil and I both thought we were going to pass out – we were dizzy, nauseous and sweating buckets. We drank water by the gallon to keep hydrated. However, we have reached the Canal du Midi – our long awaited and much anticipated goal!

The Canal du Midi is as pretty as we had imagined. Sadly though there were a number of places where the fungus attacking the plane trees have left them leafless and stripped bare. They’ve cut down the worst affected and are beginning a replanting of disease resistant trees in their stead. It’s seriously sad to see that trees planted in the 1600’s when the canal was being built by Pierre-Paul Riquet are now in peril. Much of the charm of the canal will be changed and of course the much needed shade that they provided is gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Beautiful plane trees line the banks

Sadly some are blighted and will soon have to come down

       What a bored lockkeeper does in his spare time!

Capestang was very pretty and is famous (to fellow boaters) for its very low, arched stone bridge. It was a hoot sitting on our aft deck watching some of the hire boats bounce from side to side as they negotiated their way under it. The underside of the bridge is scarred with various colours of paint and rubber left behind by boats that missed the centre path. We, of course, were brilliant!! No prob.

Our next major port of call was Narbonne – an ancient city that was founded by the Romans in 118 BC and was the capital city of Gaul. They’ve excavated part of the Via Domitia - a road that crossed through France from Beaucaire (which is near Arles) to the Pyrenees. The Canal de la Robine splits the city into two sides, with a dramatic difference between them. The north side was very prosperous and well kept while the south side was run down and quite grubby. Interestingly, the south side has the best restaurants! One day we tried to have lunch at a lovely little restaurant near the main square. After waiting forever, the waitress finally took our order. Not complicated – we just wanted an omelet! We waited and waited and were somewhat dismayed as food was delivered to tables whose patrons had arrived after us. Phil was making faces like a person dying of starvation and had a little girl at the next table in stitches! The waitress finally cottoned on to the fact that we weren’t eating and were desperately trying to make one glass of wine last a lifetime. She took our order again and gave us a free glass of wine on the house which on a very, very empty stomach went straight to our heads! Needless to say we staggered back to the boat – a habit that is becoming all too familiar.

      Capestang’s  famously low arched bridge

Narbonne – houses and shops over the canal

       Narbonne’s lovely mooring

While we were there we had a delightful visit with Robert and Christa - our Dutch friends who took Phil up in the airplane (Blog 1). They had friends who have a summer place nearby so they were able to nip into Narbonne. Poor Phil wasn’t feeling at all well, so we weren’t able to take them out to dinner to say thank you for hosting us in Holland but we hope we can reciprocate when they visit us in Canada.

Leaving Calypso in Narbonne, we hopped the train to Perpignan, a lovely Franco-Spanish city that once was the capital of French-Catalonia. It is quite a prosperous city with well-to-do visitors wandering the traffic-free red marble tiled narrow streets filled with shops and stalls and, of course, the ever present restaurants. It was our first opportunity to try Catalan-style food. We lucked out again and arrived during a summer music and dance festival which was fabulous but it also meant that with thousands of extra visitors, the menus were set and we weren’t able to try paella at the recommended restaurant. But we did have their featured menu and it was great - especially the cold gazpacho with its amazing flavours.  Our hotel for 2 nights – once a 15^th century mansion - was right in the centre of town and we could walk to all the major sights.

       Perpignan – gorgeous hotel once a mansion

Perpignan – beautiful gardens

                                               Every inch of space is used - even the side alleys

              Later, our first gazpacho – yummy!!!

Then we continued by train the short distance to Collioure – our very favourite place to date, although Villefranche is a very close second. Phil especially wanted to visit Collioure as it has been a magnet for artists since Matisse settled here in 1905. Phil wanted to wander the streets where Matisse and his disciples painted the harbour, the colourful fishing boats, the mighty Chateau Royal built by the Knights Templar and the Église Notre-Dame-des-Anges. Thousands – well not really but it felt like it – of restaurants. We chose one that was one street back from the beach – it was out of the very hot sun and just a little less hectic. Phil ordered the plat de jour, a gambas and calamari (gross!!!) dish that he loves. I asked the waitress what else was on the menu and she rattled off something in very rapid French. The only word I got was porc – great, I’ll have that. It arrived and was seriously delicious – amazing flavours and textures. After the meal I asked the waitress to tell me what it was – slowly – so I could understand. It turns out it was pork cheeks!!! YUCK. Thank goodness I didn’t know that beforehand or I would never have ordered it and would have missed out on a fabulous dish.

         Collioure – fabulous harbour on the Med

Collioure – view from the fort on the hill

After 4 delightful days off the boat, we headed back to Narbonne to continue our journey back up the Robine to the Midi. Some celestial formation must have crossed our moon in whatever house, as things started to go wrong from day one! Heading toward Gailhousty lock, we were cruising nicely behind another cruiser when a hire boat coming out of the lock and driven by a Russian suddenly veered at a 90 degree angle right into the other cruiser amidships and bent the steel railings right over! He then veered towards us! I grabbed onto the railings for dear life while Phil had the presence of mind to steer gently into the boat’s stern and push it away before it could damage our little Calypso. My hero!!!!

Then the next day, while going through a triple lock, the engine overheated and we had to shut her down – in the lock! – and wait until she cooled off. This happened several times over the next few days. Add this to the ongoing saga of the battery charger, the unbearably hot sun and we were seriously frazzled. And worried of course. Phil tends to go to the worst possible scenario first and I of course try to think positively even in the middle of a major disaster. When we arrived in Trebes, the hire base mechanic came aboard, and bless his little heart, after determining that the impeller itself was fine, he resealed the casing and – Ta da – Calypso is sailing right through those locks now. Simple solution but vital as when air gets into the system, then water can’t cool the engine and things go downhill from there. Luckily it didn’t overheat to any extreme. We were able to catch it just as the temperature began to rise so no damage to the engine.

Now – all we need to sort out is the charger! Piece of cake as it turns out. When we arrived in Carcassonne, we took the train to Moissac, picked up the battery charge, returned to Carcassonne and hired a local mechanic to install it. As Phil was telling him our tale of woe, he asked, “What kind of charger?” Phil told him it was a very good and expensive Waeco – actually, the third one! “Aha” says Loic, our mechanic. Apparently Waeco chargers are famous for not liking the engine being started up while plugged into shore power. And of course for 2 years running, that’s exactly what happened. Each time we arrived to pick up the boat in the spring, we would plug into shore power as we live on the boat while the spring maintenance is finished off. Then of course, the mechanic starts up the engine after the servicing to make sure all is well and promptly blows up the charger!!!! We always unhook the power before we take off (it’s embarrassing to sail away while still plugged in as we’ve discovered to our dismay!) so it is a very easy fix that didn’t involve any expense other than to hook up the new charger that they provided under warranty. When we get home, we will send a scathing letter to Waeco asking them why they don’t at least warn you in their manual – would have saved everyone a lot of grief. We are learning that boats are renowned for niggling problems that can be easily fixed.

             Beautiful Carcassonne  - La Cité is amazing

                                             Le Vieux Pont leads to La Cité – walker’s only

So, as you can tell we are in Carcassonne. The next blog will extol its beauty and virtues. We decided that Carcassonne was as good a place as any to sit for awhile. Cruising in the distressingly hot sun was too much, so here we sit awaiting Keith and Margaret’s arrival and then we will continue cruising to Toulouse and beyond. Including a much anticipated stop at Castelnaudary so we can compare cassoulets de maison!

À bientôt

Much love to all

Captain Worry and his cool calm Matelot

The 7 hour lunch and other stories

Dear Family and Friends

We left Avignon in glorious sunshine, held our breath as we made our way down the last of the Rhone near Arles and released it once we hit the Petite Rhone and the Canal du Rhone à Sete. One last hurdle – there is a huge lock at St Gilles and both of our navigation references made note of it. So we were slightly nervous but really – after the ‘Day from Hell’ – how bad could it be? So we entered it with trepidation wondering would our ropes be long enough, how fast would the water be released, worry, worry, worry. So once again we moored up, secured Calypso to the lock wall and signalled we were ready. The lock gates closed, the water level dropped – a metre!!!!!! – and we sailed out. Looking slightly confused we asked ourselves – “What the heck was all the fuss about????”

     St Gilles lock – NOT scary!

                                               Back to very narrow canals

The next week was very interesting. Aigues Mortes - ‘Place of Dead Waters’ -  is an impressive walled town, very near the Mediterranean (Med for short), with typical narrow streets and lots of cafes, bars, restaurants and shops. We are now in Carmargue country: shallow lagoons – étangs – lie just inland from most of the coast separated from the sea by narrow sandbars and are semi-salt. This is the land of black bulls, white horses and pink flamingoes. The étangs are also the breeding grounds for shellfish – miles and miles of oyster beds especially. Too bad I hate seafood!

     Aigues Mortes

                                                Carmargue white horses

                                                                                         Carmargue black bulls

We left AM and were heading to Carnon to meet up with British friends Keith and Maureen. They had said there was good mooring and the map showed a lovely harbour just off the Midi. We made good time and turned off into the side canal. Ooooh, this looks very shallow and I don’t see any boats our size – oops, it can’t be here. Back up Captain! No, it’s OK – I’ll just go up to the bridge and turn around and we can go out bow first – lot easier. Which we did and which then became a struggle to counter the current that we hadn’t seen and we were now lodged against a small dock with metal sides (Grrrr). Calypso now boasted a lovely new long scratch on the port side – actually it matches the one on the starboard – no biggy! However, no matter how hard we tried the current was too strong for the bow thruster and motor to overcome so Wonderwoman came to the rescue. Quickly hopping off the boat onto the dock, I gave it a mighty push to overcome the current and then stretched my short little stubby legs as far as they would go and hopped back on as Captain gave the engine a burst strong enough to get us to turn away from the dock. Ho hum -    all in a day’s work!

We made our way to Frontignan in time for the annual muscat festival – what a hoot. You bought a wine glass for 2 euros which allowed you to taste as many of the wines from the producers’ tables as your little head and stomach would allow. Did you know that on a hot summer day, wine goes to your head faster than say – a cold winter’s day in Edmonton?? Good thing we weren’t leaving the next morning.

      Frontignan – traditional fishing boat sail past

                                                 Muscat traditional parade

                                                                                       And jousting

OK– one more hurdle to go and we are seriously home free. The Étang du Thau is a very large, massive pond and the winds can get up to strong gale force readings. So the books and every boater you meet say, “Wait for a nice day with no whitecaps.” Do I look stupid? Of course I’m not going out there with anything approaching more than a gentle breeze. John and Jan, another British couple who live in France permanently, have done this about 35 times so we’ll just follow them. Which we did but we left them just before the end of the étang to stop in Marseillan. What a gorgeous little harbour – right across from us on the other side of the quai is the Nouilly Prat distillery which we toured and then bought a bottle of Amber NP which isn’t sold anywhere except Marseillan.

It was also a great stop as we got talking to an English lady who has a house there and she directed us to a good seafood restaurant. The Captain l-o-v-e-s seafood and I’m sure there’s something on the menu I can eat. So we went and I ordered the local fish special for the night and Phil ordered moules gratinée – mussels topped with cheese. The cheese smelled awesome so I mustered up enough courage to ask to try one – the little one in the corner, please! OMG – it was fabulous! So we went back the next night and I had seafood all on my own – in for a penny, in for a pound! Except the squid – no way in H am I ever trying that!!!!

Since you know me so well, you must suspect there’s more to the story. Yep! We checked the weather before leaving Marseillan and were told – no prob! The idiot must have been on drugs! As you can guess the water was choppy, we were tossed around like a cork and I was not – repeat – NOT calm. The Captain sent me below – no better down there as now I can’t stare Death in the face. Luckily it was only a short distance. After what seemed like hours but was only probably 45 minutes, we reached our destination – TaDa – the Canal du Midi!!!!

 

     Etang du Thau’s oyster beds

Marseillan harbour

      Noilly Prat distillery casks

We headed for Vias – a canalside mooring in the country but not far from either Vias itself and Vias plage – the beach on the Med. Jan and John were still there so we met up and we asked them to walk down to the plage and join us for lunch. Vias plage has a very gaudy carnival atmosphere - eating places, tourist shops and thousands of holiday makers in string bikinis! I felt I should be wearing a burka so not to compete! J We ate - where else but a brasserie selling moules et frites – it’s really like one word as they go together in France like fish and chips in Britain. We had a wonderful visit with them – talked and talked and drank and drank. Lunch turned wine tasting, into a crepe for a snack, more wine and then 7 hours later (!!!) we all staggered home.

      Vias plage

Jan and John and Phil

Well, I’ll leave the rest for a later blog – I can feel your impatience – “Is she never going to finish this story?” Actually not – there’s lots more to come including our side trip to Perpignan and Collioure! Stay tuned!

Much love to all

Captain Seafood and his Mussel Eating Matelot

France 2012 - Provence and the Cote d'Azur

Dear Family and Friends

What an awesome three weeks and what a change from the Day from Hell!

                                                               Last day on the Rhone

We arrived in Avignon in sunshine after good cruising and moored up right near the centre of town. As it happens they were in the middle of the French version of Fringe Days, apparently second in size only to the Edinbourough Festival. They hold 1200 events per DAY!!! I’m not sure how many Edmonton holds per day but I suspect it’s not that many.

     Sing along with me – Sur le Pont d’Avignon.....

                                          First day of Fringe – before the streets were totally littered

Avignon is a walled city with the Palais des Papes as the central edifice – huge. Sadly the Palais is just empty rooms with boards that explain the room’s original purpose. I wish the French Tourism Board would take a page out of the UK’s National Trust book and decorate the rooms as it would have been back in the day. Even if it had to be reproductions, it would at least give a sense of what it looked like during the time it was occupied.  The downside to being in Avignon for those two weeks is that the city was filled with tourists and actors and the streets littered with handouts and billboards advertising the various performances. It looked really dirty and unattractive. We were constantly accosted by card carrying actors – most in performance dress – handing out their pamphlets. Really neat the first few days and then really annoying the rest of the time. It was also seriously hot – one day it reached 41°C – thought I would melt away!!

      Palais des Papes from the Rhone

                                                                 Golden St Michael

But we took advantage of Avignon’s location to visit other interesting sites. We took a guided tour to Arles and did the Van Gogh walk (the harbour there was not good mooring so we didn’t want to go by boat). As the only people on the tour we could ask as many questions as we wanted and even got to stop for coffee – not usually part of the tour! Our guide, Annie, was terrific.  We saw all the places in Arles that Van Gogh painted, went out of town to the drawbridge that he frequently drew then drove to St-Rémy-de-Provence where he was hospitalized after cutting off his ear.  St Remy itself was picture perfect with a wonderful Provence market – lavender, herbs, Provence fabric made into clothes as well as table cloths, wine, cheese, meat – a gourmand’s delight. Then she took us to Les Baux-de-Provence (where bauxite was first found) to a disused quarry that has been turned into an amazing light show – Cathédrale d’Images – where the images of Gaugin and Van Gogh paintings were projected not only on the walls but the floor and ceiling as well. Truly spectacular! You felt like you were inside and part of the paintings.

      Van Gogh’s Starry Night café

                                                         VG’s olive garden at St Remy

                                                                                                           VG’s bridge near Arles

The next tour was the Luberon and Lavender tour. We had to share our guide with two young Korean girls but they were good travelling companions. We stopped at Abbaye de Sénanque – a 10^th century Cistercian abbey whose monks still grow and sell lavender. The picture of the abbey with the lavender fields is pretty much the poster child for the Provence and the Luberon and one that you will have seen many times. Gordes has an impressive location at the top of a hill (Yes, Garry – another hilltop village!!) With beautiful limestone buildings, it has vaulted, arcaded medieval lanes and was home to several artists. Nearby are The Bories – dating from 2000 BC they are domed dry stone houses and barns constructed from limestone as well. They were rebuilt and in constant use until quite recently. Roussillon is similar to Gordes but built with slabs of red ochre  - quite stunning. We thoroughly enjoyed our two tours.

      Abbaye de Sénanque

                                              The Bories – Phil, wasn't this our first apartment?

                                                                                            Gordes -  gorgeous hilltop village

      Roussillon - beautiful red ochre

                                                                                           Provence market – heavenly smells

      If I squeeze them now – do I get wine??

We then rented a car and headed off to the Côte d’Azur intending to visit Cannes, Nice and Monaco. It was so darn hot in Avignon we actually called to change the reservation so we could pick up the car a day earlier and spent the first night in Aix-en-Provence (Aix rhymes with sex – Ex) – what a delightful unplanned surprise. Not only a great little hotel right by the main square but filled with good restaurants, grand boulevards and fountains. In fact it has so many fountains it is known as the City of Water. Even though it was ridiculously hot, we hiked up to the north end of town and visited the Atelier Paul Cézanne – saw his house and garden and his studio where he painted for a number of years. The artist in Phil came alive – he has vowed to do more painting when we get back. The garden is really all overgrown shrubs and trees but with a multitude of paths leading off in all directions. Well worth the hike!

         Aix-en-Provence – main circle fountain

                                                                      Atelier Paul Cézanne

Next day we took off towards Nice. Our little adventure for the day involved getting on the auto route by mistake. Not really a problem unless of course you get into the wrong toll booth in a lane meant for frequent travellers who have a card they scan at the entrance. Not a problem if you are happy to spend the next years of your retirement going back and forth on the auto route. The problem comes when you want to get off, don’t have a ticket to present to pay the toll charge at the machine, which then means the gate won’t open to let you through – to the great annoyance of all the honking drivers behind who had the presence of mind to pick up their tickets like good citizens. We managed to pull over and call the authorities who told us to wait and someone would be along shortly. “Shortly” in France can be up to two weeks and we only had three days, so after about an hour of impatient waiting we pulled up into the lane again – spoke through the intercom – Phil gave them a cock and bull story about the machine eating our ticket - after which she told us to pay our 2.80 euros and off we went. Better than the 11.50 we would have had to pay had we waited for the arrival - eventually – of the authorities.

We arrived in Nice and it was packed. Impossible to find a parking spot anywhere near the Promenade – who’s the idiot that booked this trip for the July 14^th Bastille Day celebrations???? We found a little fast food place to eat and took off for the hotel in Villefranche-sur-Mer – a handy dandy little place from which to tour Monaco, etc. Small problem – no parking at the hotel itself so we went around in circles – literally - until we finally found one, got our suitcases out and left it for the next two days. No way were we giving up that parking spot to go anywhere. I’m sure Nice, Monaco and Cannes are lovely but so was Villefranche. Right on the Med – Nice to the right and Cap Ferrat on the left as you look out over the bay. Seriously gorgeous little town on a hillside stepped up from the water. The sea looked stunning and the beaches were crowded with bathers and sun worshippers. OK – who’s the idiot that didn’t pack the bathing suits??? Three guesses! But I did manage to get Phil to buy a new pair of shorts to replace the ones he bought in 1969 – you know the ones – the legs are a metre wide and have 3-4 pleats in the front?? Embarrassing really!

     Nice is nice – so they tell me!

                                                  View of Villefranche from our hotel

      Villefranche at night

                                                                       Beats a Stairmaster!

      Villefranche has quite an impressive port fort

After that lovely sojourn, we arrived back in Avignon to do the laundry and set off once again. We had one more day on the Rhone itself before heading off onto the Petite Rhone. We researched the weather report and left a day earlier than planned to catch favourable winds and current. Piece of cake this time!

But we have arrived – we are in the south of France and so close to the Canal du Midi that I can almost smell it. Oh yes, I forgot  – that’s the smell of the ancient sewers of Avignon which on hot days require a mask and lavender scented hankies!!  More adventures to come as we cross the Etang du Thau and encounter our first oval lock. Wish us luck!!!

Much love to all

Captain Gucci and his wine swilling Matelot

France 2012 - June

Dear Family and Friends

Well the month of June was a case of the good, the bad and the ugly – seriously ugly! The Canal lateral à la Loire and the Canal du Centre were good. We had heard so much about the beauty of the Nivernais and the Bourgogne canals that were totally unprepared for how lovely the other two canals were. Really attractive – more small villages canal side that were not only pretty but much more prosperous. The locks were attended by very helpful lockkeepers and each lock was a delight of gardens and flowers. It must be a prerequisite to be a gardener first and lockkeeper second.

                                               Bazolles

                                               Chalon-sur-Saône

                                               In the lock

Châtillon-en-Bazois was a beautiful town with a lovely chateau – now owned by a family from Paris. Their daughter happened to be married the afternoon we arrived so we were treated to the sight of the wedding party arriving in a little automobile train at the church. Sadly I didn’t have my camera with me so I missed it. We were on our way to get groceries. Later that night we were woken by a display of fireworks and the sound of very lively dance music until 2:00AM. But who cares – we also had supper at the Hotel de la France restaurant – a 1 star Michelin chef. The meal was absolutely delightful, the old hotel and dining room were suitably ancient – beams and a huge fireplace – and we had a very nice time. This was also the first day of downstream locks – piece of cake! We were able to stop at a lock near Mont and had omelets at the canal side pub – not great but then I didn’t have to cook!

     Chateau in Châtillon-en-Bazois

                                               Another great meal

                                                                                         Canal side pub

Paray le Monial was absolutely gorgeous. Lots of religious significance –worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus began here. It’s an important site for modern day pilgrimages. The town itself was the first we’ve seen in a long time with seriously awesome shops with very French clothing and accessories. Quite delightful. At the end of the Canal du Centre and the beginning of the Saône River is Chalon-sur-Saône another very pretty town with pedestrian streets lined with various shops and services. The Saône River was wide but quite benign and easy cruising. Maybe we are getting the hang of this cruising thing!!

    Paray le Monial

                                               Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

                                                                                         Imagine this fish story!!

So now for the bad. People, it’s the silly season out there – or as we know it – hire boat season is upon us. And I mean ‘upon’ us. We’ve now been hit twice by idiot boaters who assume that driving a boat is the same as driving a car – big NO there. They go way too fast and are a real danger at times. The first hit was by a boat rented by four women (no jokes about women drivers allowed as the men are even worse) – two Brits and two Aussies who met travelling on a tour of the Silk Route and get together every second year for a new adventure together. The captain was coming in way too fast and cranged into both us and the quay. Phil, bless his little heart, talked her in and then spent some time giving her advice on handling the boat. She was very appreciative – I just drank their wine! The second was a big boat with 3 Yorkshire couples on board. He hit us hard enough to damage one of our fenders – 20 euros to replace. To give him his due there was a very wicked current but he should have taken this into account as he approached. He wasn’t new to cruising so you’d think he would have adjusted accordingly. Quelle domage! But I guess that should be ‘Quelle damage!’

                                               View from the aqueduct over a small river below

                                       Our second aqueduct – much bigger - over the Loire River

                                                                 Which one is the saint??

The ‘ugly’ was the day I thought I was going to die on the Rhone River. I was very very scared and have a brown stain at the back of my shorts to prove it!!! We left Lyon – a very nice port still on the Saône and after about a kilometre we hit the Rhone River. OMG. There was a wicked wind coming from the south which meant that it whipped the river up and we were headed directly into it. There were whitecaps and 4 foot short chop swells. Spray came over the bow and soaked the kitchen dinette cushions. Whose the idiot that forgot to close the windows? The bow is about 5 feet above the water line so you can picture how high the spray was. I hung on for dear life and tried not to scream too loudly. We lost anything that wasn’t tied down – including my plant box and plants – the bikes were bounced around and all our bits and pieces in the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen were tossed to the floor. We couldn’t even pull over as all the moorings were alongside the river and would have been just as bad as the river itself so we kept going to Les Roches de Condrieu where at least there was a protected harbour. Phil was amazing and not only kept us from harm (I kept thinking of George Clooney and the ‘Perfect Storm’ movie) but handled the boat really well. His sailing experience on the coast sure helped. Our next day on the Rhone was great – rain but no swells and the locks were a piece of cake. Being in the lock behind a huge river hotel boat was an amazing experience. Honestly – the difference between the two days was surreal!

      The day from Hell

                                               Next day – what a difference

                                                                                 Sharing the lock with a hotel boat – no room to spare

Three more cruising days and we are in Avignon – and almost off the Rhone!! Lavender fields, Van Gogh country and the Riviera await. It will be très jolie!!!!

Much love to all

Captain Incredible and Crew (now with clean shorts!)