Bottom has been reached  - After the end of autumn cruise -
but we are up again

We sailed from Narbonne in beautiful weather. Had to put the windshield down before the bridge to one of the locks as the water level had risen and there were strong gusts

We past vineyards for several hours. Many different trees including oaks, willows, birch trees and plane, fresh as obsolete. The trees are green, but with incipient golden autumn colours. We wanted to go Colombier. After 9 up going locks from Narbonne there is a long stretch without locks, very twisted and so incredibly beautiful that it's hard to describe. We had to go through a small tunnel before the village so blow the horn to ensure that no boats were entering the other end of the tunnel.

We only stayed in the village one day because there were no moorings at the port, so we moored just outside the village at the bank.

The next day we went towards Carcassonne again and stayed some days in the charming small villages where we also had been on our way out. In one of them, Le Somail, the village is pictured on all boat rentals brochures from the Canal du Midi, again we met Sylvia and Bill. The American couple, whose mooring place in Carcassonne we got last autumn. We had some fine evenings together.

As we continued and came to the first lock, we said “NO” to enter the lock together with 3 hire boats. They were more or less across in the lock. "Vengeance" came from the lock keeper. He let us wait half an hour before he made the lock ready for us.

One day we went together with a small hire boat with 5 people and 2 large dogs onboard. The dogs barked continuously. It must have been their first day. They went into the lock without fixing the ropes to the bollards. The lock keeper shouted, very loud, to them that they should use ropes in the locks. It was a fairly deep up going lock, so then one of the women walked slowly - in tight skirt and platform soles - over the lock gate, and took one of our boat hooks, and trooped back to get their ropes. She didn’t do it correctly, so the lock keeper moved one rope and then she just let the other rope go.

In the meantime, we asked to have our boat-hook back. To get hold of the second rope again, she came over to us on the other side of lock to borrow our boat-hook again. Det tog nogen tid, men var en oplevelse. It took some time but it was an experience.. Luckily they stopped after 2 locks, to recuperate.

One day came 26 boats sailing in the opposite direction of us. Fall season will be utilized. Because of the crisis, many hire companies put down the price of hire boats.

We came to Carcassonne on the 2^nd of October in strong wind 10 m/sec and in gusts 17 m/sec. Normally we would not have sailed in strong winds, but we had booked space in Carcassonne and the captain came nice in and out of the locks.

Our good friends Lis and Niels arrived on the 8^th of October in the evening.. We spent a day in the town and with a visit to La Cité.

We sailed the last 100 km. to Toulouse in 4 beautiful days.

The last lock before Castelnaudary, has 4 chambers and going up the water is just pouring in. Normally, it takes about an hour to go through the lock. “The sea woman” walked up to the lock keeper, to hear if we could go through before lunch. Lunch was only 30 min away. Frenchmen are normally not punctual except when closure of locks at lunch. Last boat shall be through before the lunch break at 12.30. The lock keeper said OK, but you must be through before my lunch J. NUSER was the only boat and we went through in 22 minutes. We have just passed the gate in each chamber, when the gates were closed and the water poured in. The lock keeper smiled and waved when we were through, and his lunch could start 5 min before lunch time.

We arrived in Toulouse, our winter port, on the 13^th of October; we got a good mooring place in the port. We had been looking forward to show Lis and Niels the nice city of Toulouse; but what a sight - garbage in mountains, and papers on all roads and streets. "Garbage men" were on strike for better working conditions. There is "style" of strikes in France J

A few days after we arrived in Toulouse, Chris and Trevor from “Gallivant of London” paid us a visit – it was so very nice to see and talk to them.

Again, there were strikes, this time it was the farmers who showed their dissatisfaction with the prices for their services and products, as well as discontent with Sarkozy.

The sprayed slurry and dung in large quantities over the streets. It could be smelled from afar. Moreover, burned tires, so black smoke covered the sky. When they had finished; the cleaning cars came.. Some hours later, there was no trace of the strike. The French are brilliant to remove waste and clean quickly.

Here in the harbour are many of our “boat friends” from last winter in Carcassonne.

The French channel organization, VNF, had announced that Carcassonne port was shut down this winter because of work. So, all boats had found other winter ports.

VNF reconsidered and announced a month ago that there would be no work in the harbour this winter. But when all boats had agreements in other ports, port Carcassonne is just closed. It is also closed next year, when they will work at the port - maybe.

It's been nice to meet with others from Carcassonne, and others we have met along the way several times. Afternoons of talk and a glass of wine.

A birthday was a very good “excuse” for gathering the “boating people” from last year in Carcassone here in Toulouse; so did Beate from “Grasse Matinee Free”. Snacks and wine in the capitainerie, then lunch at a small cosy Vietnamese restaurant.

We have had a period of cold weather, down to 0 degrees at night. Also days with rain, and not just drizzle. Luckily the boat is hollow and we can put heat on.. But otherwise, it has been a tremendously beautiful and rich autumn sunshine. Right now we have up to 17-20 degrees during the day and approx. 10-12 degrees at night.

We went to Bilbao - Spain - for a few days to visit the Guggenheim Museum.. A work of art in itself. Designed by the American architect Frank Gehry, completed in 1997 and build in titanium, glass and sandstone, which gives an incredible play and imagination. The town itself is exciting and there is life on the streets a Friday evening. We have not seen so many children, even small children playing outside near midnight; people are talking, having a glass of wine/beer or a cup of coffee.

It is a lovely city, and it has got a boost thanks to the museum.

On the way to Bilbao, we visited one of Jytte’s former colleagues. Now he lives in Bayonne. It was really nice to hug and talk. He had ordered lunch for us at a nice restaurant and then he showed us "his" town. Bayonne is the capital of the French Basque region. It is located between 2 rivers, and is a charming town

On the way back from Bilbao, we drove near the Spanish coastline and the foothills of the Pyrenees. Beautiful to look at the Atlantic, after that we drove back on the highway again to one million/one billion money J

Saturday the 7^th of November the water level in the port/channel began to decrease. We were prepared. It was given to fall between 0.9 m - 1 m. Work should be done on a pile below the waterline. The water level fell by 1.25 m. All boats were at the bottom in the mud. We were very solid grounded, without being able to shake the boat. The benefit was that our flat dish could be set in a fixed position so we could watch TV better. Fortunately we had just enough water to use our toilet.

It was not easy to get from the pontoons up on the quayside. Along the canal up to the harbour are several major hotel and restaurant boats. They had moved to the middle of the canal and tied up to trees on both sides, otherwise they could tip over.

It lasted 4½ days, and during a night and a day the water level was normal again. No boats were damaged by standing in the mud. But pretty nice to be able to feel that it is a boat you are on.

In a 1½ km stretch, we observed 12 bikes, iron bars which stuck straight up and a lot of other things that was been thrown into the canal. There were also mountains of autumn leaves. It was obviously not removed and now when the water level is as high it does not appear. However, as previously written, we do understand that we sometimes hit things when we are sailing J

We enjoy the city again and have been walking around. There are wonderful markets, beautiful churches, the basilica (the largest Romanesque in Europe). We have visited the museum Augustine. Toulouse became the centre of Romanesque art in Europe because of its location on the pilgrim route, the road to Santiago de Compostela.

The museum offers the cloisters of an Augustinian from 1300-century and much more.

Even here in Toulouse there were held a marathon, but a little pale in comparison to Paris. But the sweaty people did their utmost J it was 3 Kenyans who stood victorious coupling.

There is much talk of influenza H1N1 on TV and the radio here in France.. Every supermarket has shelves with disinfectant fluids for hands and masks.

The last days before we are driving back to Denmark, we will see more of Toulouse, fix the boat for the winter and buy what we want to bring home.

The city has begun to trim up for Christmas.

On the way home, we will stay a few days in Paris to see good friends there.

The most loving autumn greetings 

Jytte and Rudy