L'Avenir - cruising Europe's inland waterways

Castets en Dorthe We have had 3 new crew members over the past couple of weeks. For the first week the heatwave continued and the second was constant rain and thunderstorms. Not sure which was worse but as our guests were from Scotland perhaps the rain was more bearable. Our original intention had been to continue upstream on the Canal du Midi from Toulouse. This would have meant dismantling our windscreens and taking down the canvas canopy in order to fit under the low bridges. We decided it would be just too unpleasant without the shade as well as going up some deep locks - hard work at the best of times. So, we turned back along the canal de Garonne. Even though we (but not our guests) have travelled much of this route several times nothing is ever quite the same and occasionally it is an altogether different experience. You don't want to hear about what was the same so here's what was new for us. Tarn at Moissac Down on the Tarn We've passed through Mo...

 This was our second visit to Toulouse. Last time we didn't see a great deal of the city as we were pretty well confined to port waiting for the elusive courier to pick up our dud air conditioner. So we were keen to get out and about- The port is situated less than a km from the centre and so very convenient including for the one with the gammy knee as this city has embraced cycling in a big way. There are great cycle lanes and bikes for hire everywhere. The city centre is pedestrianised but unlike many towns bikes are permitted as well.   Toulouse is known as The Rose City thanks to its lovely pink building bricks which are particularly attractive in the sun's glow. And glow the sun did whilst we were there. Most days were around 35- 38 degrees so our sightseeing involved a large amount of searching for shade. Here's a list of some of what we did. In no particular order and almost certainly not what you'll find on Trip Advisor's list of top 10s. 1. Shad...

 Firstly, apologies for the long delay an posting an update. We've had a stretch of energy sapping heat when the only sensible thing to do is abandon the roasting decks and 40 degree interior of the boat and find a park (preferably with a fountain) or, if that's not available, any old tree will do. When even Les Toulousains are visibly wilting and begin conversations with a sigh and a complaint about 'la chaleur' (the heat) you know it's a little unusual. 'But you're from Australia. You should be used to this,' people say all the time failing to take into account the fact that we don't live inside a 13m steel oven in the heat of an Aussie summer.   Some of you may remember our previous experience with an onboard air conditioner - come to think of it that saga was concluded on our last visit to Toulouse - but we fleetingly toyed with the idea of buying one again. By fleetingly I mean as long as it took to read the price ticket - the cheapest on...

Stormy Skies - Montauban   We spent a pleasant few days in Moissac. The port is a very friendly one. So welcoming, in fact, that we had no sooner tied up than Jim, the Capitaine, shouted across the canal inviting us over that evening to meet the other boaters for drinks. 'Laid on especially to welcome you,' he joked. In fact it is a weekly get together but very enjoyable and it was great to meet everyone. The canal community is so diverse; people from all over the world of different backgrounds and with such interesting stories. We also like the town clustered around its 7th century abbey which reputedly has the loveliest cloisters in France. I'm sorry to say I haven't yet visited them but I intend to on our return. Moissac Abbey  The town is situated on the banks of the River Tarn and it is possible to lock down onto the river and cruise around 12 kms. Pontoons had just been re-installed when we were there (they are removed over winter) but they weren'...

One of the beautiful lavoirs at Valence d'Agen We travelled a less than epic distance of 7km on our first day of cruising. 'You do know it's going to rain?' I was saying a quick goodbye to a small group of the other boaters we've come to know quite well in Buzet's port. We all looked up at the steadily darkening sky. I nodded and shrugged. L'Avenir's engine was already going and from the signs of activity on deck  it looked as though I'd better get a move on or I'd miss the boat. Time to go. Our general rule is that we don't move when it's raining preferring to stay warm and dry inside looking out in sympathy and admiration for those that do. They tend to fall into two groups; the hirers who don't want to miss a single day of their expensive holiday and the intrepid  yachties who seem to me to be a race apart. This canal (the Garonne) joins up with the Canal du Midi and together they are known as the Canal du Deux Mers (canal o...

 Doctor's Waiting Room - everyone's gone outside for a smoke I have abandoned ship whilst our new batteries are being wrestled on board and below decks into a space just big enough to accommodate them and requiring Houdini skills to reach. I prefer to be well out of earshot of the 3 men doing this job on a humid 35 degree day. Each of the 2 batteries is nearly 70kg and they have to get the dud ones out first. Yesterday we visited the doctor to get some advice on the gammy knee. This entailed a phone call to make an appointment which is my least favourite thing to try and attempt in French. I had a brain fade, suddenly not remembering the word for appointment which is, the virtually unforgettable, 'rendez-vous'. So, I said (in French) I wanted to 'see' the doctor which apparently doesn't translate well. There was a longish pause then the person on the other end said, 'but why?' So I then had to launch into an undoubtedly unnecessary description...

We're back - and seemingly doomed to repeat last year's debacle. 11 months is too long to leave a boat completely neglected. Poor l'Avenir looked in a sad and sorry state when we arrived. This part of the canal de Garonne, unlike the Midi, is blessed with abundant, healthy, beautiful trees all of which drop their leaves in winter. L'Avenir acquired a winter blanket which rotted down over time into a gooey sludge, blocking drain holes and blanking out the sun from the solar panels. Result? Scungey decks and worse - flat batteries. I feel all the energy being sucked out of me as I write those words.You may remember that we had battery problems last year which led to other disasters. Well, here we are with the sequel and it's one of those really boring ones where it's just a re-run of the original. After 2 days travelling all we wanted was a cup of tea and a visit to the loo both of which require elctricity. (Yes, even the loo). We connected up to the mains a...

Xmas in Australia - Santa arriving on the local fire truck It's been a long time since the last blog post. I had meant to update everyone and make my excuses much sooner and now here we are into another year. It's odd that as kids we often said 'I didn't mean to (insert catastrophe)' whereas now I'm forever excusing myself with 'I meant to (insert any number of jobs)'. When we left l'Avenir in Buzet at the end of May we had thought we might return for a month or so later in the season but we winterised her 'just in case'. As it turned out this was a wise move. And so, to the reason we had such a short summer season in 2016. We became grandparents for the first time and what a delightful experience that has turned out to be. Our grandson was born in mid June and is, of course, entirely gorgeous. The one drawback to being at home has been we have had to endure our first Melbourne winter in nearly 10 years. And yes, it does get cold and w...