Blogs from Castelnaudary, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, Europe

After breakfast we set off and were overtaken by 2 boats, which we followed through a series of locks every half a km or so. These locks could fit 3 boats in it so we all went in together. We got to the la Peyruque lock at 12pm and only 2 could fit at a time so the 2 in front of us went ahead. By this point it was 12:15 and the locks shut between 12:30 and 1:30 for lunch so the lock keeper came along and told us to tie up and he’d be back after his lunch. Consequently, our lunch stop was just before the la Peyruque lock. The lock keeper didn’t open the lock until 2pm, so that slowed us down and after going through the lock, we cruised along and enjoyed ... read more

Life at the chateau has been pretty tough, it is not that big as chateaux go, 6 or eight bedrooms, but a great kitchen which used to be the mini baronial hall, lovely pool and grounds in a the lovely little village of Salles sur l'Hers, Did a few km on the bike through countryside made famous by van Gogh, most recently to url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Mirepoix/@43.089216,1.87377,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m5!1e2!3m3!1s2601788!2e1!3e10!4m2!3m1!1s0x12afaa2cb3b6c569:0x9e50dc56c7a98564!6m1!1e1Mirepoixwhich has a beautiful mediaeval square, My Frnch is improving beyond all expectations and even if I am averaging between one and five words in ten depending on how quickly it is being spoken. I find I can say "oui, oui"and "d'accord" at the appropriate time and the locals are very patient. Traveling by train from Toulouse to Castelnaudray I was chatting with some French who were on ... read more