Where Are We Going?

Many of the European cruises are called "return" trips.  In these, you start at a particular place and need to return there at the end of your trip.  However, we prefer a one way trip, where you start in one place and end in another, or traveling in a big circle.

LeBoat has four locations on the Canal du Midi, and a fifth just south of it.  We are starting at their westernmost base (Castelnaudary) and ending at their most eastern base (Port Cassafieres) ten days later.  Because LeBoat has so many bases, we will make use of them and stay at them as we pass through those towns.  Below is a very simplified map of our route. 

Our ending town of Port Cassafieres isn't shown here but it is between Villeneuve and Agde, right where the Canal meets the Mediterranean.

Our ending town of Port Cassafieres isn't shown here but it is between Villeneuve and Agde, right where the Canal meets the Mediterranean. 

I am a nut about researching the places where we'll be.  I always say that I'd hate to be pulling out of a town and just then find out about some amazing site that we could have visited, had we only known.  Also, on a boat, you can't always predict what time you'll arrive someplace.  There have been times when we pulled into a town and had very little time to explore, and had to pick just one museum, for example.  So, I want to know every possible place we can visit in every single town.  Of course, we can't get to all of them, but I'll have a long list of anything of interest to see in each town we pass through!

Preparing for a Wonderful Trip!

My husband, David, and I are preparing for our fifth European canal boating trip coming up soon!  This time we are headed to the Canal du Midi in the south of France.  Joining us are our friends, Barbara and Michael.  This is their first canal boating trip.

The first step in planning one of these trips is to decide where you want to go.  France has the most trip options of any European country, and the Canal du Midi is the most popular route of all.  It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site.  During the summer, it's very hot and crowded, so we're traveling in the fall when the weather should be better and the canal has fewer boaters.

The second step is to select the boat rental company and the boat.  We're going with LeBoat again.  We've used them several times, and by now, have a relationship with the "booker" in Florida.  Recently, we happened to meet her, and found out that her family used to own LeBoat.  This explains why she is so knowledgeable about the trips.

On this trip, we decided to splurge a little and rented a large boat called the Classique.  This boat is 42 feet long and it has four cabins and two bathrooms both with electric flush!  This means that the toilets flush like a toilet at home and doesn't require pumping to flush.  If you've ever taken one of these trips, you'll know exactly why this makes me so happy!  In addition, there are separate showers in each bathroom.


 

These are two pictures of the boat from the LeBoat website.

We always choose the "flying bridge" type of boat which allows the captain to drive from outside on the top of the boat and enjoy the weather along with better visuals of the canal and other boats.  Although it doesn't show in the pictures, there is quite a bit of seating space up there as well.  However, if the weather is inclement, there is a second driving station inside.

Above is the layout for the Classique.  The colored parts are the four cabins - two in the bow and two in the stern.  We obviously have tons of room!  In the middle section is a large U shaped couch (kind of pink) next to a l arge galley (kitchen).  Opposite the couch is the interior steering post.