CANAL CRUSING
Rushing through France on a coach tour is one way to see a range of motorways, and eventually a small taste of Paris, but it leaves the traveller with a bland impression of a grand and enchanting country.
One of the better ways to experience France is to hire a canal boat and cruise slowly through the countryside. Rural scenes of rolling pasture are made more exciting when on a turn of the canal; a spectacular ancient chateau looms into view.
It is preferable to have someone who can speak a little French, because most people in the French countryside have only one language. just as the majority of English speaking people in their home countries. The challenge of conversing with the lock keepers or the local shop keepers adds to the fun of the trip. It is a chance to test those almost forgotten school phrases.
CANAL REGIONS
There are three main areas where companies hire boats to cruise the canal: The South, where the canals meander from the Bordeaux area across to the coast of the Mediterranean . Inland from Brittany to the South of the Chateau region, there is a network of excellent canals. The biggest region of them all is the Burgundy area and north, reaching up into Germany.
Deciding on which canal to see is difficult as each area has its own distinct character. Two weeks is preferable to one and certainly a one way hire from one point in a canal to another is better than a return journey.
Brittany can have very changeable weather and might not be the best choice for early or late in the summer season. The south has less of the small villages. Burgundy has a good range of options and ample to see.
NEGOTIATING THE LOCKS
It takes a little while to get used to the procedure of the locks. Going up is harder than going down and it wouldn't hurt to aim for a cruise that takes the descent rather than the ascent.
Two people can negotiate the locks if one disembarks just before the entrance to the lock and works alongside the lock keeper, while the other one drives and stabilises the boat.
On an ascent, the water will be let into the lock raising the level of the canal. Some operators will gently fill the lock while others will flood the confined space, with an alarming rush of water, and a quiet smirk lurking on their lips. The ropes are thrown to the person at the top and secured around a post.
The driver must be able to keep the boat from bumping into the sides of the lock by using the boat's engine or by the person on the ground keeping a tight hold on the ropes. Gradually the level increases and the driver rises in the boat up to the next level. A new world awaits from this vantage.
On the descent, the boat sits placidly in the lock and there is little need for ropes as the water drains away lowering the boat to the new depth. Sometimes there may be three or four locks joined together, or more.
The more people on the boat trip, the easier managing the boat becomes. A larger boat is no more difficult than a small one if there are sufficient crew.
ON BOARD
For the duration of the cruise, the boat is home. It is equipped with sleeping quarters, a kitchen, a shower and toilet and a dining/living area.
No one can travel any faster than six knots. It is illegal to make any wake. This keeps the canal walls from eroding. It means the journey is leisurely and serene.
COUNTRYSIDE
How anyone can trust fishing in these murky, well used waterways is a mystery. But there are fishermen and fishing huts to be seen. The muddy waters have life, we are told. At least reflections of life are certainly there to see from the farms and livestock along with river bank.
Early in the morning the drifts of river mist float thinly on the water and lift and fade. On clear days, the canal mirrors perfect images. Stone bridges become looming stone circles and the trees that line the water's edge stand admiring their shapely images as they lean with dropping arms toward the water.
FRENCH VILLAGES
A quick stop to toss the bicycles from the roof of the boat onto the bank. Off to a local village for long crisp loaves of French bread for breakfast. Bread from a tiny settlement of six houses; better than ever tasted before.
Make a stop a little earlier than the working lunch break time at noon, to buy exquisite cheeses, pastries and fruit tarts. A rural village no bigger than a few houses, will have a patisserie with first class baking. A woman will attend your needs, with her hair coiffed and her make-up and dress, ready for the Champs Elysee. Your tart will be handed to you in an elaborate box complete with ribbons, exquisitely presented.
There is no point in rushing. Once the lunch time is in process in France, no one is open for business. There is a sudden stop to all work and no locks will open, no shop will show any signs of life for two hours. There is nothing for it but to settle on the boat and enjoy the day's eating delights.
In some towns there is a chateau to visit or a cafe to eat at. Simply wandering the cobbled streets and photographing historic houses and churches, is a satisfying way to idle the lunch time away. Riding through the paddocks and meadows and spotting stone dwellings and a surprise small chateau is another way to use this time.
Food is much cheaper in general in the countryside, than in Paris and it is here that true French food and of course local wines, can be sampled.
