We are on our way to Carcassone on the Canal du Midi. Locks aren't exactly easy. The bollards are too far back to reach, and the locks are deep...so I have to climb the lock ladder, Peter has to position the boat and then throw me the ropes. Sometimes I don't catch them... sometimes they don't reach me when he throws... locks have curved walls rather than straight sides, so often our barge is to big for the curve. Lock keeps are are not allowed to help. Rumour has it that a lock keeper in former years, threw the end of a rope back on a boat after placing it around a bollard, and hit a person in the eye. They sued the VNF. Hence, no lock keeper can handle ropes from a boat.

But we are persevering. The canal itself is very beautiful.