Carcassonne Canal Cruises Inc.

Well, we didn't want to leave Avignon really. As I said before - we really loved it there. However, on Friday morning we trotted off to the bus stop and made our way to the station. And off we went. It was actually quite an interesting trip, passing through some well known places and skirting the Mediterranean. Carcassonne railway station is quite central
and we had no trouble walking through the town and finding our hotel. Which was fine, and with a great view of the famous old walled city, high up on a hill. However, we weren't in a great head space and were feeling a bit blah at that stage.
But off we went back into town and to the Tourism Office. Where the young woman had a badge on which indicated that she spoke English, and she even told me she did. She was a bit funny though when I spoke to her in English, so I asked her in French if there were any tours for the next day. (Such as we had done in Avignon.) She almost cried out with pain, winced, turned her whole body round away from me, and proceded to talk to Louise. That REALLY boosted my confidence, I can tell you! So anyway, it transpired that were were no tours the next day. She did at least tell us where to find an internet cafe, as Suzanne needed to check in with her sister who is having a few problems at the moment, and Louise and I are always starters when it comes to checking emails! So we stayed there for half an hour, then walked through the town again. Oh yes, we came across a shop called Otago Rugby! I was quite taken aback! Is it a chain? I haven't seen any others. Interesting!

I wonder if Pita Sharples has vetted the pictures of Maori Rugby - they look more like Easter Islanders to me!
And so to Canal Cruise #473. Nah, just kidding. We had bought tickets to cruise the Canal du Midi, of which we had heard so much. Certainly the young girl doing the commentary was great, and some of the history was interesting, but apart from one lock there wasn't anything to see. Just trees lining the river bank. Nice trees of course! I enjoyed the relaxation, but once again felt as if it was a bit, well.... underwhelming perhaps. Granted, I don't know what I expected. And I don't need bells and whistles. But it lacked something I thought.
But on a very positive note, after feeling a bit wounded by the girl in the tourism office, the commentary girl asked me to repeat what I had said when I spoke to her in French. "Are you French or English?" she asked. I laughed and said that I spoke English, which I was sure she knew, and she said that I had no foreign accent!! I might add that I only spoke about three words, but I still could have hugged her to bits!
Anyway, back to the hotel and a swim in the pool. Oh yes! :-) And a nice, if somewhat sparse, meal. We would have had a starter had we known the minimalist approach was the order of the day!
And that was our first day in Carcassonne. And I'm sorry, because I have accidentally made all the photos medium instead of small. Sorry if they are a bit in-your-face. :-)