Stopped for lunch at the same joint where we had the delicious sausage as part of a mixed plate. I tried to order it again solo, but alas got something else this time. Hmmm. Maybe the pork plate means whatever pork they feel like serving that day…
Found a painting I wanted to purchase but they don’t take credit cards. We don’t have enough cash, and there is no bank machine anywhere nearby. Dang. They speak no English, but I manage to communicate that we would be back for the painting tomorrow. Hopefully the next town will have a bank machine.
We then went to the only place on the canal with Wifi according to the guidebook. Note that Wifi is pronounced “Wee Fee” here. We paid €3 only to find that: (1) we can’t sit together because our laptops interfere with each other and the base station, (2) the internet connection is so slow as to be useless. I was able to download 5 emails of the 200 waiting for me over about 1 hour. Sigh.
We then decided to take another canal down to the next town. The canals intersect believe it or not. On this canal the locks are “automatic” meaning there is no lock keeper – you press the buttons to cycle the locks yourself. The first one stumped us. When I pressed the button to go the direction we were headed, nothing happened. We puzzle. We puzzle. We puzzle some more. Then suddenly it starts working. Very odd. We speculate maybe there is some kind of timer that limits the amount of traffic they let down that canal. (Note: The next day we would wish this was the reason… alas I don’t think so.)
I asked Dave to hand me a bike off the boat so I could ride ahead to the next lock and get it cycling to let him in before he arrives. This speeds the trip considerably, and gets me some exercise.
While waiting for Dave at the next lock, I run into three couples who had pulled over in a car to stop and watch the locks. One spoke a few words of English. Between her English and my French, we managed to communicate the following:
- That I had ridden my bike (Homps) down from the previous lock and wait waiting for my husband (point at ring on my left hand and then his boat in the distance). That I was riding the bike ahead got big laughs.
- That we were from Washington. “Washington DC?” “Non. Mer Pacific.” “Ah. Oui, Washington State.” “Oui.”
- That they had too much Vin with lunch.
- That we were experiencing the very best of France and should return every year. I figured their enthusiasm might have something to do with the Vin at lunch.
It was so hot that when we arrived in Salléles-d’Aude, we closed up the boat and turned on the AC. I got in a cold shower and then I stood in front of the AC (anyone who knows me will be shocked to their core by this but I swear it is true).
We went to dinner and found a little place in the middle of town as the restaurant on the canal didn’t look very good. Dinner was fabulous. They looked to have a big Turkish coffee machine in the corner.