(Dave happily exclaiming)
- We almost had our first injury.
(woman indistinctly chattering)
(person laughing)
(rhythmic music)
- [Deb] We took a self-drive scenic canal cruise
along the Canal Du Midi in the south of France with Le Boat.
- [Dave] Today, we're taking you on a journey
from Toulouse where we transferred to Homps
and spent seven days in the south of France
cruising to Castelnaudary.
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- Get ready to see the stunning landscapes,
ancient villages
and historic landmarks
along this famous UNESCO world heritage site.
(light upbeat music)
The main city to fly into for a Canal Du Midi cruise
is Toulouse where the canal begins.
And we met my brother and sister-in-law
at the airport where Le Boat was waiting
to transfer us to Homps which takes about 90 minutes.
(light upbeat music)
But before leaving,
make sure to check out the Canal Du Midi.
It begins in Toulouse and runs all the way
to the Mediterranean Sea for 250 kilometers.
This major feat of engineering was built from 1666 to 1681.
And for centuries,
it was an important mode of transportation.
But with the invention of the railway, it declined.
And today, leisure cruises have taken over.
And the best way to see it is on your own barge.
(lights upbeat music)
(bright music)
We have arrived in Homps,
here in the south of France
on the Canal Du Midi for our "The boat trip."
It's such a charming town.
You definitely wanna get here early
and enjoy a night out for dinner.
There's a grocery store where you can pick up your supplies.
There's plenty of cafes where you can have a drink
and it's just this charming village.
We've stocked up on our groceries
and we're getting ready to head out.
(bright music)
And right behind me is our boat.
This time we're going on a Vision SL.
I'm going to take you on a tour to see what it's like.
Let's go inside and see what this is like.
So this is the inside of the Vision 3.
All of the bedrooms are all in one place
with the front cabin hanging out here.
Oh, this is very pleasant.
So this is where we'll be hanging out for the night.
We have a full fridge.
Kitchen.
We got the grocery pack here.
So they gave us this little starter kit.
Let's take a look at the bedrooms.
Okay, there's plenty of space on the bedrooms here.
So this is a different setup than the Horizon.
All of the bedrooms are all the same,
so you're not fighting over different sizes.
And it's a very nice bathroom.
(bright music)
- Getting our orientation.
Getting the boat all ready
to head out on the Canal Du Midi.
It's gonna be fun.
Even if you don't have any boating experience, don't worry.
The Le Boat staff goes through the entire boat with you
before departure and shows you how to drive it.
There are speed limiters on the boat
and thrusters to help you navigate.
(bright music)
While we didn't find the Vision boats as easy to handle
as the premier Horizon boats,
it still was not too difficult to park and steer
as long as you gave plenty of time for the boat to turn
and anticipate the route
that you need to take ahead of time.
(bright music)
The Vision boats are considered comfort plus boats.
And after testing both boats,
we would choose the Horizon boats.
The Horizons are the premier boats
and we like the layout much better.
Plus they're newer and easier to navigate.
You can check out our Rideau Canal cruise
for a tour of the Horizon line.
(bright music)
Something to be prepared for on the Canal Du Midi
are the very low bridges.
We were surprised to find
that we couldn't keep our canopy up
to protect from the harsh south of France sun
as every few hundred meters,
we had to take it down to go under the ancient bridges.
So make sure to pack a hat,
plenty of sunscreen and stock up on water.
- [Deb] Most bridges were so low we had to duck our heads
and make sure to warn all passengers to do the same
or there would be some serious injuries.
- [Dave] Get down!
- [Deb] Holy cow!
(Dave happily exclaiming)
- We almost had our first injury.
(woman indistinctly chattering)
(person laughing)
That is crazy.
They're so low.
I can't believe you've gotta duck to go under the bridges.
- [Deb] We're ducking!
Woo hoo.
From Homps to Castelnaudary,
we navigated through 45 different locks.
We also navigated under almost as many bridges
of different sizes and heights,
over aqueducts and through both narrow and wide channels
creating a unique adventure on the water.
(upbeat music)
Is it nerve-wracking, Dave, or are you pretty calm?
- It's a little nerve-wracking.
I gotta say that the canal's pretty narrow.
And those bridges, man...
The first two are pretty scary.
Not too bad now, once you get the hang of the boat.
- [Deb] Now we're going over a bridge.
- [Dave] Yes, that's crazy.
(playful upbeat music)
- Here we go! (water gushing)
(playful upbeat music)
- [David] Working the locks on the Canal Du Midi
is quite the adventure.
We recommend at least four people
to take a Le Boat vacation on this canal.
- So when you're doing the Canal Du Midi,
one person has to get off the boat and get to the top
and then the people on the boat throw you the rope.
Now I'm holding it up here as we go up.
(upbeat music)
- [Dave] Whenever you come up to a lock,
one person has to get off the boat
to catch the ropes from the deck
and loop it around the cleats at the top of the dock.
Then there is one person at the front
and one person at the back
to hold the boat in place as the water rushes in.
(water gushing)
- And of course, the fourth person is the captain
who does a lot of the work navigating through the locks.
(upbeat music)
As soon as the boat is level with the dock,
you can get back on and continue on to the next lock.
Woo!
I'm on the ropes!
One thing you really need on the Canal Du Midi are gloves.
The ropes are really rough and hurt your hands
and they flush their toilet water into the Canal Du Midi,
so you really don't wanna touch the water
with your hands if you don't have to.
I wash them on a regular basis as it is
but the gloves come in very handy.
(upbeat music)
So on this portion of the Canal Du Midi,
we take care of our own locks.
There's a set of four locks here
and they're all about a kilometer apart.
So you just get on your bike.
La la!
And you ride up.
And then we have this little booth
that we actually take care of the locks ourselves.
So I just rode up here.
When I see the boat coming,
I'm going to press the button to start opening the locks.
So they have a lot of trust and faith in people,
I have to say.
(upbeat music)
So now all I have to do is press the green cycle
and it does all the work for me.
Let's go.
(upbeat music)
So the bike really came in handy on this Le Boat
on the Canal Du Midi
because there are a lot of locks
where you have to get off the boat.
And I just found that it was easier sometimes
to ride in between the locks
if they were only a kilometer or wo apart.
So I highly recommend it.
There's hiking trails and a lot of the towns
are actually a couple kilometers away.
So it does help to rent the bikes.
(reflective music)
- Welcome to the beautiful city of Carcassonne.
(reflective music)
So we're here at the entrance of Carcassonne medieval city.
Wow! Look at that behind me.
And that's just a little bit of it.
(upbeat music)
One of the best stops on the Canal Du Midi
is the medieval city of Carcassonne,
with its iconic castle standing at its centerpiece.
(upbeat music)
We suggest parking here for two nights
as it truly is a highlight of the trip
between Homps and Castelnaudary.
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The main attraction is the Castle of Carcassonne.
And we took a detour of it
to explore the outer defensive walls
and the interior of the castle.
(upbeat music)
So we're inside the castle now, which is amazing.
You come up upon the castle walls
and what you see is just amazing.
It opens up in front of you.
You see the church.
You see the steeples.
And you see the guard towers.
It's incredible to think how this was built over centuries.
Carcassonne dates back to the first century
as a Roman military fortress,
with the castle walls being built in the 13th century.
It was in the 19th century
that the castle was restored to its original glory.
(upbeat music)
What is really cool is that the ramparts
are all around the city
and when you come up here,
you can go into the castle and that's what we're doing now.
Check this out.
(upbeat music)
So I would say it's definitely worth it to come in
and do the tour of the castle,
but also get a look at the museum
for all the artifacts that they found
in and around this area.
It's very interesting to see how everything was built
from the Roman times
up into the further times down the road.
It really is pretty amazing to see.
It's very well-preserved.
(upbeat music)
So we're here in the church of Saints Nazaire et Celse,
and it's very impressive
because one side of it was built by the Romans
and the other side is in a gothic style.
And what makes it really cool
is that the stain glass windows in here
are from the 13th and 14th century.
The original stain glass windows.
Really impressive.
Within the old city walls you'll find shops,
cafes and boutiques lining the ancient past.
- [Deb] Plus there's a luxury hotel
if you are looking to get off the boat for the night.
Or you can just have some lunch there if you want, as well.
(upbeat music)
- And that was the city of Carcassonne.
(rhythmic music)
- Welcome to Trebes.
(rhythmic music)
- [Deb] Another excellent stop for the night is Trebes.
This lovely village has walking paths, an olive producer,
and plenty of places to eat.
(upbeat music)
But the picturesque harbor is the perfect spot
to enjoy the onboard barbecue.
- Dinner time!
Cheers.
- It's busy leaving Trebes.
This is one of the busiest stop.
There's lots of tight places
but Dave handled it like a pro.
(upbeat music)
- There are plenty of places to moor for the night
if you don't make it to any of the other villages or towns.
And with a full kitchen and barbecue,
you're self-sufficient.
(upbeat music)
Dinnertime on Le boat.
(upbeat music)
Cheers!
But the final town we're going to highlight
is Castelnaudary.
This is a place where we spent two nights
and you can easily do a day trip here
to Toulouse by catching the train.
- Look at this beautiful harbor
we are coming into here in Castelnaudary.
Nice spot to spend a day.
(upbeat music)
- Castelnaudary was a final stop
on our trip along the Canal Du Midi,
and besides the Le Boat offices at Homps and Trebes,
there is one here as well.
We spent two nights here to explore the medieval town
while Jim and Janice went into Toulouse
for the day by train.
(pensive music)
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- Toulouse is a very walkable city
and you can see many of the sites in a day
by just walking around the downtown area.
I love this main capital square here.
During the day, they have a great huge market
if you wanna do some shopping.
(upbeat music)
We recommend visiting Toulouse before your trip
to settle into the French way of life
and soak up the atmosphere.
It's a city that requires at least two days.
(upbeat music)
- [Dave] And if you want to stock up on supplies,
you can do some shopping here
or wait until you get to Homps
or you're starting destination.
(upbeat music)
- Toulouse is located on the Garonne River
and you must come down
to the Place de la Garonne to see the Pont Neuf.
and all of the sites along the river.
(upbeat music)
- We stayed at the Hotel Grand Balcon,
located just steps away from the city square.
It's a chic boutique hotel and a great place to relax
before your boat trip down the Canal Du Midi.
(upbeat music)
We have an entire video
dedicated to the best things to do in Toulouse.
So make sure to click on the links in the description
to see more if you're planning on a few days there.
(rhythmic music)
- [Deb] Back in Castelnaudary,
there are enough activities to keep you busy
for at least a day or two as well.
- There are plenty of restaurants lining the canal
so make sure to get out and explore.
(upbeat music)
Also, make sure to take a stroll through the town
to see its historic buildings, city square,
cathedrals, and ancient windmill at the top of the town.
(upbeat music)
It's then time to check out
and gather up your things for a transfer back to Toulouse.
(upbeat music)
So when you return your boat here from Le Boat,
basically what you do is you give it a clean
unless you have the actual cleaning service
where they'll do a little bit more.
You don't have to do it super clean
but just so that it's presentable.
And then you go into the office,
drop off your bag,
they'll come out with a technician,
run through the boat and then you're good to go.
(upbeat music)
- And that's the end of our Le Boat tour
here on the Canal Du Midi.
And we are on the way to the Toulouse Airport
in our sweet ride with the Executive Road Lines.
Book 'em, baby.
(upbeat music)
- [Dave] If you enjoyed this video,
make sure to subscribe
and click on that bell for notifications
'cause we put out new travel videos every week.
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