Back in France , Carcassonne and the Canal du Midi

Well, we are getting down to the wire with our eight month escape from reality about to hit the skids 
Twenty one days before we head off to Heathrow for the final time.
Both Julia and myself have mixed feelings about the thought of returning home. On the one hand it will be just great to catch up with children and friends however you know, we have been on a bit of a roll over here and we have got ourselves into the sort of lifestyle that we will sorely miss.
Enough of that 
A few days back we (and friends John/Sue) flew out of Rome and onto Carcassonne for a couple nights stay in the Hotel Donjon, one of the few hotels located within the medieval walls of the old city sited atop a hill overlooking the city proper. What a great location . Lots to see, great bars and restaurants , and access to all activities is a mere stroll away from the hotel.
The walled  city is a fairly weird place when you think about it. It's a bit like a French version of Disneyland. You know the score, heaps of tourists at every turn, eating and watering holes round every corner, tourists junk for sale in bulk, smiling happy people, and stunning scenery. A fantastic place for a two night stay. If you stayed any longer you would go a bit nutty.
Then we were off to Homps to pick up our boat for a seven day float along the Canal du Midi, up back through Carcassonne with the final destination of Castelnaudary .
Unlike previous canal trips (The Saone river near Dijon in 2008 and the Cheshire Ring around greater Manchester in 2010) this trip is like a stroll in the park. Every lock is manned by a permanent lock keeper so all our involvement is limited to that of spectators who simply have to hang onto ropes as the boat makes its way through all of the forty plus locks.
Back in both 2008 and 2010 we had to work like slaves on those boat trips as all locks had to be operated by the boat crew and let me tell you some of those locks were very dodgy. The other big plus on this particular trip is the complete absense of any tunnels, so no mor dramas like we had back in 2010.
Four days into this cruise and there is little to report. The only highlight to date has to be the antics of a middle aged Sydney couple who, having informed us that they were experienced sailors, have now spent the last three days impersonating a couple who have zero know how in respect to "things boating".
To date these guys have done a pretty good job at playing the fool. We must have traversed twenty locks with these guys  and to date they have stuffed up at every turn. You would have thought they would have got the hang of things by now however they just don't seem to have the ability to learn from previous mistakes. The wife is a complete disaster. Her party piece is to lob the boats retaining ropes back into their boat just as the lock master releases a veritable torrent of water as he opens up the gates to raise the lock water level The husband is then forced to battle with the elements as he attempts to keep his boat under control. I would say that after seven days on this canal said couple will no longer be on speaking terms. Meanwhile the Alcorn/Cockcroft vessel sails serenely on into the sunset
A word about travelling with friends for any extended period. This can be a tricky deal. It's a fact that heaps of friendships have turned sour over trivial stuff that has gone down during trips. I have to say that both Julia and myself feel very luck yo have a couple of friends like John and Sue. Over the years we have travelled with these guys in Australia, Asia, the UK and France without so much as one minute of hassle. Great stuff
Next Monday (15/10) we are back to London for a final frantic seventeen days of bars, restaurants and concerts.
Then that's it. The party's over.