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.

The Amalfi. It's breakfast. Time to join in battle!

Ever wondered what they serve up for breakfast on the Amalfi Coast?

Wonder no more.
Breakfast line ups don't generally merit comment however the bog standard Amalfi breakfast has to be an exception.
First up are mountains of chunky sliced white loaves. No surprises there.
Up next are plates of cut tomatoes drenched in olive oil and scary sized slices of Mozzarella cheese. This is fairly challenging stuff.
And finally, down to the business end of the deal. Watermelon , melon and pineapple thrown together with a hot croissant and chocolate fudge cake all covered with caramel sauce and icing sugar.
Wash that down with endless cups of dodgy Cappuccino and you are set for the day.
It's not as bad as it sounds. You just have to accept that your stomach is going to spend the better part of a couple of hours figuring out how to attack the problem that you have presented for it.

The Amalfi Coast. A great destination for a quick October trip, As for the high season? Forget it. Save your sanity and stay at home

Come on Julia, you know you are best person to handle these Post Office types. Just give em' the old Kiwi charm

The Amalfi Post Ofiice. Don't let the exterior fool you for one minute. Trust me, there's mayhem awaiting you inside

Aaah, the trusty ticket dispenser. This sucker has been taking training lessons from Hal , the computer who went hay wire in 2001 A Space Odyssey 

It's pointless to think for even a nano second that this ticket number bears any relationship to the  expression sequential numbering. That process would be waaaay too easy

Numbers that don't make sense . Non existent counters  . Keep it rolling. We have lived in Europe for months. we are battle hardened  Bring it on!

That guy hiding behind is living proof that , that...........well, something!

Have you got an hour to kill and wish to test your powers of endurance? Boy , have I just got the place for you!

Welcome to public service hell, aka, the Almafi Post office.
On the face of it the whole process shouldn't have been a big deal.
Julia had purchased a small cardboard box from the local Post Office, stuffed it full of whatever to send home by mail, however when she went to post same on Monday morning at the Pergine Valdarno, she was put off by the line of pensioners all awaiting their Monday cash hand outs from their friendly Post Office, so she decided to mail the box when we reached Amalfi.
The drama started the minute she walked through the front door. The deal is that there is a yellow ticket dispensing machine located near the entrance. You press the appropriate button (yellow for a mail related issue or green for all others matters) then you wait until your number pops up on an electronic board.
The problem here was that the machine had a mind of its own. Not only did this sucker pump out allocation numbers in totally random fashion , but also allocated these numbers to non existent counters .
Confusion reigned in abundance. Actually without putting too finer point on it, the scene that confronted Julia was one of total mayhem .
Then we get onto the three counter staff. Now this is a real Italian thing you have to get your head around. What you have to understand is that the number of staff bears no relation to the number of workers who are actually working. If there's half a dozen staff and only one actually serving the public, then that's it, end of story. There's simply no point getting bitter and twisted about this matter as there is nothing you can do about it. 
Maybe thirty minutes on and Julia is finally getting served by an old guy who, 1) can't speak English, 2) doesn't have a clue what he's doing, 3) is a computer illiterate and 4) is more interested in sharpening what he thinks is a pencil (which in fact is a biro pen) rather than addressing the issue at hand.
Without a word of a lie it took this space cadet fully thirty minutes to weigh and price the box. At one stage I actually thought Julia was about to leap, over the counter and do the job herself.
I could just about see the steam coming out of her ears.
And when it was all said and done, this old guy hobbled out the front door and stuck our parcel directly into the pannier bag of the Post Office motorcycle.
It's just a pity that this particular bike was only making local deliveries.
You have to laugh.

Cheers

A quick two days into Florence. A great city full of life

Ponte Vecchio, a medieval stone arch bridge. Great to take in from a distance. Try getting over it when a Japanese tour group has hit town  

The Duomo. I don't have a great head for heights. My condition hasn't improved as the result of climbing to the top of the dome. Great views however scary stuff for wimps like yours truly

The market in the plaza on the hill overlooking Florence. Never let it be said that Julia, Sue and John (standing directly to Julia's right) don't know a bargain when they see one. I should be grateful. That single purchase was completed in just sixty five minutes