![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.frenchbychoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ganil-Lock-approach.jpg\" "\\"Ganil")
<\/a>The mist and clouds give the Ganil Lock approach a sinister look<\/p><\/div>\n
This towpath dates from 1847 and was recently embellished with carvings by Toulouse sculptor, Daniel Monnier. He etched\/carved his vision of the river, its flora, its fauna, and swirling waters.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Luckily, we had visited St Cirq in the sunshine last week!<\/p><\/div>\n
We continued on to St-Cirq-Lapopie, which we had visited last week in the sunshine. The mist hung over St-Cirq the entire time we turned around and headed back downstream.<\/p>\n
Back at the Ganil lock, we had to wait while the lock filled up with four boats, a larger boat with a family of three and three tiny gabares filled with people.\u00c2\u00a0 They were bobbing and bumping into each other all over the place as they tried to manuever into the lock. Our line handlers chuckled as they watched the antics.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Let's jam more boats in here - there's a little more bobbing room!<\/p><\/div>\n
We finally entered the lock and proceeded downstream.\u00c2\u00a0 The mist cleared as we approached Bouzies from upstream and shortly the weather had changed to bright, blue sunny skies and warm.<\/p>\n
We passed through the Bouzies lock downstream from Bouzies at 11:07 AM,\u00c2\u00a0 and stopped at the St-Gery mooring spot for lunch of croque monsieurs sitting on the bank under a tree.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Here we are, lunching in the cornfield!<\/p><\/div>\n
We hauled our plastic table and chairs up onto the bank next to a cornfield\u00c2\u00a0 and relaxed for a while, until the Lot Navigation folks came by and asked us to move so their vehicles could pass.\u00c2\u00a0 We figured out how to use the timers on everyone’s cameras for a group photo op! Lunch on the bank of the Lot adjacent to a cornfield!<\/p>\n
Back on the river, we went through two more locks and stopped at Vers in mid-afternoon for showers and water re-fill. Three more locks, making a total of eight today (counting the one we did twice) ranging in depth from .3M\u00c2\u00a0 to over 3.5 meters (our guess, it was not marked).<\/p>\n
<\/a>We moored here, tied up to a tree for the evening!<\/p><\/div>\n
We finally ended our day, tied to a tree downstream of LaMagdelaine, between PK 167 and PK 168, in the very welcome shade of old oak trees – which pelted us with acorns all night long!<\/p>\n
So far, everyone has taken a turn at the helm! But our positions through the locks have stayed pretty constant. We’re all getting sun, there’s no where to hide on the boat – but, we are elated that our weather has held good and, we are definitely glad we did not plan this trip in July or August – would have been too hot and sticky.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Dinner of Cassoulet served on our "roof top" deck<\/p><\/div>\n
Underway, Mike started cassoulet, our supper for the evening. A casserole of duck, sausage, marguez sausage, white beans, bacon, lardons, onions, shallots, left over roast pork! We topped that off with a gateaux du noix, a regional specialty, a nut cake made of walnuts, topped with a caramel glaze.<\/p>\n
<\/a>While we were moored, the moon came out, with just a bit of clouds around it<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Just a bit of scenery along the Lot<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Ganil lock's towpath is cut out of stone along the river<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Lou examines the sculptures along the Ganil Lock towpath<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/a>Is this really wide enough for boats to pass? After the Ganil lock, things get tight heading up to St. Cirq<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n <\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Limestone cliffs along the Lot River<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We left Bouzies with a mist over the river and a cool, comfortable morning about 8:30 AM.\u00c2\u00a0 Our first lock, right after Bouzies, was called the Ganil lock, which has a towpath along the river cut out of the stone. … Continue reading <\/a>