Today, Annie Sargent brings you a conversation with Michel Ravitsky about Life on the Canal du Midi. Michel is French and a young retiree. He lives on his barge (péniche in French) part-time. Michel has taken some great trips on the Canal du Midi and other canals as he explains.

If you ever think about renting a boat on a Canal in France, and especially on the Canal du Midi, you’ll want to listen to this episode because Michel gives us the inside view of what it’s like. He's seen boat renters struggle to make it work and fall into traps that leads them to waste their time. There are things you can do to make your vacation on the Canal du Midi smoother!

 

Episode Page | Transcript

Table of Contents for this Episode

• [00:00:00] Intro
• [00:02:54] Annie and David: Oops, we lost a bit of the recording!
• [00:03:34] A barge is a great way to have a small apartment in the Toulouse city center
• [00:05:08] Bateau d’intérêt patrimonial
• [00:06:05] Annie and Michel: Canal Navigation 101
• [00:06:34] Need software for navigation or you get lost
• [00:06:43] How to navigate canals between Amsterdam and Toulouse
• [00:07:09] Sometimes currents are very strong in Spring
• [00:07:39] Took 3 months at 8 km/h
• [00:08:13] Do you need a permit?
• [00:08:38] Visitors don’t have to have a permit
• [00:09:21] Favourite Places on Canal du Midi?
• [00:09:45] La Baïse, a narrow river for small boats
• [00:10:17] Seuil de Naurouze, a beautiful spot not too far from Toulouse
• [00:10:49] Locks close at night
• [00:11:21] Where do you dock for the night?
• [00:12:16] Big floating RV
• [00:12:53] Getting around when you stop somewhere
• [00:13:31] Castelnaudary, a popular stop on the Canal du Midi
• [00:13:56] Going through the original locks from the 17th century
• [00:14:28] Tourists along the canal
• [00:14:52] When’s the best time to go?
• [00:15:11] Yachts and sailboats on the Canal du Midi
• [00:15:39] Fees to pay?
• [00:16:03] Canal Authority fees
• [00:16:32] Diseased trees along Canal du Midi
• [00:17:52] What does he like to do on the canal?
• [00:18:02] Stopping along the way to do watercolour
• [00:18:33] Services along the canal
• [00:19:20] How long to pass a lock?
• [00:20:01] Gendarmerie de Castelnaudary
• [00:21:01] No longer used for freight
• [00:21:49] Cycling along the canal
• [00:22:46] Is the Canal du Midi safe?
• [00:23:03] A family lifestyle or not?
• [00:23:24] Speed limits
• [00:24:15] At the helm all the time?
• [00:25:19] How many days in a year do you sail?
• [00:26:02] Dropping friends off at railway stations
• [00:26:35] Mechanical issues
• [00:27:52] Canal cruises take a lot of time
• [00:28:39] Apps or Maps for Getting Around the Canals
• [00:30:37] Try to speak a little French
• [00:31:10] Most locks are automatic
• [00:31:37] Are people friendly?
• [00:33:28] Thank you, patrons
• [00:34:38] Prepare your trip to France
• [00:34:57] Hire me to be your itinerary consultant
• [00:36:00] Self-guided tours
• [00:36:58] How do taxis work in Paris?
• [00:43:41] Paris taxis and credit cards
• [00:46:21] Use Apple Pay or Google Pay
• [00:47:21] Do you need to tip your taxi driver?

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