Fourth day: from Trèbes to Villesèquelande
It 's Thursday night when I am having time to write again. We are moored in Villesèquelande, about ten kilometers after Carcassonne. The weather was fine the whole day. It is quiet now. Just a single bird sings its song in the trees.
After buying some bread in Trèbes we went up the triple lock which is in front of the village. We moor at the bridge. I can bunker water and Marga goes to the village to do some shopping. We do the shopping for three days because shopping takes a lot of time and because of the national holiday we feel some pressure to hurry. We leave at a quarter to eleven from Trèbes. At the next lock we see about ten palm-trees standing upright. It fits with the sunny day. The second lock is also on a marvelous spot. After these locks we stop for a while. It is time for the lunch of the lockkeeper. We eat at a staircase in front of the lock.
At the stroke of half past one the lock-doors swing open inviting us and en we travel on. In no time we are in Carcassonne. The lock-doors in the center of the town are opened but there is no lock-keeper. After finding him, he locks us up and we moor in front of the railway-station and walk into town.
On a square we see several café-terraces and we take a 'pression' and an ice-cream 'pistache-fraise' for the kids. After that We walk through the main-street. I can see La Cité above the houses, a great fortress. I walk on and from the river Aude, which bends from here from the canal, I have a marvelous view at the fortress which is built on a hill. There is a wonderful old bridge from the city in the direction of the fortress with old lanterns on it. I hope we once can find the time to visit this old city.
La Cité de Carcassonne
At four o'clock we are leaving Carcassonne again. We are making good progress. The locking improves. Despite, we have to watch out very well. We loose our hook twice but both times I managed to get it out of the water. Sometimes a rope falls from the bollard. We manage to repair the mistakes we make. Especially Pepijn is a good workman. He is helping always at the shore. Maarten is interested in other things and picks flowers for example or looks for little stones. After Trèbes it 's very quiet on the water. We only see one or two other boats at the most . And non of the boats is navigating in our direction. The whole day long we are locked alone. That 's more pleasant than locking with two or three boats together.
At Villesèquelande we see a lock which is served by hand. All other locks we passed so far were served electrically. We have to wait a little while because of an oncoming ship. Pepijn and Maarten are very interested and go ashore. They help to open the lock-gates. The helmsman throws a ten-franc piece for the assistance.
Hard working for both
When we are locked they help with the gates and slides. It 's heavy work. They can open the slides only with pains. When another boat comes round a corner we moor at once to please the kids. They help locking again.
This lock also, is looking marvelously. The lockkeeper keeps several birds and there are some peacocks walking around.
Villesèquelande
In Villesèquelande we moor at an old crooked bridge. De boys are romping in the grass. Pepijn slips aside and falls into the water of the canal. That is the signal for me and Maarten to swim in the canal as well.
We eat chicory-salad and fried potatoes, delicious. On the canal one fall back on basis-needs and you visit instantly beautiful places not easily found.
It 's now ten o'clock in the evening and still warm. We are sitting in short trousers at a bench at the canal. A single bird keeps on singing and there are some glow-wormsnear the water at the bank . There are two muskrats besides us grazing. They jump into the water when two pedestrians come by.
I made a poem once about a muskrat:
Muskrat
A fur coat swims in the canal
with
sharp short trample-strokes,
I
see his head, a piece of tail,
then quickly diving to the depth.