Like another writter I too landed in Paris CDG on 5/13 in the middle of the strike. Fortunately I had read in advance of the pending strike and made arrangements for Yellow Shuttle to our Hotel Relais Bosquet in the 6th Ar. Shuttle was prompt in p/u but there were so many cars took 2 hours to get to the hotel which is nortmally 20 minutes. We walked the next day to the Musee D' Orsay as the Metro was down..we were told repeatedly that the strike (to maintain current retirement pension age) would be going on for sometime hit & miss. Next day took a tour bus to Versaille which was on strike too but opened 10 minutes before we arrived at 10:15. We were unable to see the gardens as they were "on strike" or pronounced in French "grave". Next day discovered Rue Cler and environs by our Hotel. Hotel was great at helping us make the best of the situation, accomodations were very nice. Centrally located so we could walk almost anywhere. Took a Batoboat back from the museum to the Eiffel Tower and then back to Hotel. Restraunts around Rue Cler and Bosquet avenue were very good.
Then flew Air France for 50.00 US dollars a piece to Toulouse and got a rental car to our boat p/u in Castelnaudry for our bareboat cruise down the Canal du Midi thru Crown Blue Lines. Enjoyed every minute of the canal, wines, fresh croissants every morning. Beautiful little towns...trees, people exceptionally nice. Carcassone the old walled city was really interesting. Only problem we had was TSA in Denver confiscated what was left of my butane cylinder for my hair curling iron (understood) and Agriculture almost confiscated our Herbs De Provence.
If anyone wants specifics let me know and I will try to help.

JAAR, did you Pilot the barge yourselves or did you have a crew.
Nice report. Surprised you had problems with herbs de provence. I bring some back all the times I visit there. Anything that has roots, they will take.

It would be good to know if the butane cylinders are available in Paris. My wife swears by her chordless curling iron.

Perhaps Agriculture thought they were smokable.

Very rare to get from CDG to 7th in 20 minutes; even on a good day I would figure 30-45 mins! Did you love the Relais Bosquet? It is one of my favorites.

I didn't even know that music was possible with a curling iron!

Tx much for the responses. Hotel Relais Bosquet: is in the 7th AR...still alittle jet lagged! We liked the Hotel very much...had room #53 with a little view of the top of the Eiffel Tower. Fredrica was very helpful and I made reservations on line and conversed by email. The shuttle driver said it was normally 20 minutes drive to the hotel...we believed him!..even tho there was traffic this guy drove very fast through the side streets of Paris not so good neighborhoods! but that is the stuff of memories....1st night we had dinner at Le Florimond, prix fix which was excellent and affordable and very cllose to the Hotel. Next day we walked down to Musee de Orsay and the St. Germain area and had the best 4.00 dollar cookie...pistachio with a pistachio filling. On the same street as the Hotel towards Rue Cler we noted a very nice French Gourmet shop L'Epicure (bottled tapenade for gifts) as well as Le Notre which is a prepared food place with very nice dishes to eat in the Hotel room ala picnic if too tired to eat out... and on Rue Cler my favorite place was Tarte Julie (as my first name is Julie). We went into the Change place but were told we had to exchange american dollars for Euros across the street at the Post Office: no problem. I bought a litttle phrase book with pictures to help with the translations called "Rendez-vous with France" by Jill Butler which I didn't use while shopping but used before shopping to memorize the words.
Re: the Canal cruise... we bareboated which means we piloted the boat ourselves as my husband and I are seasoned boaters. There was very little check-out instructions and it would be good if one person on board has some moderate experience with motorboats and understands line handling and the locks..ie. what rushing water does to a 50+ foot boat especially with other boats in the lock whoose crew has had a little much wine for lunch! Buy the insurance and don't worry about the little bumps. Definately recommend the canal trip it was wonderfully beautiful & peaceful punctuated by a few momments of anxiety at the locks. Locking down (from the Atlantic ie. Castelnaudry to the Med ie. Montpelier)is easier and you should buy a Cruisers guide of the Canal Du Midi "Canal Cruising in the South of France: The Romantic Canal du Midi" written by Pixie Haughwout and Ralph Folsom. It is a very good source of navigation comments, summaries of the towns you pass through, restraunts, boulangeries and sights to see. We had a CD player on board and bought the current French CD best seller by Carla Bruni.. a very nice french CD with guitar strings and pretty french songs.
Since my butane was not confiscated on our way to Europe I did not look for butane cartridges..although there were several stores within walking distance of Rue Cler/Hotel that could have been a resource.
At tht end of the canal trip we made a day trip by car to the beaches of the Med at Portainges. Very cute little beach town...lots of places to stay right on the beach...best italian ice cream.
Our last night we stayed at the Hilton CDG airport location... we were upgraded to a business suite and after 2 weeks on the boat, the space (and the tub/shower) were a welcome luxery. Their dinner buffet was exceptional and proximity to the airport (still traffic with the on/off strike) was very good ie hotel shuttle just 5 minutes. Re: Herbs de Provence..we think we had a very young inexperienced Agriculture Inspector as she called her Supervisor several times...altho the Supervisor said as long as it wasn't edible we could keep keep the Herbs de Provence. Of course it says right on the package it is for cooking but we didn't comment! Stuff for memories!

Wonderful - wonderful!

Were the pistachio cookies with pistachio filling macaroons from Laduree on the rue Jacob? I had one and thought it DIVINE!

I saw the book about the canals in France - cool that you and hubby are experienced boaters!! Wow.

Enjoyed your trip report. I would like to hear more on the boat cruise.

Me too. Tell us more about the boat cruise. Would you mind sharing price info? Didn't the slowness of it make you a little crazy from time to time? were all your meals on the boat? How much time did you spend off the boat exploring local areas? which towns? Did you have cassoulet in Castelenaudry?

JAAR: Just wanted to ask where you bought the book you recommended for canal cruising. I couldn't find it at amazon. Perhaps your cruise company sells it? Thanks.

topping for P.

We booked our boat Grand Classique Elite 50+ fiberglass modern motor boat with bow thrusters and mercedes engine that never failed through narrow low spaces and tight locks, 3 private cabins with 3 private toilets/hand pump heads which the French fix with olive oil!!! and a full galley with US boat broker Sunsail for the UK owned Crown Blue Line. 888-355-9491 Jill or Dana. We paid under $8000.00 total which included no deductible ins damage waiver, fuel, one way boat drop off and a small fee for bike rental. Extra $100.00 fee to transport our Avis rental car from boat p/u in Castelnaudry to boat drop off in Port Cassafires. (Locking down from the Atlantic to the MED. which is easier.)
The slower pace and the freedom to go where we wanted mostly when we wanted of a bareboat charter was a delight as well as a welcome change of pace from our all too busy professional lives. We obtained a large tourist map from the boat broker with a map of the entire Canal du MIDi that indicated distances and sights to see, locks, wineries, towns, castles etc. and used this as a reference along with the Cruisers Guide "Canal Cruising in the South of France by Pixie and Ralph who coincidently did an in person presentation/slide show in San Diego before we left. You can contact Pixie at [email protected] or 619-222-7074 for a copy. We found her book to be a great source for navigational suggestions/warnings, restraunts, markets, wineries/caves and other shopping info. We were off of the boat anytime we wanted..once we passed a wine tasting sign right on the Canal and one of our group yelled to the Captain (my husband) stop!! back up!! so we could all go wine tasting and buy more wine.. Warning tho backing up takes skill and patience but once backed up we either tied up at bollards or used our stakes, hopped off and explored. ( As mentioned in a previous posting at least one person onboard should know basic motor boating skills and what to do with lines and locks. Also you should be reasonably fit to jump on and off boats.) Every morning someone went into town for fresh croissants, pain au chocolate and bagquettes. If a place was too noisy we pulled in the lines and moored down the canal at a quieter place.
Words can't explain how romantic, what an engineering feat, scenic, relaxing, adventuresome and fun this trip was...
We did have cassoulet several times. And duck breast so tender and mild that you could cut it with a fork. The French rose is far superior to the US and the cheeses, brie, cantal, reblouchon, camembart and blue were amazing. The ham is so rich and flavorful and the pate heavenly. Because we had our own kitchen onboard and 3 novice chefs we had a memorable cog au vin. We used our rental car in Castelnuadry to provision basics such as bottled water, TP and galley basics before we left. then we used backpacks and bikes for reprovisioning in the little towns along the way.
Favorite towns were Castelnaudry for its's Cassoulet and beautiful stained glass church, an hilarious shopping adventure at the Geant grocery store, and a wonderful restraunt recommeded by the Crown Blue Line.
Capestang welcomed boaters with beatiful flowers and canal side ammenities and the town had 3 boulangeries to choose from. Le Someil had a wonderful pizza place L'O a la Bouche and a very kind owner who let me peek into the kitchen for a french cooking lesson. A very nice lady artist sells her hand done watercolors of the canal and the town for very reasonable prices.
Salleles-D'Aude on the Canal de La Robine on the way to Narbonne was my personnal favorite with beautiful canal side houses and hanging flowers and an old wrought iron bridge that looked like a basket weave. In Narbonne we had a wonderful Indian dinner at a restaurant called Restaurant Le Taj Mahal. NArbonne is the only place we felt alittle wary as there were roving gangs of young men.
Carcasonne was fun as an old walled city and tho the tourist shops are present (good source for mementos) you can still get a glimpse into old castle life. The church was a very interesting stop and lesson on history of the area. The new City Carcassone had a wonderful Brasserie Le Bisto d'Augustine altho the bathroom doors were off the hinges and shared by both men and women which made going to the bathroom as much of a memerable experience as dining on escargot!
Marseillette was a special place as we discovered new British freinds who had just bought an old winery and were remodeling to include two apartments and a wine tasting. They should have it up and running next year and it will be a fun place to visit next to the old clock tower that bongs all night long!
Homps was a speical place with the Knights of the Maltese Cross castle..almost a miniture castle with small turrents but a big gate with the Maltese Cross..you could almost picture the Knights on horseback in full regalia racing out of the castle down the narrow streets.
At every bend in the canal there was another picture perfect scene of wineries, wild red poppy fields, blue mountains and tree lined shade with beautiful singng birds.
Hope you all find something of interest and thanks for letting me share.

JAAR: Thanks for the great trip report!!! Could I pick your brain a little further...

My husband and I were all set to do the Midi Canal through Crown Blue this September, However we opted instead to drive the whole time because we could not find another couple/s who wanted to have this kind of experience. We have a motor sail here in Alaska so have boating experience, however have not done locks. As my husband is nearing 60 and I 48, we thought locking alone sounded more like work than play even if it was a smaller boat. We also thought being just a couple would make it harder to take off on bike/shopping/wine trips w/o having to first tie up. All around, probably just funner/easier as a group. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Also, for those interested we, also, liked Pixie's book-- very nice and her husband will chat on the phone if you care to call; we had a wonderful talk. Another book ordered through Borders, which I actually like better is called "Through the French Canals" by Philip Bristow and revised by David Jefferson. It covers 39 major canal routes and all their idiosyncrosies as well as general canal boating information. Pixie's is a very "personal" accounting and Bristow's is a straightforwad "here's how you do it" book. They complement each other.

I plan on using them both as soon as we find some friends to do it with (unless we are persuaded otherwise).

Hope other Fodorites who have canal experience will share their thoughts on this. Thanks.

topping for carley

Thanks so much for topping your trip report. It is getting me excited about our trip this October. We are going with 3 other couples so it should be fun. I see you rented a car in Toulouse to get to the boat. Did you research any other type of transportation. Two couples are arriving in Toulouse by air at the same time and are trying to decide the best way to get to our boat in Argens. We are doing a self drive also and are renting through LeBoat. Any restaurants, bakeries, wineries along the way that you can recommend would be appreciated. Thoroughly enjoyed your report. Thanks

Our route didn't include some of the towns you will be in (best to get a map from Le Boat of the Canal du MIDI for easy reference) but the towns that do overlap are:
Castelnaudry...nice big harbor..nice big town/city..one of the bases of Crown Blue Line with nice multi-language people. They recommended restraunt LE Four and one in our party had a pretty good cassoulet. You would need a car or a cab. English was not well spoken so a food guide or someone who is fluent would be good but we liked the lack of tourists...town has a beauiful old church with stained glass windows. Town has lots of shopping..Geant grocery store is big with a very good selection of fruits, vegs, deli etc..anything you could want. Very reasonably priced french wines...saw a very expensive bottle of Gallo wine... had quite a laugh about that as one of our group owns a California winery...La Cave du Lauragais sells wine from garden hoses, more our style than Gallo.....bring your own bottle...empty water bottles are great. FArmers market is on Mondays.

Villepinte... is a very small town with a few stores. Cute and quiet and representative of the small countryside towns.

Bram was a good tie up for us. Farmers market on Wednesday. The city is built with a circular plan and you can get lost...and find yourself again! Do watch tho as Nicholls yacht charters is located here and their boats are rafted out into the canal which makes it difficiult to see oncoming boats. Nichols also gets the unfriendly award as they would not loan us a wrench to fix the bike chain that needed reattachment. There is a small pizzeria on the water here but we went into town on bikes... flat and straight road but watch for traffic..very nice Patiserrie. BTW, Nichols charges to tie up at their bollards...use your own stakes and watchout for the NEW boaters who haven't figured out forward and back...

Villesequelande and Caux..very cute small towns and we enjoyed them both..panoramic views of the Black mountains to the North...one of the nice things about Canal Du Midi is that it is built up almost on top of the hillsides so you do look down into the valleys in many locations...amazing engineering vision and feat..and the views are astounding...remember to look backwards once in awhile..the light at sunset on the water was mesmorizing.. if you are an artist bring watercolors...that is why Thomas Jefferson wrote that it was the most pleasant mode of travel...there are botanical gardens at PK 102 with a dock provided..

At Le Redorte a lockmaster sold us a homemade apple tart full size..apples soaked in brandy..my poor husband didn't understand the frantic lockmasters motions that he wanted the tin back....too funny as my husband was the only one who spoke french but he is not a cook so he didn't know the tart tin had a bottem...couldn;t understand why the lockmaster was getting upset...all in all good entertainment as we were trying to lock down and all for 10 Euros..a very tasty bargin..

Carcassone is a BIG city split into the old city hillside castle and the new city at the boat harbor. You are required to med moor..that is back your boat into a tie up..we recommend that you put extra lines out to hold your boat in place. There is a harbor captain that you must pay..if you do not go into the HArbor Captain office they WILL come to the boat for money..really no choice here but to pay... but very reasonable compared to other boat harbors we have been in in the world...very nice clean, showers and one coin operated laundry machine and dryer..you will be there a while but clean clothes are sometines a nice thing and we made friends with a german and dutch and 2 belgium couples...we took our chairs outside and had an impromtu wine tasting... The commodes in the bathroom were..I kid you not.. stamped "Villeroy and Boch"...very interesting use of french china!
Harbor Captain will give you a map of town and a key to the bathroom. Also tie up on the Harbor Captain side not the train side and you will be closest to town. Shopping in the new city is fun..loads of restruants...ask the Harbor Capt. about a litle electric cart that will take you up the hill to the old walled city. Or you can ask in town at the tourist center. Town really is great..we ate at the restraunt L'Oeil.. a little walk but great steaks and duck breast grilled on an indoor grill..by "Bob". Try the cured salmon slices over the lightly dresssed butter lettuce with creme fraiche salad. Yum!
We found an authentic old bread oven place, a realy fun internet cafe and a to die for chocolatier all mostly around the main square. Market was on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and not to be missed. Bins of cured olives, cheese, fruits, tapenade (be careful not to get the strong anchovy one)..you can ask some vendors for a taste..one vendor sold spices..the pepper and the curry were unbelievable...I think there is a Monoprix grocery store on the main street to the main square..lots of choice again and credit cards for payment..try the cassis juice..it was great...lots of banks with ATMs...some of the stores had the prettiest lingerie...postcards were cheap and our person who lost his reading glasses overboard (need those froggies) found a replacement at the Pharmacie on the main street to teh main square. As I looked around high up on the walls were very old apothecarie jars of chemicals you would not see these days...

Trebes..we didn't stop at..
Marseillette ...was a cute little town with very good winereies and another good view of the Black mountains..very little available but a great bar, cute picnic area to tie up at with a remarkable cemetary. The French actually post a cameo picture of the people inside the tomb..very amazing and good insight into the generations of families living in the region. Very dainty picture of things the dead people liked with sayings from those who mourn..
Homps...really was a fun place for us. Lots of little cafes right on the water Auberge de l'Arbousier is on the west side of the canal and a moderate gourmet experience. If you eat out only once this is the place...their menu is prx fix so just look at what teh chef has in store for the day...

Argens...has a good little grocery store that takes VIsa..good idea to provision..make sure you have some olive oil onboard for Le Toilet! It's inevitable that someone will have trouble with the hand pumped head...and of course you must have wine..it is fine to salut passing boat motorists with a glass in hand. But watchout for the bridge that seems to be at almost every lock..and don't forget to duck! speaking of ducks..day old baguettes are a very nice treat for the ducks!

Here is our list of things to take:
sailing gloves for rope handling...after use throw away as the boats discharge directly into the canal.
card games...some places can be quiet
reading books.. for night time
croakies... for sunglasses reading glasses so they don't go overboard
flashlight
small metric wrench
tennis shoes..you need something that grabs when you jump & you jump alot
backpacks... for town shopping on bikes or walking
cellphone...to call boat basin if something breaks or locks close
binoculars...for looking at castles and chateuas
music..tapes or cassettes if your boat takes them
and last but not least an adventuresome spirit looking for fun!
Bon Voyage

We, too, tok a barge trip on the Canal du Midi through FranceCruises.com. It was a crewed barge including all meals and sightseeing excursions...We obviously paid a higher price than a self drive boat, but we were able to take advantage of a 30% off for 2003 = $1,750 per person.

JAAR Thanks so much for he info, I really appreciate it. Can't wait.