Today we repeated the routine we have largely perfected. A leisurely start after breakfast (there wasn’t a boulangerie in range, but thanks to my amazing wife, we still had provisions of brioche, pain de mie, jams, yoghurts – plenty), with the goal of reaching somewhere suitable for lunch…around lunchtime. We had two options, however Le Chat Qui Peche arrived too soon, so we kept on motoring until we got to L’Auberge de la Croisade. We’d already looked at the website of the Auberge, and frankly, it looked a bit fancy, but anyway, lunch was going to be there, so stop there we did.
“Stopping there” wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. As we reached it, we saw beautiful moorings…heavily signposted that they were reserve for passenger boats only. Passenger boats are the larger bus/coach-like vessels which take up little more space than a boat like ours, but able to disgorge a couple of dozen hungry punters. So we moved on a bit, under a bridge, looking for the moorings for less-favoured clientèle further away. No such moorings appeared. We therefore decided (for the first time) to hammer in our own moorings. This also proved a non-starter with us both having a go to hammer in preposterously-shaped “spikes” into the iron-hard ground. Lunch was looking increasingly remote. As we continued inching forward, we noticed a couple of prominent roots jutting out from the bank, at perfect spacing for moorings. Whilst I’m fairly sure you’re not meant to use nature to moor youe boat, the trees these roots belong to had been felled, so we weren’t doing them any harm. We got everyone on land and schlepped back to the restaurant. And well worth all this palaver it was too.
L’auberge de la croisade was just great. We sat at an outside table, which meant neither our children nor our marine fashion disturbed the more smartly-dressed folk inside. This was our choice, just to be clear! The maitre d’/owner was charm personified, effortlessly helpful and without any overfamiliarity. There were 2 other waiters and a sommelier,so service was first rate. And the food! The kids’ menu ham starter had the best ham I think I’ve ever had – dry, but not hard, flavour almost like good parma, but with more texture. Wonderful stuff. We were served an unscripted amuse-bouche of some kind of pea soup, which was lovely. My main was épaule d’agneau, and it was obscenely delicious. A lump of tender, meaty unctuousness about the size and shape of a packet of butter. The only criticism is a few more veg on the side may have been helpful, but that’s scarcely criticism at all. The half bottle of local Minervois was really very good, and we went the whole hog with cafés gourmands which were everything you’d dream of (scoop of crème brûlée, little chocolate fondant, verrine of mango crumble – you get the idea). Truly a restaurant worth visiting the Canal du Midi for.
Back to the boat, and the long walk meant 2YO was fast asleep in the buggy when we got back. So the final piece of the puzzle was getting her back onto the boat, definitely still sleeping and preferably still in the buggy. Reader, we managed this. Back two wheels of the buggy over the lip at the side, Aurélie back on board, we lift on top of the foredeck, then rotate so I can push it up the middle bit of the windscreen like a builder with a wheelbarrow up a plank. Pause on the top of the cabin so Aurélie can step up, and together we lift it down to the top seating section. Simple!
Excitement over, the afternoon was an uneventful cruise to Capestang – beautiful scenery, weather pleasant, and a few more boats coming the other way, although fortunately never when it would be too complicated to handle (e.g. just when going through a narrow bridge). And no locks, of course.
Arriving at Capestang was strange inasmuch as there were two members of the Capitainerie on the bank waiting for us. My paranoia and recent experience suggested there were there to a) tell us off in some way or b) mock my driving. It turns out there were just there to help! Imagine! Extremely good service, and the capitainerie/office de tourisme is great. Wifi, shower, laundry machines and they also sell a whole host of wine, honey, souvenirs. Top marks, Capestang.
Timsformational 