We had heard so much about the French canals and the relaxing cruise in a houseboat. So we rented one for 5 days and set off going from Alsace towards Burgundy (just north of the Swiss boarder going east to west). We love the French food, and shopping for wine and antiques in France, so this was the trip for us. So we rented our boat and bikes and took off down the fabled canals.
Here is what we saw much of the way down the canal.
And then it hit. The dreaded locks. Since France is not completely flat, the locks allow the canals to flow calmly as they raise or lower the boat to the next canal. You have to pull into the lock and tie up. The lock keeper then closes the doors behind, releases the water in the lock (to raise or lower the boat), the keeper opens the front door to allow you to continue. Going through a lock takes 15-20 minutes and can be a bit stressful for novices. It's also best when done with three people, we had 2.5 people. We went through 20 locks in the first two days.
So we thought we would take it slow and do some shopping and eating. So we looked for a village to stop in, and looked, and looked. In the first full day of travel we found one restaurant, which was closed because it was Sunday. So we ate spaghetti and butter on the boat (we had plenty of beer though).
In the entire two-day trip we didn't find a wine shop or antique shop.
So after the first day of travel we aborted the missing and returned the boat. We decided to drive through France or Switzerland to do some shopping and eating.
One good thing did happen on this wonderful trip, we got to watch the World Cup final in a little village in France. We did find a bar and sat with the locals to cheer on France. The town was going crazy all day, and then again all night. Everything and everyone was painted red, white, and blue (Frances colors). And it appears that fireworks are legal and there was no shortage. That one night was probably worth the rest of the miserable trip.
Oh yes, it rained on us the whole day back to the base (locks are real fun in the rain).