When we started out our day we were sharing locks with a canal boat full of Germans. They tagged behind us for a few kilometers until Henry asked if we could go ahead without them since we were in a hurry. They agreed and we quickly put a large lead on them. We were doing time-saving things like pulling the lock rope from the boat as we glided into the locks. Of course, this being France, nothing logical lasts forever.
Just as we were getting into a groove about eight locks into our adventure, there was a stubborn lock that wouldn't close. The lock-master who drives up and down the tow path in his car to problem-solve was nowhere to be found. We pressed the emergency button and waited for a voice to answer. Nothing. Henry pulled on the lock rope repeatedly. Nothing. Then, Henry looked at his watch. "Son of a bitch!" he said, laughing. "It's noon. The locks go on lunch at noon." Wayne and I just stared at each other. Wayne was curious "What the bloody hell does that mean, then?" Henry explained that everything is shut down at noon for an hour so if you run into a problem, you won't disturb the lock-masters during lunch. What a country. It's automated - kinda - sorta - but not really.
Resigned, we did what any self-respecting quasi-Frenchies would do. We tied up our boat in the lock and took our bottles of wine, baguettes and coldcuts over to a nearby picnic table. Good idea to have gone to the market before starting the trip.
Perhaps it was working the locks or being out in the sun all morning but wow, this was a damned good tasting sandwich. Just cured ham and cheese in a baguette. No mayo, no mustard. I'm not much of a wine-drinker but I did my part. We'd settled into a relaxing lunch when all of a sudden we heard some noise. We looked over at the canal and there were the Germans, yelling at us for docking in the lock and "blocking them." We explained that the locks were on lunch but they kept asking to be let through. They were already in the lock behind our boat. Henry and I made our way to the boat and Henry pulled on the lock cord to show them it wasn't working. Suddenly, the lock began to close! What the hell? It was only 12:40.
Henry was laughing now, "Wayne, gather the lunch up, HURRY UP." Wayne had had a few glasses of wine and we knew he wasn't going to make it. There was no turning back either, the water began to drop. Henry didn't blink, "Wayne, we'll grab you up on the other side." I looked beyond the lock and there was no easy way to get Wayne. The sides of the canal were overgrown with grass and were muddy in places. This is when Henry's skills showed - after we cleared the lock, he drove the boat 30 feet and inched delicately to the edge of the canal without touching it and Wayne stepped on as if taking a stroll. Wine definitely helped the operation - removing all fear. Now, unfortunately, we were stuck behind the damned Germans. We had five more locks to go and we'd have to share every single one with them. They rumbled ahead of us, causing a huge wake that disturbed some docked boats and elicited yelling and cursing from their owners in a variety of languages.
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