Our 11 meter bare boat charter preparing to go through a lock. We did about 5 or 6 a day, depending on which section of the river we were on and how far we wanted to go that day. The showers didn't dampen the adventure.

There were also lots of bridges. This is a railroad bridge. Almost all of the bridges were stylish like this one. It's a French thing.

Some bridges were fortified (to keep out the English?).

Little towns along the way. Almost all had a place to dock or shore tie and get into town. Many towns had no amenities, only scenery.

There were also remote docks not associated with any town. Some had roads that lead to a town, others not. We had bikes on board that allowed us to sight see and provision.

In our market guide, we could usually find a close by public market day to provision and people watch. Much more entertaining than a grocery store.

And what grocery store would have a stall that sold hand-picked wild strawberries? We decided that money was no object when it came to delicacies.

A side trip to the house of Claude Monet.

I wasn't too surprised to see the color scheme in Monet's kitchen.

A typical shore tie along the long-abandoned oxen tow path. A gang plank allowed for a tricky unloading of the bikes.

Biking in to town.

An old mill pond spillway. With the river providing the traditional source of power and transportation, you don't have to walk or bike far from your moorage to find something interesting.

Some of the approaches to a lock required travelling through a scenic canal or backwater.

Time for a cup of coffee and then hit the road (river). Instead, we called a taxi and went to visit the prehistoric cave paintings at Peche Merle (no photographs allowed).

At the upper reaches of the river, there were almost always limestone cliffs on one side.

In some places, the limestone cliffs had been carved away (pre-dynamite) in order to create a tow path.

Towns hung right on the cliff sides, often using the rock for part of their walls.

Chateaus were sometimes a bike ride away. This one was abandoned and the courtyard was overgrown.

Others were right on the river.

A few times, we walked our bikes up and had a thrilling decent on our poorly maintained rental bikes.

A kitchen table with a slot for your cutlery so that you can enjoy civilized dining.

Some chateaus span the river.

A mill, a castle, and a river that runs to Bordeaux. What more could you need in 1356?