Whew!

We're back from our fabulous vacation. I don't even know how to start writing about it. It was wonderful. The countryside was beautiful, the boat was cute and cozy, the villages picturesque, and the French cuisine was...an adventure. :D I guess I'll just give you a few of my highlights. Our first hotel in Castlenaudry was adorable! Vine covered, with windows that overlooked the canal, and quaint little rooms. I think Castlenaudry was one of my favorite places. We stayed there the first night and day before we picked up our boat. It was a cute little village with a very peaceful and laid-back atmosphere. We ate probably my favorite meal there in a fabulous restaurant; we ordered the region's famous dish-cassoulet, and Teresa bought me a beautiful cassoulet pottery dish. The view out our window in Castlenaudry The three girls got to sit back and relax the entire trip while the boys did all the work driving the boat, navigating through locks, and finding places to buy us some crossaints for breakfast. We had a blast laying out in the sun on the front end of the boat, just chatting about all sorts of things while our hubbys tied off ropes and steered the boat. Our boat was so cute! Teresa made a sweet little centerpiece each day with wildflowers we picked from along the canal. I LOVED the beautiful trees and farmland we passed. It was an unbelievably beautiful place. It was fun to chat with all the other boaters we met along the way. There were so many friendly people from all over the world. Waking up in Castlenaudry the first morning--I haven't felt that relaxed and at peace in a long time. All of our jokes about the "poo water." The boats on this particular canal have no holding tanks for the waste water.... that's all I'm going to say. The mini-lesson that Heidi gave us on Sunday about Lehi's dream and the fountain of filthy water. It sure was applicable! The peaceful Sunday morning on the river, and doing our own mini-church meeting. Kent and me walking with our bikes (because I'm out of shape) along the river and just talking. Our silly hand signals and ways to get the waiters to come back to us in the restaurants. The French don't believe in fast meals! We were always in there for at least an hour or two, waiting to get le adicion (sp?) (the bill). The strange rocking sensation we felt every time we were sitting in restaurants. The river was calm, and we never felt sick, but as soon as we got off the boat it just felt weird. It was so fun to play games every night in the boat, laughing at Kent and Sam and their competitive teasing. And there was some story about Kent and ducks that those two giggled about the entire week! Pastries. Mmmm... Kent and Sam pestering each other by either shaking or turning upside down the flan containers. Kent likes them shaken, Sam likes them upside-down. I see no difference between the two actions, and I did a lot of eyebrow-raising at their antics. Shopping in Carcassone with Heidi and Teresa. We went up to the castle and spent a few hours in the cute little shops inside the mideval village. Having a "Bad Hair Week" because the boat's electricity had to be converted and our converters blew out and the hair dryer on the boat was really pathetic. So we just let our hair dry in the wind as we sat on the boat. Sleeping on the boat and being scared by the shadows of the cats that climbed aboard and walked around at night. The VERY loud rumbling of the boat when one of the guys put it in reverse. The exciting time we always had ordering our food at restaurants. No one spoke English, and we didn't speak French, so we were never sure what we were going to get. The best example of this was the last night in France, when Sam ordered something that the waiter could only explain as "tiger", holding his hands up to show how big it would be. :D (This is what he actually got. We aren't sure what the 'tiger' part was.) Eating all sorts of new and different things. To name a few, I ate a gizzard salad, lots of duck meat, TONS of baguettes, ham that was completely raw, and ewes milk ice cream that was flavored by real rose petals (it tasted like I was eating perfume!). Danny trying to "smuggle" a peice of raw ham back to the boat in Teresa's purse. Heidi's pasta salad that saved us from starvation after the raw ham incident. Love how they spelled Ice Cream. Ice Scream. That totally changes the meaning of a dessert. :D Trying to find flavored yogurt every time we went into one of their unbelievably tiny grocery stores. Even the "supergrocers" and "mega" stores were only about the size of a gas station convienience store. I wonder what they'd do if they saw a Costco. Touching the Mediterranian Ocean! It was so much fun, and I could go on and on talking about it, but I like looking at pictures better, so I'll make a slide show of my pictures later today.