The lock (ecluse) at Beziers, in summer 2010

This is Beziers seen from the Canal du Midi. And below, the lock gates.

That's Stroemhella (at the time without her mast) leaving the lock at Beziers (one of the deepest...). There is a staircase of descending locks; finally one emerges closer to sea level.
In the summer of 2010 we crossed the south of France from Bordeaux to Beziers. It took two to three weeks, and there were many, many locks! The last series was close to Beziers, and on my train journey up to Geneva in February 2013 I was delighted to pass through the station of Beziers where, in the still-dark of a July morning, Walter, Roberta and I had caught the train to Marseille (and thence to Italy) after leaving Stroemhella. One day I'll get round to posting some pix of that journey...
Here's a small sample:

 My cousin Steve from Vancouver Island, Canada, and his friend Dorothy, who sailed (well, chugged) along with us. Steve in fact joined the trip already in Amsterdam.

 Right: Roberta and Walter at the wheel, me in the back cockpit.

Yes, it was an unforgettable journey. And below, David leads the mast-less Stroemhella through one of the (many) locks.