We left just after 9 o’clock as we had a fairly long day ahead of us. We were surprised on arriving at our first lock though.......the lock was open with two green lights, so we steamed straight in. We were now on the River Saar and the locks are four or five metres deeper than those of the Mosel, so this first lock was 11 metres deep, followed by one of 14 metres and finally another 11 metre job!! Quite daunting looking up at the small sky above!! Having said that they are quite easy - just putting a line around the small bollards in the wall and moving it up as the boat rises.
Unfortunately we had to wait for the next lock for over an hour - this is what takes the time in our cruising! The final wait was around half an hour.......so, lockwise, a Goldilocks sort of day!!!
We arrived in Merzig at 3.30 and settled quite quickly with nearby berths. Another hot day, so cold beers, then lunch.
We reconvened on our back deck for aperos and dined in a very nearby Italian restaurant, which was not bad at all. After dinner the chef, who was operating on his own and had served quite a lot of customers, came and sat with a couple near us and opened a bottle of Italian fizz, as it was his birthday. Very kindly, he gave us all a glass, so we cheered his birthday! A very nice evening.
Back on board for a little TV and bed. We have decided to stay here for two nights.
44 km. 3 locks 6 1/2 hours
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