L'Écluse de Castanet is a culinary gem along the Canal du Midi

Riding our bikes along the Canal du Midi to eat lunch at L'Écluse de Castanet is one of those perfect days that reminds us why we moved to France.

We had been meaning to do this for just about forever, but sometimes the grind of daily life gets you in a rut. Fortunately, my wife had a fit of inspiration and suggested an outing at the last minute. Pulling away from the inertia of routine is never easy, and work's siren song is often hard to ignore. That is particularly true for us eat-lunch-at-our-desk Americans.

Still, we roused ourselves and took our bikes out of the storage shed below our apartment. In just a few minutes, the city was slipping away from us as we pedaled along the paved path that hugs the Canal du Midi.

L'Écluse de Castanet is about 11 km southeast of Toulouse, about a 30-minute ride at a leisurely pace. "Écluse" is the French word for "lock," and the restaurant is located next to the first écluse outside of Toulouse.