Oh no, a lock with slopping walls!

I'm not sure who decided it would be a good idea to build locks with slopping walls but I'm pretty sure they had never been on a boat before!  The first one the lock keeper lady came out and took our lines but the second lock the man didn't. Steve nearly had a dip in the lock as he tried to get ashore on slippery steps then the lock keeper came out. I'm afraid I wasn't too pleased and blurted out my disappointment in French which thinking back came out as gobble dee gook!! The next one was ok and the fourth one had a floating pontoon, a much better idea. We also clonked something on the bottom of the river/canal, probably a shopping trolley. We have the keel mostly up so it must have been something biggish!!

Last night at L'ecluse Pont sur Yonne we missed the lock by 2 minutes and he wouldn't answer on the VHF so we spent a lumpy night by the weir!! Won't do that again!