Every lock used to have a full-time attendant, and he lived in a cute little house like these. A really long time ago, he survived on “special fees” and then as a civil servant he supplemented his income by selling overpriced tomatoes from his garden. Now, it’s all entirely automatic… A couple hundred yards before the lock you give a twist on a a piece of rubber hose that hangs from a wire across the canal. The light turns green, you drive in, the lock fills (or drains), the other side opens and you’re on your way.