SUMMERTIME IN PARIS

June 16/6/2009

Today is day 2 in this great city and after an evening of heavy rain the day has turned out steamy and very warm. Let it continue I say.

We had spent 3 days at Meaux which is a nearby suburb leading into Paris where we stayed ready to pick up our good friends Daphne and Claude Merriott who had flown in from New Zealand on Thursday. After a couple of days exploring this nice city, we planned to travel to Paris but due to a sudden called 24 hour lock-keepers strike we had to stay another day.

Rhonda's Comments: Harry doesn't look too fussed.

Rhonda's Comment: Daphne's first day at the market.

Rhonda's Comment: They certainly weren't smiling after taking their first sip of their tea. The smell and taste was horrendous.

First thing on Tuesday we cast off and went through a few locks plus a couple of relatively short tunnels, one which cut 14 kms off the trip by eliminating a whole section of winding river so we kept changing from the river Marne to associated canals, however, we eventually crossed on to the river Seine which is huge and carries so much traffic. The commercials are flat out carrying all sorts of cargo plus lots of hotel boats and cruise restaurant boats slicing through the river to take their passengers to see the famous Paris sights. The number of bridges that cross the Seine tally 37 so that river traffic is forced to follow precise passageways which sometimes causes concerns with the various craft dashing across the lanes to get to berths etc and the bigger boats charging through on their way to goodness knows where. We had to tie up to a little jetty out on the river while we awaited the authorities at our port of L’Arsenal to open their lock and to allow us passage in. This was the roughest section of the trip with “Somewhere” being bounced around by the wakes of many of the passing traffic.

When the lock eventually opened we slid into a wonderful scene of upwards of 160 boats of all sorts and sizes moored up in well sheltered conditions as the Arsenal is a huge cutting really which was developed in its original form in the 16th century as a weapons and armoury depot and so ships could be prepared for war. It is an expensive spot to stay with daily berthage costs of up to 85 Euros per night but when you consider what the costs of hotel accommodation would be in this area as we are right in the centre of the city of Paris just at the end of the Bastile with all its famous history. It is within walking distance of so many Paris high lights, hence the make up of the visiting boats in the marina were from almost every main European country plus the odd Aussie and Kiwi flags.

Paris is a huge sprawling city divided into 20 districts with a population of 12 million and is greatly serviced by the Metro underground rail service augmented by buses everywhere which are so necessary due to the narrow streets and the volume of traffic. No wonder the cars are made small as parking is a nightmare, day and night, even on the weekends. People will in desperation park in any spare space even on footpaths and on corners jammed in like nothing we see in New Zealand or Australia. Paris is a majestic city full of culture, romance, gastronomy, design and fashion. There are reported to be over 1800 classified monuments, 157 museums, 145 theatres and 380 cinemas so it is a city where you could spend a lifetime taking in the sights etc.

After a restful afternoon and evening we all were keen to get going to see some of our selected attractions. We bought all-day passes on the rail network which were also usable on the buses for 8 Euros each which is so very cheap and efficient so we went up to the Eiffel Tower, built in 1889 for the world fair and as it is 324 meters high we had some ideas of going up to see the sights, however, when we got there the only leg open with lifts operating had queues of hundreds and hundreds of people, worse than the waits at Disneyland for those who have been there. You could walk up to the first level if you wanted to battle the steps so we flagged that and took photos from ground level only. We then walked up to the Trocadero which is across the river and up on a hill and gives great views of the tower and surrounds and houses the National Maritime Museum and the Museum of the Man which focuses on over population really. After the slog to the entrance we found that the Maritime Museum was closed until Wednesday so we then had to decide if we wanted to come back the following day. Next we went down to the Metro and again caught the train to Arc de Triumph which is the final resting place of the Unknown Soldier and is a wonderful memorial and when you recall how Hitler strutted his troops through it and then Charles de Gaulle marched his French Free Troops through it after the war was won by the Allies. It has remained as one of the worlds most remarkable war memorials and is surrounded by about 8 lanes of traffic negotiating its way around before turning out to travel the 12 main roads which come into and leave this centre point. We stood for about an hour just fascinated at the traffic flow and amazed that there were no crashes as the cutting across lanes etc was something to see.


















Rhonda's Comment: The three oldest kids in the class!!! I want one of those red hats.

After a LONG walk down the Champs de Elysees, one of the major thoroughfares where so many of the worlds major retailers like Nike, Swatch, Cartier, Louis Vutton, Mt Blanc, Hermes, Hugo Boss, Armani, and Mercedes, Peugeot, Toyota, and some of the other major world known car brands show off their latest and even future design models. Fascinating but the costs again are huge with a Smoothie milkshake costing 7.50 Euros and a small bottle of water costing 3 Euros at any shop so we eventually returned to the boat after some 6 hours of walking and sight seeing, glad to rest our feet and prepare for tomorrows adventure.

This day turned out even hotter than the day before but we still needed to get out and about to see the sights which we had missed yesterday. The visit to the Maritime Museum was first and fascinating with some wonderful models of old sailing craft and military ships along with examples of French marine technology right through to the Jules Verne trophy which was won by Sir Peter Blake and his crew being the fastest boat to go round the world in under 80 days. The paintings hanging on the walls are magnificent and would grace any art gallery anywhere in the world and depict famous sea battles and adventures which had taken place over the centuries. One great model which is shown in the enclosed photos was built by a crew in 21 days including all the carvings and gilt layouts and huge rowing oars. It has to be seen really to be believed that this task could have been so well carried out in this time frame as set by the ruling junta of the day.

After a few hours at this museum we travelled to see the huge art gallery called the Musee d’Orsay where paintings from so many of the masters are on display. Daphne, Claude and Rhonda thoroughly enjoyed this while Harry and I (yes, he travelled on the Metro with us) wandered along the Seine enjoying the sun and the great sights of the boats etc travelling on this waterway. He and I then retired to a nice Tabac (coffee shop/ bar) where we relaxed along with the owners huge German Shepherd who decided we should become a part of his family for a few hours. He was a real character and dominated all that was going on in the bar etc.

Claude and Daphne trained out to the Cimitiere Du Pere Lachaise in the number 16 district . This cemetery is world famous as being the final resting place for such notables as Maria Callas (opera), Frederic Chopin (music), Jim Morrison (singer), Edith Piaf (singer), James Rothschild (banking) and probably the most famous person, certainly the most visited tomb being that of Oscar Wilde (writer). The cemetery has been operating since 1804 and has over 800,000 people buried here over the years with semi regular resetting of graves with the bones being lifted and reinterred in smaller sites so that new burials can take place. It must be one of the world’s most visited sites with thousands paying tribute to the notables and not so notables every week.

The evening was so beautiful that we sat out on the roof of the boat and just wondered how lucky we were really to be sitting in the centre of Paris just loving the ambience and the views from the marina but looking forward to heading out on the Seine again the next day to see more of the suburbs and to turn south east towards the burgundy district but before we get there we will travel through a lot of towns and countryside.

Up and away after the staff at L’Arsenal eventually arrived for work (9.00 am) then took about 20 mins to open their computers and to attend to the paperwork for about 3 customers before turning their attention to our needs (I am sure no Frenchman ever dies of stress, so perhaps we have a lot to learn), however, we eventually had the lock opened and off we headed through some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Beautiful homes, chateaus and apartments abound before you can break clear to leafy suburbs and less hi density developments.

We travelled for 5 hours up the Seine to Corbeilles-Essonnes which is a nothing sort of town where we moored against the bank overnight only to find we were in the mud, however, after some shunting back and forth we were underway again and travelled through some of the most beautiful areas so far with so many beautiful, graceful houses along the river banks plus small town living dotted along the way.

We arrived at Samois-sur-Seine which has a dock hidden from the main river in a byway and is a delight with restaurants a-plenty and a nice selection of shops. On top of this we were entertained in the evening by two young fellows playing jazz guitars in the restaurant opposite. It was hard to realise that such complicated music could be played so well by such young folk. After a very pleasant and calm night there, we moved off the next morning to get to St Mammes which is at the junction of the Seine and the Canal du Loing. While being a delightful town, this is very busy waterway due to the number of barges which overnight here or are based here due to the easy access south-east or due south. Along some banks the barges were moored up to 5 abreast and I guess there could have been 60 or more tied up along the way. One of particular note was 79meters long with a pusher of 20meters and its gross was 2240kilos so imagine trying to stop that in a narrow stretch of water or worse still trying to get out of its way.

We were fortunate enough to get hooked up to the Hotel Barge wharf where we just walked along the jetty to this lovely town which was in summer festivity mood with an open market followed by a jousting on-the-water competition. Small barges powered by around 8 hp outboards, each punt carrying a crew of four with the jouster standing on a 1 meter high platform at the rear. The jouster who is well protected by a padded suit carries a long pole which is also padded at each end and they aim at each other as the boats charge at one another. The result is humorous to say the least. A great event for the On the Water Boat Show in Auckland I believe.

Following this there was an almost endless recital of bongo drums etc (not so good) then as the evening came on there was an outdoor concert with pop music etc and the seemingly compulsory fireworks which Harry sure does not appreciate.

With the promise of a beautiful day to follow the great morning we awoke to set off to a nearby wharf where we refuelled and then set off down the Canal du Loing, however, within approx 2 kms we were attracted to another marina which offered great moorings so we tied up knowing that within walking distance was the town of Moret-sur-Loing which dates back to the 12th century and has an amazing mix of ancient to mid ages to modern structures and is so very pretty. We seem to keep saying that this country gets prettier the further we travel. Photos in this blog will assist you in seeing why we were so taken by this area so decided to stay overnight before entering the first lock on our journey towards the Burgundy District.

Observations:-

We can’t help but notice how friendly and helpful the French people are even when we have difficulty communicating with them. They seem to go out of their way to assist or offer advice and we are delighted as we are with the whole country we have toured through so far and we are told there is still better to come.

Voyage Details:-

Locks - 119
Klms - 735