JUST CRUISING ALONG

30th July 2009

We are finishing our 10th day at this canalside village of Cours-les-Barres which is another typical example of simplicity coupled with French tastes and beauty. We arrived here after missing out on a berth at Marseilles-les-Aubigny which some people said was a good port but due to all the holiday traffic as we get close to August which is Europe’s vacation period, we found the port to be full.

We pushed on and found this great little port, Cours-les-Barres which was occupied by about 5 other boats including Anna-Marie IV, a hotel barge which caters mainly for folk who want good, clean, basic accommodation with good meals but want to spend most of their time off the barge cycling through the countryside on the bicycles supplied as part of the package. It seems very popular with Kiwis and Australians as well as all other nationalities so they have a lot of fun. They cycle up to 60 kilometres per day so are early to bed in the evenings which means a quieter vessel and less drinking after dinner I am told. The crew helped us tie up and offered advice on the town such as where was the bakery, butcher and how far away was the local supermarket and bar.

Rhonda's Comment: Harry checks out his new park.

We look up the hill from our berth to the Mayor’s (Mairie) office which is set in beautiful grounds (of course) and which has walkways through it allowing access to the village. Just a delight with garden plots of bright coloured flower beds and shrubs. The French make a big thing of using hedges of all sorts and sizes, many which are trimmed to amazing shapes and which offer privacy even in small public gardens and restaurants. Well, on Sunday we watched as the local authority truck and van pulled into Our Harry’s park and began setting up pews and speakers etc. It turned out to be mass as this was the weekend of celebrating the Harvest Festival and commemoration of the Saint Panteleon who was in this town in the 5th century. As the day went on we discovered that up through the town, there is a great park where they had amusement rides and were having all sorts of contests typical of a country sports meeting as in New Zealand in the 50s and 60s.

After dinner that evening, we heard bands playing just up in the car park so went up and followed all the musicians ranging from school children to quite elderly folk playing a huge assortment of instruments plus drum majorettes and marching girls and boys. We noticed that people were assembling all around the lake which adjoined the park so we joined to see what was what. At 10.30pm the sky lit up with the start of a very impressive fireworks display accompanied of course by the thunder of the explosions. Well, I have to say that it sure did not suit my hero Harry and all he wanted to do was make a bolt for home (the boat) so we had to leave and he strained at the leash all the way back. As we stepped up onto the boat the fireworks ceased and the silence was deafening. The look on his face almost told us that he thought his actions of getting home had stopped the problem. So much for a good night out.

Rhonda's Comment: What conscience!!!!

Since then we have used the scooter to travel back to Marseilles-les–Aubigny to see what we had missed when we couldn’t get a berth there only to find it was a miserable little town really with little or no facilities other than those on fingers for small craft up to about 12 metres, so smiling we turned back to our little haven to enjoy another 35 degree day, blue skies with little or no breeze and just a delight to behold.

Rhonda's Comment: This is only the second time this iron has been used!!!!!









Next morning after doing the boatwork (just like housework only more difficult!!!) we again headed off on the scooter to the town of Fourchambault where there are two supermarkets or as they call them here Supermarches to choose from. It is a busy little town with banks etc so we spent a few hours pottering about looking at the shops and drinking coffee, trying to have conversations with some of the locals who were also relaxing in the shade at the coffee shop before loading up with our shopping (you can’t get too much in the backpack while on the scooter) before returning to the boat for a lazy afternoon.

We have had Dutch, Germans, Belgian, French, English, Canadian, American, Australian and even Kiwis come by or stopover in the 10 days we have been here so we seem to do a lot of chatting. One English couple were spending their last few weeks on the canal after 10 years of cruising through France, Belgium, Germany and Holland. They have a few health issues so decided to retire from the waterways and were off back to the UK to buy a home and sell the barge. Another couple who have been here for a few days also have completed 8 years on the canals, with the last 4 being in their beautifully refurbished 29m barge called Déjà Vu.

While we thought “Somewhere” is a large vessel, Déjà Vu is like the Queen Elizabeth with so much space inside you feel as though you are in a French farmhouse. This saloon area is accompanied by a huge rear semi enclosed rear deck makes outdoor living bliss. Jadel and Jack who are from Arizona, have a great knowledge of the canals and passed on many tips to us re good mooring sites etc, for which we are very grateful.



There is a whole community life on the canals with almost everyone doing whatever they can to assist other bargees depending on skills. When we had an electrical problem in Cours-les-Barres, Jack from Déjà Vu came forward to help and almost at the same time a fellow who is from Quebec, George with wife Lucie who have also spent many years on the waterways and was stopping over with his boat Black Magic 1 stepped up and said ”leave it to me, I am sure I will be able to fix it” and then added he had spend 30 years working for Volvo Penta so understood wiring and electrics. Within an hour he had traced the problem to a cracked switch and replaced it all for a simple ‘thanks mate’. Needless to add we all spent a few early evenings sitting out under the trees testing the local wines and nibbles, exchanging news and views from all over. It is amazing how quickly one can offer cures to all the worlds’ problems when you are seated relaxing with a glass of Cab Sav or similar.

As we reported in our last blog we, sadly lost our brother-in-law last week so his service was on Tuesday so it was really nice to be in a quiet spot so we could sit quietly to remember him and his life’s achievements and to offer our moral support to the rest of the family.

As the weather has got hotter and more humid, we are starting to see more and more of the European wasps which were in real plague form when we were in England during the summer of 2004. I sure hope they don’t get to the same level of nuisance as they did then when you had to cover your drink or food to prevent them just settling and being a real pain to shift. I remember at one tearoom advertising Devonshire Teas which I love so, we went in and ordered some for each of us. When the waitress found out we would be sitting outside in the courtyard she said “here take a dessert bowl with you to stop the wasps landing” I thought she was joking only to find she was very truthful, so we hope we don’t have that here but as the trees are now dropping fruit every where I guess it will be a problem. We have had some window screens made so had better fit them in the next few days. Also, we have experienced ticks and fleas getting onto Harry despite having his coat cut short and being bathed plus being dosed regularly. They are a real nuisance and as he loves the long grass, we have to be really diligent.

Rhonda's Comment: The drink with all the cream is what the French call a cappucino!!!!

Rhonda's Comment: Note the headwear this fisherman is wearing. Might market these back in NZ.

I have talked previously about the locals love for fishing in the canals and rivers and despite the fact that boats dump there sewage direct into the canals there are plenty of fish to see and being caught, but the point I wanted to make, is a saying that the French believe in quantity as a success marker I guess. It is like the doctors seem to believe that if 2 tablets a day are good, then 4 must be better and prescribe accordingly. Well, the same thing seems to apply to the fishermen who will arrive armed with anything up to 6 rods which they set even using a multiple rod holder brace. It is sometimes amazing to come around a corner in the canal and then watch the mad scramble as the fishermen wind in their lines and pull back their rods as often they have cast right across the width of the canal. Needless to say there is little love lost between bargees and fishermen, however, we have managed to avoid getting lines wound around the boat so far. We have also learned that one of the reasons for the fishermen to flock to the canals is that it is free, whereas if you want to fish in the rivers and lakes you pay a fairly hefty licence fee, so that answers why perhaps so many fish these areas.

Another quaint thing we have noticed is the amount of folk who adorn their yards and gardens with gnomes or miniature statuettes. Some of them are just the usual gnomes we are familiar with from the 7 dwarfs styling or similar, some of them are religious or of local notable folk. It appears as though there is little or no theft as there is no attempt to protect them in any way in fact some of them are sitting on the front steps of houses which are right on the footpath or similar. It is great to see and feel as though people care about each others properties in general and do not need to steal and or damage property to get a thrill. As we have said earlier, the same applies to the great vegetable gardens and orchards of fruit trees which are grown in abundance and would be so accessible if you wished to enter these private areas.

Before reaching Nevers, we encountered a double lock which is one lock which steps up 3mtrs and then you are straight into another lock which rises 6mtrs making a total of a 9m lift from the original canal and you exit the lock straight onto a Pont-Canal du Guetin which is a bridge high above the l'Allier river. This bridge 343m long with 18 arches. and obviously filled with water so we motored across looking down into the river below to the picnickers and fishermen and while being a little scary the experience and view was fantastic.

Our next port is the city of Nevers which is the capital of the Nivernaise region and lifted off the scooter and went exploring the city centre. As it was 10 am on a Saturday morning we decided that we would have a MacDonalds for breakfast having seen the sign on the roadside, (restaurants in rural France don’t do breakfasts as a rule) well believe it or not, it was not open as it was too early. “Come back at lunch time”. We couldn’t believe it. The Tabacs are open early but that is to sell cigs etc and to serve coffee only or beer or spirits. It is amazing to see people having a tipple at that time of the day. We have only seen a couple of Big Mackers and same for Subway. No KFCs or Burger Kings etc, but yesterday we did come across a Big Beef which was signed and painted in bright red colours like MacDonalds which only served beef meals so we will give that a try while we are here.

This city area has a long history dating back to Julius Cesar who made it his home for a period when ruling France and some of the old town ruins are still available to view. Since then due to the great growing area, commerce was strong so drew all sorts of people to live here. There is a magnificent cathedral and lots of churches from the various religions of the inhabitants (the sky in the central old part of the city is dominated by spires so they are good land marks when finding your way around. Also there is a beautiful palace (The Palace Ducal) set in a square of its own which was constructed in 1460 with nearby belfry being built in 1398. It is hard to believe that these type of constructions have stood firm over the centuries and I even find it hard to believe how old that is when you consider New Zealand wasn’t even discovered until 1769.

This area is also famous for its wine growing due to the chalk base and high-fired pottery (means firing each piece twice at 980 then 940 degrees which brings remarkable results) and the painting thereof is something to behold. The famous Charalois beef cattle are reputed to have been started here and are on every farm and are a fine breed by any standards. Along with the Roi Negus chocolates, Nougat (Nougatine de Nevers) the locals sure know how to prepare food so that it always seems to be great.

The other night I asked for Moules and Frites which is a specialty of this whole area which translates to Mussels and Fries. Well, the mussels are so much smaller than what we are used to. Nothing like the size of the Kiwi green lipped variety but they serve them in a pot which is filled with about 50 or 60 mussels plus a bowl of hot fresh fries plus of course the obligatory bread roll sections. The mussels were steamed in a very light cream sauce which is laden with garlic and other subtle spices and is sure a great meal.

At the end of our little port there is a magnificent complex of swimming pools (5 plus a complete water slide set up and as you will see from the pics, this should be a real centre of summer activity but no, the complex has not opened this year as the city fathers thought it would only be used in July/ August so would be too expensive to get ready and operate so it sits unfilled and looking somewhat unloved yet just over the bridge they have set up a full beach scene on the banks of the mighty Loire River, sand, sunshades, seats, umbrellas, kiosks, and even lifeguards. All at no charge so it can only happen in France I guess.

Ok, I will close off for now and by the next blog we should have explored so much more of this magic area, if I can wake Rhonda!!!!!

Locks - 192

Klms - 947

HAPPY FRENCH HOLIDAYS

13-07-09

Hello Everyone,

Well, we are stopping over for 3 nights in the small town of Belleville-sur-Loire situated still on the Canal Lateral a la Loire which means this canal runs parallel to the great Loire River. It gives straight access from Briare right through to where it joins up with the Canal du Central and will take you onto the great Rhone River and right through to the Mediterranean. However, we are headed for St Jean-de-Losne where we will winter over at the port of H2O which is a huge complex and a good winter service centre. Meantime, we have lots of cruising to do and lots of interesting areas to see.

As I have been recuperating over the last few days following my fall, we stayed put until I was strong enough to manage the boat again and hence we are here at this nuclear power plant town. It is a town where the people must be very proud of their environs as everything is so tidy and every home has nice lawns and gardens and the place just has the feeling of being cared for. As tomorrow is Bastille Day which is a huge day for the French, we will stay for another couple of days as everything is closed for this celebration day and it is so pleasant.

We look across the canal one way and across the paddocks to this huge nuclear power plant which has two towers standing about 80m high and even the main office and admin blocks are 10 to 12 storeys high. There is no comment from the locals about the dangers of this plant or the end product, in fact, I believe that approx 37% of all of France's power is generated from nuclear reactors such as this one. I guess it is a case of if you want power, you had better make it from what is available.

We have taken some photos of the parks and grounds which are included for you to appreciate just what can be done when a community cares. We can't believe how works of art and ornaments are left on show without any sign of vandalism whatsoever. Rhonda and I often comment with sayings like "gee look at that, it wouldn't last one night in New Zealand before it was stolen or vandalised."

We attended the local Bastille Day Celebration Ceremony attended by the Mayor, the chief gendarme, a small colour party of 4 and about 30 people only. We were pleased to be there to represent New Zealand on this auspicious day.

Well as they say, before long all things can be reversed as last night there was a Bastille Party across the street which was relatively noisy and was to be expected, however, in the early hours some of the louts decided it would be fun to let go of our mooring lines off the wooden bollards. We awoke around 6.00am to the noise of being clunked into the opposite bank as we drifted quietly across the canal. No damage done as there is no current and no wind but it was annoying and while we couldn't do anything about it we reported the event to the local Lock Keeper.

We decided to move off out of the town so as to avoid any further misbehaving so travelled some 6kms further along to the next village of Lere and as we pulled in a couple off another boat came to take our lines and to welcome us to this small but very pleasant township. These folk are from Cambridge New Zealand and have been on the canals since 2004 so are a wealth of knowledge about where to go and what to see.

This village, Lere, is on the edge of the Chablis and Cab Sav grape growing area so we look forward to sampling some of the fine products on offer. The village was built away back in the 5th century and has remains of buildings from that period which are still available to view and the church was built in the 8th century and offers small tours of the crypts underneath. Amazing really when you consider what has gone on during these past centuries of ravaging storms and wars and civil unrest. The home of Jeanne d Arc is also here where she lived in 1421 in the house which shows in our blog, is still lived in and is in pretty good order.

On Thursday we got a phone call from Allan and Kate, my nephew and niece from Hamilton who have been touring London and now France, to say that they were staying on the other side of the Loire Valley some 2 hours drive away and wished to come over to visit. Well, the day was another perfect one weatherwise so we were able to sit up on the deck under the umbrellas and have a great chat with them and their kids, Rebecca and Ben.

They had bought with them a whole lot of English papers, plus chutneys and pickles from Harrods so added to a typical french style lunch that Rhonda had prepared and we had a great time all round. It was so good to see them and the day came to a close all too soon and after they left we sat upstairs rejoicing at how blessed we were when we noticed a cloud bank coming over and sure enough we experienced one of the worst storm I have been in.

We just had time to get everything packed down, closed up and tied down when the storm hit with the most amazing electrical storm followed by a huge hail storm. The pieces of ice were about half the diameter of a golf ball and then teeming rain with winds up to about 60kms hit which stripped the leaves off all the nearby trees and plastered the boat like a wallpaper job. I honestly thought that the windows were going to break, so strong was the storm and force of the hail hitting us. We are 45 tonnes and were pushed about a lot on our ropes and that was worrying until you looked at some of the fibreglass rentals which were also berthed in front and behind to see them bouncing around like corks so everyone waited with baited breaths until the worst had passed then helped each other to re-tie lines and to collect stuff which had been blown off boats while others helped clean up water which had forced its way in through windows or vents.

Today dawned with much improved conditions so we all cleaned up and relaxed again. It just shows how mother nature can sure dish it out when she wants to and during my morning walk with Harry we noticed trees blown down, many of them fruit trees so that is a sad loss as they are all loaded with fruit almost ready to pick. We just imagined how the grape vines would have suffered as the winds flattened the wheat crops nearby as well.

For those folk who are interested, the Tour de France is underway and while we won't be near the course this year we watch it on the TV and it is amazing how supportive this country is plus the great following by folk from all over Europe. It is amazing how much they know about the riders, their history and placing and when you consider there are hundreds of riders it is great that so much interest is shown. The only names we seem to know is Lance Armstrong and the Kiwis Julian Dean and Hayden Rolston plus a couple of Aussies.

My knowledge of the French language has not really improved much but Rhonda has done so well. She was a great help for Daphne and Claude in working out sightseeing routes and places of interest and in particular travel arrangements. I don't know how we would have got on without her skills and she seems to get on so well with the lockmasters (eclusiers) that we can have a laugh with them and get the best of courteous treatment which is wonderful and we just love the way of life and believe we have done the very best thing we could do.

We will stay here in Lere for another couple of days and then move on towards Sancerre which is highly rated as a true tourist stopover. We arrived in St-Thibadit which is a great little marina in a small canal extension which would without the lock at the end of the port run direct into the main Loire River, however, this river is some 30m below our canal level. The port was very busy and we really had to squeeze in amongst approx 50 odd craft. It is a great place to stay as there are water and power points supplied to each berth. The cost per day which you might find interesting is 12 Euros for our size barge per day with power at 3.50E and water at 2.50E. This equates to approx NZ$35.00 per day which while not being cheap is real value due to the security and all weather protection offered.

We off-loaded the scooter and set off up the nearby mountain which has a castle ruins perched right on top thus giving fantastic views over the wine growing valleys and fields below. The village which is spread out all around the top of the mountain is fantastic with its huge variety of restaurants and art galleries and artisan shops. Great foods and choices and at realistic prices so we ate up there twice and again just loved the chosen menu items.

We ended up staying 4 days as there was were 2 large supermarkets as well as market days offering stall products of fresh vegetables, breads and fresh meats, so we were able to buy what we wanted to restock the boat while enjoying all the town has to offer. It was hot, 35 degrees so we visited the local public swimming baths which are lovely with 3 pools one of which is Olympic size but unusually having a depth range from 1.5m to 2.5m acted as a limiting factor for small children to enter s they had a choice of the other two pools which were .5m and 1m respectfully. We were impressed with the kids behaviour. No squealing or signs of misbehaviour plus any foods purchased or taken to the complex must be eaten outside the hedged pool surrounds so everything was clean and tidy. You cannot gain entry to the pool areas without walking through a large footbath and then walking through the overhead showers before going in for a swim. Also we noticed only 2 lifeguards on duty. No bright coloured uniforms or costumes, just a white cap and a mobile phone. No whistles, megaphones or PA announcements shattering the relaxing atmosphere. The guards made just a quiet approach to anyone who needed to be talked to or who had questions in turn. I guess there were approx. 800 people at least at the complex. What a pleasant place to spend a few hours.

The next day we got really brave and stuffed Harry into the backpack and scootered down to the mighty Loire River which has a water tableway of approx 300m wide and still flowing quite quickly in some areas. We found a nice offshoot and spent a great hour or two lounging in the warm waters. Even Harry had a swim or should I say a paddle as he didn't trust the current all that much.

We met another 2 Kiwi couples and a man who was boating on his own who comes from Christchurch, in fact from Little River, were we lived for a few years with Dad being the local headmaster there. Russ (my brother) and I went to school and Thelma (my sister) used to travel by train everyday to Christchurch Girls High so we had lots to talk about as he knew names of some of the local folk who lived there in our time. We have met so many great people on our adventures.

Sadly this week my much loved brother-in-law, Mel, passed away quite suddenly from lung cancer which had not been picked up much earlier, so we are all doing our grieving at present. So I will leave you with these thoughts again, if you want to do something, no matter how crazy it sounds to others, if you really want to do it, then do it. Don't be sitting in your old rocking chair later in life saying, gee I wish we had done so in so. Get on with life as this one is not a dress rehearsal. Best Wishes to you all.

Locks: 179
Klms: 886

SUMMER ROLLS ON IN FRANCE

30/6/2009


We have now enjoyed more than 15 days of the greatest summer weather one can imagine with clear blue skies, temp around 30 degrees and a little or no breeze from dawn to about 10.00pm when it would get to be evening but not really dark. We feel we have certainly been blessed.






Our guests, Daphne and Claude Merriott have certainly enjoyed the best of travelling conditions for boating through the canals with us since their arrival in early June. Even though we only travelled a few kilometres, we were just forced to stay in the township of Montargris which is picture postcard perfect and some pictures are included here.

Most of the locks on this particular canal are manual whereby the lock-keeper opens and closes the locks by winding the sluices and gates taking much longer to go through but the actual lock keeper houses and surrounding grounds are so pretty. Some were set with lovely gardens and lawns and even sculptures adorning the grounhds. It was while waiting to get into one of these locks that we saw our first snake swimming alongside the boat. It was over a metre long and beautifully marked, however, I can assure you there was very rapid movement on board to get away from any open doors, etc. Then the very next day we saw another one just leaving the canal to enter the vegetation along the bank of the canal, so we will have to be a bit more alert from now on and keep an eye on Harry too.

You will see some photographs which shows a series of seven locks in steps. These are the Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses which are a site to see. While these particular locks built by Henry IV in 1605 are no longer used they have been kept to show what magnificent engineering took place at that time. There is now a set of 6 locks which still climb the same hill area but they are spaced and easier to use.

Briare, the largest town of the area became a most welcome stopover for us all, however, after unloading the scooter and then the new boarding ramp as we were moored against a sloping bank, when I stepped onto the ramp it slipped off the side of the boat dumping me onto the concrete nibway edge of the canal. After scrambling to an upright position, I soon realised that I was hurting pretty badly and after a trip to the local hospital in Gien x-rays revealed no broken bones, only torn muscles and cartilages, I have a few days of real suffering to get over this accident. I can't recall pain like it ever so I have a new respect for similar victims. Great service and every check was done and all at no charge so that was a nice touch by the local staff. It is only when something like this happens does one realise how vulnerable we are as we get older.

While I stayed aboard to recuperate, Rhonda, Daphne and Claude walked to all the main attractions in Briare including the museums, galleries and viewed many very neat gardens and local sights.

This town is famous for the amount of mosaic work which is used in buildings everywhere and its Pont-Canal built in 15th century. The aquaduct/bridge was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower, is some 662m long and 11.5 m wide and carries boats and barges from the Canal Lateral which simply means alongside the main river and over the Loire. It is quite wonderful to be boating up to 80 metres above this huge river and when you consider it was bombed and destroyed during WWII, it was deemed to be of such importance that it was reconstructed soon afterwards to allow this vital traffic route to operate fully again.

Rhonda's Comment: We did have our photo taken when we did the crossing but I must have lost it in cyberface!!!!!!! (eh Daph)

The flow of traffic across the Pont-Canal is one-way and despite the distance there are no traffic lights or signals so you just look to see if the span is clear and proceed on your way.

However, after a couple of days we decided to push ahead with our journey towards Chatillon-sur-Loire where we found all the berths full apart from one which was approx 22 metres long (remembering that our barge is 21m !!!!!) against the bank among the hire boats. It was a case of grabbing the opportunity to berth or having to move on several kilometres, so I reversed into the spot and boastingly add, it was a perfect berthing despite the sudden down pour and wind which sprang upon us. If you think I am being boastful, you had better believe it and I sure let those on board know how skilful it was. Maybe a bit of a fluke but gee I sure felt good despite the pain of driving with my injuries. Thank goodness Rhonda and Claude were ready to tie off for me.

Rhonda's Comment: Needless to say I am still hearing about it.

At this location we caught up with some of the staff off the hotel boat whom we had got to know some days earlier down the canal and whom were most friendly and offered assistance if required. One of the staff girls, Helen was a Kiwi from Wellington and she took a liking to Harry, so it was nice to talk with her and for harry to get so excited each time we all met up.

A family on the hire boat moored in front of us took off yesterday for their much anticipated boating holiday only to return about half an hour later and it unfolded that the son (10 years of age) fell while on board and broke his arm very badly, so an ambulance was called and he was carted off to hospital for plastering, etc. So much for their summer holiday, however, he returned today and away they went. Just shows how easy it is to have thos accidents at any time.

While this area is no different to lots of other French towns as far as business closures is concerned, it really hits home when you see whole streets where there are no operting shops or retailers left so you can imagine how it compounds on the home occupancy levels as well with so many properties boarded up.

Having now arrived in the famous Loire Valley district, the home of so many outstanding Chateaux with their beautiful grounds and supporting landscapes and famous wines, it is sad that we have to say goodbye to Daphne and Claude who are returning back to NZ via London. For those who have met Daphne or heard us talk of her culinary skills, will appreciate my need to get onto a diet to remove a few unwanted kilos added since she joined us on board. We will carry out the maintenance schedule required and refesh the odd paint chip and scrape along the hull while the opportunity exists.

As it is the high season of summer, there are lots of evening outdoor concerts planned for the next few weeks, so we may get to see some great spectaculars as the 14 July is Bastille Day (the biggest celebration day on the French calendar) and everyone gets out and adds to the fun and happenings. Though I don't think I will be doing too much dancing as the pain is still a bit niggly.

7/7/09