Signing off for 2014

We set off early from Auxonne, with Diana already scrubbing the shower room – pausing only to help us through the only lock of the day. Cleaning, tidying and packing continued as we sailed down the river for a couple of hours, before arriving at St Jean about 10. The town was looking very cheerful in the sunshine: quite an irony that after a two month holiday dogged by rain and grey skies, it should be beautifully sunny on our final day.

We continued the cleaning and tidying operation and got everything sorted. The car wouldn’t start – flat battery – but the marina people have a jump starter, which I needed last year and which worked again this time. We left the engine running while we loaded everything up, by which it was lunchtime, so we walked along to the Amiral restaurant by the bridge next to the church, and had a reasonable meal:

After that it was time for final checks, and bid farewell to Saskia, tucked up in her berth for the winter. Next year I think we may go south in search of the sun! Then it was on the road for the five hour run back home to Provence, where we arrived about 6.45.

I promised a few statistics before we go: I calculate that we have covered about 1,580 kilometres, and negotiated 243 locks. I didn’t keep an exact check on fuel consumption and purchase, but I think we spent between 500 and 600 euro on diesel.

And the final statistic is that according to blogspot there have so far been 741  page views of this blog: not sure who they all are, but I hope you have been at least mildly entertained. Certainly we have enjoyed keeping this diary, and will aim to do the same next year.

Aurevoir to one and all.

Swan song?

We got away punctually through the second tunnel on the river, and set off downstream. The going was good, with no holdups at the few locks and we made excellent time. I had thought of Gray for lunch, but we were too early. We did note that the hire boat base there didn’t seem to be doing booming business. That matches our experience on the river – not many hirers this year:

Gray was under a grey sky: not sure why it’s called Gray. Seems rather English, but probably not:

Mantoche, where we hoped to moor for lunch, was fully occupied, not least by two large barges taking up more than their fair share of space – a common phenomenon, regrettably. They are more than twice as long as Saskia, but still only have two people on board. Anyway, we found a fisherman’s jetty to tie up to for lunch, and sample the wine bought yesterday: a Chardonnay from Franche Comté – not something I had encountered before, and probably won’t again. But not bad, well chilled.

The sun came out at last after lunch, and there were even a few people gingerly bathing – that is children putting a toe in the water, and a couple of boys disporting themselves from a floodgate for the delectation of a girl up above.

Somebody’s dream house on the riverside caught our attention: lovely view of the river and a boat moored below the house. Can’t be bad.

We had expected to spend the night at Pontailler, but got there at 3.30, so pressed on to Auxonne, where we are now. The new Port Royal marina was excavated from scratch by H2O, the people who run the one at St Jean where Saskia is based (which means we get to tie up here for free).  Find a bit of land, get cash from the regional government and Brussels, dig a big hole - right under the city walls, built by, you know who, Vauban -  fill it with water and boats – can’t be a bad business!

Auxonne's other claim to fame is that a young gunnery officer called Napoleon Bonaparte was posted here for a while.

Tomorrow morning we will finally get back to base, in the morning, since it is an easy run from here. Meantime I will do a few calculations of how far we’ve actually travelled etc. for tomorrow’s final post.

Gnomes galore

After yesterday’s bright sunshine, we did two washes last night, and hung one out overnight. Inevitably today dawned grey and miserable, with fine Scottish-style drizzle along the river, so nothing much dried, and we still have a bag of wet stuff.

However our journey was cheered by a garden full of gnomes at the second lock of the day:

And also by the statue of a seated fisherman in Port sur Saone:

Going along the river, it was good to see a small boy catch a small fish, with great excitement. I gave him a thumbs up which he returned with a broad grin. We also finally found a lock selling stuff - it used to be the norm. So a few bottles of wine, a pot of terrine and some eggs were duly purchased, to see us to the end of our trip. The day’s run also included one of the two tunnels on the river, which is quite a sight, and quite an engineering feat, I guess. Here are some shots:

Finally, we were surprised by another castle, and couldn’t resist the pic.

So today we covered 75 kilometres and negotiated nine locks, which was pretty good going. No holdups to speak of at the locks helped. We were also pleased to see rather more boats on the river than recently, mostly going upstream. Tomorrow should be our last full day’s sailing, and then just Tuesday morning to take us home to St Jean (hoping to find the car parked where we left it two months ago!).

Back on the Saone

Our last day's run down the Canal des Vosges went largely without incident, and finally, at least, it was a nice sunny day. Shirt-sleeve order, if not quite shorts.. We stopped briefly for water at Fontenoy le Chateau – no sign of the chateau, but the cliffs alongside the canal cut are impressive:

We enjoyed seeing a family taking their holiday in a horse-drawn caravan: going about the same speed as us, I imagine. Possibly even faster.

As we moved down, the landscape changed, broadening out with lush fields instead of the steep pine-covered hillsides higher up in the Vosges. Plenty of white cows looking decorative, and although I was duly chastised for yesterday’s cow joke, one new photo slipped through:

So here we are at Corre, back on the Saone, having covered the 122 kilometres and 93 locks on the Canal des Vosges in just four days. I had expected it to take five, but with very little traffic on the canal to hold us up, and with the automatic locks working well, we got here pretty easily. Now it is just a question of the final 165 kilometres  and 19 locks down to St Jean de Losne. That should take two and a half to three days.

You might well ask why we are pushing on so quickly at this stage, but the fact is that the main objective of this cruise was to visit and explore Germany, and that we have done with great pleasure. We have both done this final stretch before, even several times, so there is not much to detain us. And as one nears the end of the trip, the urge to get home grows!

Over the top ...

…. and down the other side.

Sorry not to post last night, but there was no access to the internet at our mooring. We had an excellent day, breaking records to reach the top – 25 locks uphill, including the last 15 in just two hours.

Once you get to the top, there is a 12 kilometre stretch – including this pontoon thoughtfully provided by one village, but forgetting to provide anything for boats to tie up to!

Also some cows, which always attract Diana’s attention when swans or castles are lacking:

This is the final cutting through the mountains, to get us to the other side:

This morning we set off punctually in company with a French couple, and had an easy run to lunch. Afterwards, however we had a hold up when power failed at a couple of locks, and the company had to bring along a generator to get them going.

The run was good, though – including this rather sad old abandoned lock-keeper’s cottage - a bargain for someone:

Others are restored and inhabited, which is more cheerful. There is also one swing bridge to negotiate – build in 1880 and moving on wheels:

And here’s an arty shot of the view as we emerge from a lock:

Tomorrow we should be onto the Saône, and then it’s just a couple of days or so back to base.

Not a lot to report

Nothing much happened today: but we did cover 40 kilometres and negotiate around 20 locks, which was good going. We had a false start, setting off at eight, only to find the locks open at nine: I should have checked last night. Anyway, that meant others caught up, and we travelled a good part of the day with a Belgian registered boat, though I think the couple aboard were actually French. We persuaded them to go ahead of us in the locks – the worse position going uphill  - and he was active in bounding up ladders and catching mooring lines. So it all went quite well. There was a great deal of rain in the morning, and in one lock it was so heavy that we both simply kept position with the engines, and didn’t tie up at all. Not very legal, and perhaps not very safe, but quite effective. We left the other boat at Charmes, the first biggish town we encountered, but its charms did not appeal, not least because it was only three o’clock, and so we came on alone here to Nomexey, where there is a comfortable quayside, occupied only by a rather comfortable looking British barge. The village also boasts a pharmacy, which we both needed for refilling prescriptions. In fact the woman in the pharmacy knew Bandol, and told us it was 28 or 29 degrees down there, which confirms reports from Alex. Rubbing salt in the wounds.

The landscape was mostly uninspiring today, as you can see:

In the locks, we made good use of a new gadget, which you can see in the picture, a floating grappling hook made of tough plastic. Very handy for holding us steady against a ladder in the lock. These locks are difficult for small boats going uphill, being about three metres high, beyond range for lassoing bollards. So our new technique is to zip into the lock and come to a halt by the control rods. Diana then starts the lock cycle, and while the doors are closing, we reverse to a ladder and hook on, just in time before the water rushes in. So far, so good. The picture also shows the weed growth on the lock wall: a veritable bio-wall.

With luck, tomorrow we should reach the summit: the last 16 locks form a continuous staircase. Quite dramatic and quite hard work, but worth it. We are hoping it will be a bit drier

The rain it raineth every day

We managed to escape from our peaceful but weedy mooring quite early, and were very fortunate with the three locks up to Toul – all being ready and waiting for us, green lights beckoning. The day started cloudy, produced a little feeble sunshine in the morning, before rain set in. Another challenge for the photographer, but she did get a good one of the the church at Toul:

We stopped at Toul on the canalside opposite the Cora supermarket – probably illegal since the exercise involves clambering over or through the crash barrier directly onto the main road, which then has to be crossed. Bad enough going, worse returning laden with goodies.

On the way in, we had a drama when the string of Diana’s sunglasses broke at a crucial moment as we came alongside, and they fell into the canal. Nothing daunted, she seized the boat hook and dredged up mounds of weed, but nothing looking like a rayban. However when she finally put the boathook back on the cabin roof, what should she find but the broken string wrapped around the hook, with glasses still attached, if a bit bent.

Anyway, after a three-figure shop, we headed off again, lunching after the next and penultimate lock on the Mosel, then on in lashing rain to Neuves Maisons, where the scrap metal recycling plant is the real reason for the major canalization of the river this far.  Basically the recycling involves scrap iron in:

And steel wire out:

Simple, but the quantities are amazing.

After that it was back to reality with the first two normal sized locks on the Canal des Vosges, which will take us back to the Saone over the next week or so. Small locks, which frequently require Diana to climb the ladder – a feat that we will endeavor to capture on camera for posterity.

Messing about on the river

This was a tough day for our ace photographer – not a lot for her to aim her lense at compared to previous days. A lot of river and a few locks. But she did find some things to catch her attention. Here for example are some men working on restoring an ancient Roman aquaduct:

And we lunched at the town of Pont au Moussan, which was much knocked about in the various wars between France and Germany over the past century and a half or so. However the ancient abbey survived:

As did the church of St Martin:

And there were plenty more swans wanting to be fed:

We had aimed to stop for the night at Pompey, but the little Halte Fluviale was full – it’s amazing that you spend the day seeing no-one on the river, then you arrive at a port and find it full!. Oh well. Anyway, we came on to Liverdun, where there is a little harbour, much infested with weed and offering nothing beyond a jetty, and found it empty. So here we are, with the rain trickling down.

On the way past Liverdun we spotted the Chateau de la Fly – built in the early 20^th century and named for the owner’s pump-making company, Fly.

And here are some weeds:

Tomorrow we should conclude our 400 kilometre marathon up the Mosel/Moselle, and move into the Canal des Vosges: lots of locks but no commercial barges, at least.

Ancient and modern

We set off early again, in full sunshine, though with a chilly breeze, and made good time up to Metz. After yesterday’s marathon, we decided to be less ambitious today, only about 30 kilometres, and also take in a bit of culture along the way.

This piece of rustbelt archeology does not necessarily qualify:

And clearly this is coal mining territory: another barge collects a load.

We got to Metz by lunchtime and found a good mooring, then set off first to the cathedral, which supposedly has more stained glass than any other.

It is an immensely high gothic, or perpendicular, building, and indeed there is plenty of stained glass, including some wonderful modern windows by Chagall: here’s one of them:

After that, we jumped into a waiting taxi and headed off to the fairly new Pompidou Centre satellite, beyond the station. It was designed by Japanese architects, supposedly inspired by the shape of a straw hat – mmmm:

There was one excellent exhibition downstairs, consisting of enormous paintings, too large to be shown regularly in Paris. First off was a great Miró, with plenty of other good stuff to follow. The second gallery was full of pretentious rubbish (copyright that well-known art critic N.Parsons) from the second half of the last century.

Finally there was an exhibition of mostly modern sculpture, which was rather interesting and included some excellent pieces, including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Brancusi etc, and this lampshade by Man Ray, which Diana wants me to replicate at home:

As we waiting at the bus stop to return to the boat, we couldn’t help noticing that the grass around the gallery has been formed into undulations – perhaps an artistic statement, the significance of which was rather lost on us.

Back in La Belle France

We set of early in pale sunshine after hanging out the washing. However, the clouds soon rolled in, with a cold wind, and we wrapped up warm, and brought the washing in when it started to rain. Pretty soon we had Luxembourg on our right side, and Germany still on the left. Here’s Luxembourg:

They obviously like wine there too:

We stopped for lunch on the quayside in a small village, and managed a little shopping for vital (low tax) supplies. Then on in lashing rain, which paused for us to top up with (cheap) diesel - the last canal or riverside filling station for a long way.

We cleared the final two locks in Germany: here’s the last:

And then reached the first castle in France:

Diana was taken by some swans:

Also by a nuclear power station, going full blast, if the steam coming out of the cooling towers is anything to judge by.

So now we are safely tied up in Thionville, after covering some 70 kilometres – a long day. It’s good to be back in France and able to talk to the lock keepers on the radio in a language I can manage, rather than struggling with German.  Everyone tells you that all Germans speak English – don’t believe it. It’s not true!

But it has been a great visit to Germany, and we have come to a whole new appreciation of the country and its people.  No wonder they dominate Europe!

Trying to love Trier

Going to Trier this morning brought home just how remote our harbour is: the walk to the bus stop was about three kilometres, then about 20 minutes in the bus to the centre. It was a cold and grey morning, which didn’t help.

However the centre of town was attractive, starting with the old Roman gate – said to be the biggest surviving example, Porta Nigra:

We strolled down to the old market square, which still has a few fruit stalls, which we patronized later.

It also has a surprisingly discreet Macdonalds, which we did not patronize:

As we consulted our guidebook, we were accosted by an immensely tall local who spoke perfect English and gave us a concise history of the town back to the Viking massacre of 886. He explained about the conflicts between the town's merchants and the bishop, and how this is all reflected in the various buildings. We began to think he must be a professional guide touting for business, but suddenly he said goodbye and disappeared. Very strange. So we moved on.

The Cathedral is massive, but rather bitty, and we did not greatly like it,

preferring the man outside blowing soap bubble for passing children.

We found a good, cheap, Kartoffel Restaurant for lunch, and then a butcher for some shopping, before hiking home. Diana couldn’t resist snapping these blue lions en passant.

Tomorrow we set sail again: maybe stopping in Luxembourg for the night, or possibly pressing on to France. Depends on the traffic and delays at the locks.