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.