Over the border to Belgium

It was blustery evening, with squally showers, and not much better this morning, though we were comfortable overnight. There were glimmers of sunshine as we cruised down the river, with most of the traffic the other way. At one stage we were intrigued by some bizarre sculptures along the bank:

A brief delay at one lock allowed a manic Belgian to catch up, and eventually overtake us. But he waited at subsequent locks, which was polite. Here we all are going into the Ham tunnel, just before Givet, which is the last town in France.

Shortly after, we passed this attractive looking Auberge – for sale, sadly. An interesting project for some ambitious young chef.

Givet is an attractive place, with the imposing 16^th-century Charlemont fortress looming over the town. It was built by Charles V, and later remodeled by the inevitable Vauban.

We lunched in Givet, then made a shopping foray, which was surprisingly painless. Having reached the place much sooner than expected – we cover the ground much more quickly on the river, with not many locks to negotiate – we decided to press on into Belgium. Here are some first impressions:

A passing church:

Waterside Des. Res.:

Dilapidated Grand Hotel:

Water ski class:

Chateau Freyr – not quite a castle, but an impressive renaissance pile with a fine classical garden. In the same family since the 14^th century – 20 generations apparently:

Tonight we are moored up at a very pleasant and welcoming yacht club at Anseremme, which has free WiFi. Tomorrow probably Namur.