We arrive bleary eyed in Paris (can’t tell from the picture who is the more bleary eyed) where we collected a rental car and managed to drive the 5 hours to Strasbourg without falling asleep. Armida was ready, and went back in the water that evening but we stayed in a Hotel. She was just as we left her and we got things back on board the next day which was Good Friday so everything else was closed.
After a couple of days of moving things around and around until they settled in one spot I took the rental car and drove another 5 hours to Cambrai to do my barging course, leaving Terry and the Dogs to continue the organizing and cleaning. The course was fun and interesting and despite being on a large 24m barge I still learnt a lot but the main reason was to get a licence to be legal on the French Waterways. I am now very proud to be able to say that I am certifiably competent internationally (i.e. I have an ICC) which is something to which I have always aspired.
As I was driving back to Strasbourg I realized that we probably put more kilometres on this car in 4 days than we will on Armida in 6 months!
It has now been a week and we are now settling in to boat life. We will probably be here another week getting other details organized before we set off. Our mooring is not the prettiest or the most convenient we have had but it is quiet and out of the main channel and it is nice to be among other boat people who are also getting ready to set off.
