Locks, damn Locks and Statistics

Today we passed the town of Vitry-le-Francois and left the Canal de la Marne au Rhin and entered the Canal Lateral de la Marne.  OK so what?  Well time for a little reflection and some statistics. The Canal de la Marne au Rhin is a a connecting canal, not a “lateral” that follows a river.  In this case it is a triple connector in that it connects the Rhine Valley  through the Vosges mountains to the Moselle valley and then the Moselle to the Meuse Valley and then to the Marne Watershed. 
What this means, in short, is that from Strasbourg to here we have travelled 338km and gone through 150 locks, 4 tunnels (one nearly 5km long) and a 45m boat lift.  The uphill locks are a lot of work but the downhill locks are more relaxing – unless they have low sills and there is wind so you have to worry about the fenders lifting and the hull getting scratched.  Guess what  - most of the lock here have low sills and it’s been windy.
On the other hand, the weather has been fabulous and the country green and beautiful.  Not a lot of culture or interesting cities since Nancy, but pleasant cruising all told.
Now, for comparison – from Vitry le Francois to Paris is 247km and only 33 locks and we did 5 of them today!
In a few more days we will be in Epernay drinking Champagne and then down the Marne River into Paris.

New Territory

After climbing the 12 locks back out of Toul two days ago, we turned left into new territory. The last few weeks have been retracing our steps (or is it paddles) back from Strasbourg to where we left the Canal de la Meuse last September.  Now we are heading west on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin towards Paris.

Immediately we turned left we felt like we were in new country – high rolling fields in front of forested ridges – as we climbed out of the top of the Meuse valley towards the beginning of the Marne watershed.   The canal was very rural and lovely and the water so clear you can see to the bottom and all the fish. We moored behind Chris and Helen who we had met waiting for the Nancy canal to open and shared wine and snacks in green surroundings at Sauvoy.

After seven more locks we had to wait for our escort through the  4.9km of Mauvage’s tunnel.  We were the only boat following the electric chain driven tug through the tunnel.  It is supposed to tow the boats through but the pleasure boats aren’t suited to steering in a narrow tunnel with no power so we just followed it.  It wasn’t very relaxing as the tug goes at 4km/hour and the slowest Armida goes with the engine engaged is a about 5km/h.  So there was a lot of on and off and correcting, for the 80 minutes in the tunnel.

 

 

We are now at a pleasant mooring in the nice little village of Demange-aux-Eaux which was quite prosperous back in the 1850s when about 2000 people lived here building the tunnel, but is now sleepy and still nice.  The only store is run by a self described “political refugee” from Paris who sold us some good wine, delicious cherries, vegies and spoke perfect English.  We chatted for a while. He has two of every canned and packaged grocery items and drug store things.  He probably runs the store as much for company than what little income he makes.

The Mayors office is one of the many ornate buildings built in the 1800’s.  Once again there are many old buildings boarded up and unused.  As our shop keeper says, there is no employment for miles.  A much too common story here in France with thousands of dying small villages.     

“It is all downhill from here” as the canal goes through 70 locks in 86km and drops 170m to the join the Marne  at Vitry-le-Francois and we will be in Champagne.  It’s a lot of locks but downhill is much more relaxing than uphill and we won’t see another uphill lock until after Paris.

Where’s Terry?

If you haven’t heard much from Terry lately well I haven’t either, and the picture shows why.

She did warn me that when she got started a good book might suck her in.  At least she’s on to the last book of the series so she should be back soon.

Au revoir Nancy

Today we left Nancy. The third time.  It has come to feel like our home away from home.  We saw fiends we met last year.  Alan and his two dogs waved us in.  The dogs, Lucy and Minnie, were sisters rescued as pups and loved trying to play with Rosie and Noodle.  Lucy, a lady, got us tickets to the Opera last year stopped by for drinks and a long visit.  I finally met Michel, her husband, who was away last year.  Also ran into Rod and Di, Rudolph and his wife from Germany who were moored next to us last year.  And Frank the friendly port Capitan who gave us parting gifts.  A T-shirt, sticker, two pens and key chain. 

Even the people who walked by port on their way to work, dog walking, jogging or just strolling were the same.  Right on time at 4PM the two elderly ladies we saw each day last year appeared with their little dogs.  One is a brown poodle, the other a white dog with large black spots.  They sit on one of the benches for half a hour then go back to were ever they come from.  And the guy who looks too large to walk arrives on his motor scooter complete with oxygen tank for the tube in his nose.  We did not see the frail little old lady from the old folks home across the street who would come around every day hassling people for cigarettes.  We were told she was still alive but apparently sick.

Terry visited the Musee De L’ecole de Nancy and raved about it.  It’s an estate on the edge of town with beautiful gardens and a perfect totally art nouveau house completely furnished with the best examples of period furniture and art.  Right up her alley.

We didn’t go very far today, just a few kilometres up the canal to Champigneulles where there is a Laundromat and supermarket close by.  At the marina the market was setting up.  It was charming at first then the music at the beer venue started up so we’ve moved to a quiet spot around the corner. 

Tomorrow, direction of Toul. 

The weather is still warm, almost hot, with the occasional showers which are entirely unpredictable.  For the last two days I have been trying to get some caulking done on the deck.  The sky is cloudless and blue so I get my tape out to start caulking and just then a big black cloud would appear from behind a tree. I’d have to scurry around covering everything with plastic.  After two days of this I finally got my caulking done this morning before it rained this afternoon – Ha!

Pictures for Deja-vu

Salt Factory at Dombasle sur Meurthe

Main Offices

Manager’s House

Worker’s Cottages

Private Organ Concert at Saint Nicolas du Port

Boy that rain was fun.

Deja-vu

This is our fourth trip on the canal from Nancy to Strasbourg.  On our first trip, with Susan and Craig, we planned to enjoy meals in  little cafés or sip wine while enjoying the pate, cheese, great breads and other goodies we’d discovered in the shops. 

There was some lovely scenery, an interesting mix of unusual locks, farms, forgotten petit villages, but not one blessed café or shop five, days.  After dinner on day two we’d eaten pretty much all that we’d bought before we’d left Nancy.  We then started opening cans from our pitiful emergency stash.  We were then searching the woods for nuts and berries.  Not really but Susan found some raspberries growing next to the canal. I had a small package of pancake/crepe mix, we added some blobs of blue cheese and make a delicious treat with our coffee for breakfast.  All this and cold weather too.  Add to that sleeping in a closet and I’m surprised Susan and Craig still talk to us.

Meanwhile it’s spring and again we must do the canal from hell, but this trip we planned our meals for each day and set out with joy knowing full well we were on top of things.  Saverne was our last chance for shopping.  We blew it off.  Our cupboards were full.

Five great days, 130km and 69 locks we are now stopped for our last night before reaching Nancy.  I’d made a pot of vegetable stew, couscous, our last two tomatoes and a square of chocolate for dessert.  Wine too.  There was only one other boat.  A lovely big old 100 year old peniche. 

It’s a balmy Wednesday evening on the deck.  Rob decides gets off to take the dogs for a walk, passes the peniche and stops to chat.  It’s a British couple, Helen and Chris.  There fifth year and the boat is their home. 

Rob returns with the news.  One, the next lock it being worked on and is closed for just one day.  But the lock before Nancy is closed for another five.

The canal from hell strikes again.  Deja-vu, nuts and berries.  This time with Chris and Helen who are in the same boat…so to speak.   

Saturday afternoon:

We have food and the comedy of errors just keeps coming.  The more agitated Rob gets, the more I laugh and the madder he gets. 

The first town outside Nancy has a nice church about a mile away and I want to stop. We get off the boat with the dogs and cross the street from one of the largest factories in the world stretches along the canal for about a half mile and 500 yards deep. There is a huge brick and wrought iron fence that surrounds about a two block area of grass and trees.  At the gates we enter to a large very ornate and attractive building that probably served as the head offices.  The main floor has a ballroom with windows on both sides that I imagine was used for entertaining and parties.   Going around the back enter a maze of shrubs that lead to a simple but elegant band shell.  To it’s side is a two story structure with rooms above,  maybe a large cooking room below and patio in front surrounded on two sides by a long one story building that I would guess held cloak rooms, lavatories and small sitting rooms.  Behind all this there is a tall brick wall to block the view of what is next.  The home of either the owner or head of the factory. He has a little gated archway to pop through in the morning to walk to his office in front.  All abandoned and in need of love.  Beside this blast from the past is another tall wall. That’s were the new factory was built.  The closer you get to Nancy the more modern the factory looks and it’s all, Salvoy, one of the largest salt factories in the world among other things. 

From there we walked to the town center.  Rob took off to look for a ATM while the dogs and I headed for the Cathedral.  After I’d walked about three blocks I here, “Terry”.  Rob comes flapping down the street.  When he is flustered he reminds me of a goose being chased by a dog.  That crazed look of now what am I going to do.  “The machine ate my card”!!! 

While in Strasburg we went to the bank to say we didn’t have my pin number and requested we do a new one.  They don’t do that then and there.  They will mail the number to our address, in California.  It will take about two weeks.  (Another job for poor Toni who is handling the mail)  Come to find out once our banker in Montpellier was notified, she decided to cancel both my card and Rob’s and issue new ones.  To California.  They were kind enough to give us some money in the meantime.  Only the French.

Later, back on the boat we go closer to Nancy.  Here we plan to have a nice lunch and go grocery shopping.  It’s a ways away so we leave the dogs behind and ride out bikes.  Cafes closed, except one.  It’s ten past one they aren’t serving food anymore.  Next the green grocer.  Cherries, strawberries, two bananas and two peaches.  Next the supermarket.  Food, a big bottle of grape juice and water. Get to the door a its pissing down rain.  But of course!  Rob says this isn’t going to let up so off we go.  We arrived sopping wet, scatter our wet clothes around the boat and it stops raining for the rest of the day.  I go to unload the groceries.  Rob had packed the at the store while I ran back for juice.   He put the cookies in first.  They are crumbs.  Then he through the bag into his basket.  On top of the other.  The peaches and strawberries are mush and the bananas bruised. 

now and will wait here until Monday. We figure a queue will start forming to get into Nancy. Commercial boats and pinches have priority, we get in the pleasure boat line.

Two more days before we can leave the canal from hell behind and enter Nancy.  It will feel like home.

 

Update – Monday and we are in Nancy at last!

Stuck in Crevic

After a pleasant trip towards Nancy we have discovered that the canal into Nancy has been closed for repairs since February!  No word from the VNF (the canal authority) or at the boatyard.  It is scheduled to open on Monday so now we have four days to kill on this very quiet stretch of canal. 

It could be worse, we are moored next to an english barge that has been stuck in this stretch all winter.

Leaving Strasbourg

We are on the move again.

Today we left Strasbourg and are now moored in the country on in a green and tranquil spot – the weather was warmer  than any day last year, and it’s only early May!  In fact the weather has been great the whole time so far.

We really liked Strasbourg and enjoyed our time there. It was made special because of our new friend Margot who actually met the dogs first while Terry was in a store.  Margot, who works as a tour guide, offered to show us her city.  Terry said yes, as long as we could take her to lunch.  We learned much about the history of Strasbourg and the Alsace, but what was really fascinating was her life story. 

Margot was a young girl when the German occupation took over her city.  Her stories of being evacuated the country, returning to occupied Strasbourg, being forced to join the Hilter Youth and work in the office for the local bigwigs were fascinating, informative and also fun.  She really brought the city to life for us. We feel very lucky to have met her and will keep in touch.

Here are some more pictures of the city:

 

 

Strasbourg Boat Yard

What a difference a year can make.  The weather has been fantastic.  Just like spring is supposed to be. 

We’re not moving and will be in the docks for at least another few days.  We need a part for the engine filter and have a lot of cleaning.  Last year we concentrated on learning to maintain and maneuver the boat through the waters.  We did not do a much needed deep clean as the weather was wet and cold.  Yesterday we started the detailed cleaning.  It took us both four hours just to do the area around the outside wheel with its panel of gauges, corners, crevices and various kinds of surfaces.  This is the high traffic area where we go in and out of the boat and from where we drive, eat meals and lounge in the evening.  The teak deck was filthy.  It was a hands and knees job scrubbing layers of grime.   We still have lots of areas to wash and a huge waxing job.  Even though we were tired last night we felt happy knowing we are getting Armida looking her best. 

The dock is in a little finger of water off the river that runs through Strasbourg.  We are abut 2 miles from the old town and there is a tram about a 1/4 mile walk  as well as modern really nicely designed mall with stores and multiplex theater.  The underground parking structure is incredibly well organized.   You drive down and on the ceiling at the end of each parking row there is a lit sign that tells you how many parking places are open.  You turn down one of the lanes and each parking place has a red, green or blue light on the ceiling above the trunk area.  Red being used, green open and blue large handicapped.  Each spot has it’s own number, ie 503 or 1714, row 5, spot 3 etc.  It’s a fairly big place so the walking paths have signs and directions to lifts and escalators to certain stores.  And its pretty and clean down there.  As is everywhere.

Here is a photo of one side of the water showing the buildings and cranes that were used to unload the big barges onto trains until after WWII.  The tracks have been pulled up many years ago and are now forest and park. 

In the other direction you see our neighboring boats and the new fitness center in the back ground. Seven of the boats are year round homes for two singles and five couples.  German, Dutch and French.  If you can see the boat furthest away has the best set up. They have the parking for their old van which they use for storing tools and things.  The cloths line is attached from the back to the fence.  They have their camper van and two small motor cycles as well.  There are big planters on the walk with last years dead flowers that have yet to be planted anew.  They have a washing machine, bar-b-q and many friends and visitors.  Really nice people.  On the other side of the River are the pleasure cruisers who don’t need to use the showers on this side. 

We got to see the Royal wedding live at 12N our time.  The Brits invited us.  She, Sandy, decorated the boat with little flags of union jacks, hearts and the royal crest.  They served finger food and the napkins where the Union Jack with a heart in the middle.  Both we and The New Zealanders, who we met last year, brought champagne.  It was a lovely time and we all enjoyed the pageantry.The bride was stunning!

Doggies love the boat and have settled into the routine. 

Today is May 1st, Labor day and nothing is running, including the public transport.  It is a Sunday and they don’t move the holiday to a weekday – there are rumors of a strike tomorrow as the unions still want their time off.