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!
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