Satellites and Sens

After a season and a half of isolation we finally relented and have a TV. What we were missng was brought home to us when we met a Dutch boat with an Australian flag on the front in honour of Cadel Evans winning the Tour de France. We only knew about it the next day when we had internet. Even though all the big events are past (Royal Wedding, Tennis, Tour de France) we decided it was time. When we turned off the Seine at Montereau-fault-Yonne and found there was a giant E.Leclerc superstore in town we decide this was the place. Of course the store was 3km away and with anything like this it took 3 trips (one by bus, one on the bike and one walking and bus) and two days but we are finally connected. Life in the slow lane means ordinary things take a lot longer. We now have hundreds of channels for free and, of course, most of them are garbage but we do get all the UK channels and CNN and CNBC so we have more choices of an evening.

Now we are at the town of Sens on the river Yonne and the weather is sensational.  There are so many puns options with Sens so feel free. The river has been lovely with a few nice towns but most importantly we survived the locks.  This river that was bigger than the the Seine when it joined it has and interesting history.  It used to carry timber barges down to Paris and before they installed the locks they would get all the boats down the river by lowering the weirs in sequence to create an artificial flash flood that carried them helter skelter down the river.  I have not learnt how they got back up.
When they installed the locks the engineers chose the best structural choice of sloping sides, which is easier to build but not so good for the boats as the contact with the walls is below the waterline where fenders will not go.  Also the bollards are hard to get ropes on.  One of the boats we met reported they tried to sit in the middle and motor against the inrush – they managed to do a 360 in the lock.  A Welshman we met said they were lucky as he only managed a 180 and had to reverse out of the lock.  Needless to say, I was worried.  But we were fine.  We asked the lock keepers over the VHF radio if they would take our ropes and as we came in and they did, so we bumped gently up.  An other lock had a floating pontoon and in the last two we were in with a big barge and we tied up to him.
This looks like a great town with a good covered market and ABC (Another beautiful Cathedral) so we will probably stay a couple of days.  It makes Sens(e).

Yes, we have no diesel today.

Moret-sur-Loing

We stopped here because a) we were told it was a delightful mooring and a very nice town (it is) and b) there is a fuel station on the Seine that has reasonable prices.  It is there but for some reason they are out of fuel, so we will stay another day.  We last topped up in Epernay and Armida has a 500L tank so we are probably still 3/4 full but fuel stations on the water are very rare in France, so it is good to fill up when we can.

The weather is still odd and we get rain, clouds and sunshine everyday.  It’s not cold and the wind that seemed to blow the whole time we were in Paris has dropped so the cruising has been pleasant.

We did a very long day out of Paris (9 hours and 60km) as there are not many places to stop along the river and the first part is industrial and built up.  The locks are the biggest we have seen since Holland and are busy with commercial traffic, mainly carrying sand and gravel downstream.

The barge to the right of the picture is four empty sand barges lashed together and pushed by a “pusher” tug at the back. As we followed them upstream they stopped in the middle of the river next to another set of laden barges with a pusher coming downstream.  The pushers then unhooked themselves and did a do-se-do around the barges and exchanged loads and then headed off again.  Quite entertaining.

We stopped the first night in Melun which was a very pleasant town but we discovered the joys of mooring on the river the next morning  when the commercial traffic started going by at 6:30 and Armida was “rocking and rolling”.  After Melun the Seine is very pretty with lots of woodland and grand houses on the river’s edge.  We skirted the forests of Fontainebleau here and had a couple of nights of lovely moorings in beautiful villages.

After this we will be heading up the Yonne towards the Burgundy canal that has more locks than in all of Holland and most of them are manual so it should be slow progress.  But first we have to negotiate the dreaded “slope sided” lock of the Yonne.  More about those later.

Please read on for Terry’s wrap up of Paris.

Au revoir Paris

Paris, the city of light.  We spent a whole month there and Rob dragged me out kicking and screaming.  So much as been written about this city I don’t feel I have to bore you with details.  I hope you had a chance to look at the photos from a link on Rob’s last blog.   
For us the luxury of time gave us a chance to slowly savor the simple things like slipping down a tiny side street and finding an amazing old house and garden tucked away that has been there for hundreds years.
As with any city it’s better if you know someone.  We met Bill and Nancy  shortly after arriving.  I think they know more about Paris than most Parisians.  Besides tips and directions, they organized a group for two special events. 
One:  Boat tour:  “Canal Saint-Martin from Marina Arsenal to Parc de la Villette”.  A night time cruise.  Why not just go in our own boat?  The singer!   Just a few weekends a summer this tiny little woman dressed in black rides along with us through the tunnel to the narrow canal that passes through neighborhoods.  We all listen to the live commentary of the sights in both French and English. There are two locks to go through.  Each takes about 20 minutes.   Many people know “the singer” will be on board so will sit on their balconies or sit along the side with wine and a picnic to wait.  Once at the lock she stands up to perform old French romantic songs and sings her heart out.  I hope she wouldn’t be insulted if I say she sounded very much like Edith Piaf with the quiver and rolled r’s.  At night, with that voice, wine, the city people, us on the boat, we are all one big happy group.  When the boat started moving again there was a burst of applause, we raised our glasses to the crowd and they returned it or gave a wave.  There were eight very happy Americans included in that night.  It gives me goose bumps to remember it. 
Two:  Bastille Day.  Like a bunch of groupies we headed to a small café where “our singer”, along with a very handsome young singer, were to be.   Rob and I arrived a little late.  As we came to the door “our singer” came to me and danced me through to where our table was.  I think most of the costumers were regulars.  They didn’t seem to mind our intrusion on their day at all.  In fact they encouraged us to join the dancing and singing.  Even our dinner was good.  Hopefully you can see in the photo that it was a mad happy group who partied.  Even Rosie got to dance while we played “ring-around-the Rosie”.  Nancy thought of that.
There is a song, “The Flower of Paris” and the tall man was asked to wear the hat with a big red flower in the front, flag cape and carry the sunflower for the tune.  He loved the attention and didn’t want to take it off.  I danced with him and he spoke English.  Told me I was a “superb” dancer.  Charmer.  The best part, again, were the singers and old tunes.
Patricia (Patti while in SLO) Kohlen came to visit at the beginning of our stay.  At the moment she is back in SLO organizing the garden wedding celebration for her daughter Corinne and 100 people.  Let’s all hope they have fantastic weather.  Knowing Patti, it will be beautiful affair and Corinne will look stunning as she looks great in jeans!
At the end of our stay we had a very special visit from Caroline (Hope) Linfitt and family.  Caroline, Phil, Rebecca (Becca, Becs) age 16 and Annie age 13.
We suggested dinner at a restaurnat where we had a wonderful meal.  Unfortunately our cook must have left for vacation and a bus boy was cooking.  It was bad.  They kindly didn’t mention it.
The Hope / Davidson connection goes back to the early 1950’s and now spans three generation.  Phil and Caroline also have two pretty daughters.  They are as different as chalk and cheese, just as Skye and Tess.  You would all love listening to their charming English accents and to hear them tell of living back home.  They all have a very full life.  Cool family and it meant a lot to us that they made the effort to see us. 
Before I leave you in Paris I must mention Anna Davidson Trotter, no relation that we know of.  American, soft southern accent, funny and very cute.  She had a good friend  on board, Nigel, a charming long time canal devotee originally from the UK who helped her bring the boat through a rather difficult bit to arrive in Paris.  But other than that she has captained her barge, alone, for 11 years.   Amazing isn’t it.  
You can have money, be beautiful, the world on the string, but without friends and the people you meet life would be pretty lonely wouldn’t it?  Never underestimate your value in a persons life.
PS.  Rosie is finally getting over the loss of Noodle.  We are trying to put some weight back on her and make her feel more comfortable with us, not having the go between she so depended on.  Here she is after we were caught in the rain while out walking – she hates the rain.

Side note:  Rob went to the farmers market for fruit and vegies.  The bag that the apricots came in have a cute print of vegetables on  front and two recipes, Ratatouille Nicoise and Crème de Brocolis, on the back.  Great idea and we’ll try them.  

Paris Photos

We haven't been writing here in Paris because the last thing the world needs is more words about this amazing city - and we couldn't do it justice anyway.  Instead there are a few photos here. Probably here another week and then we will head south to the Burgundy Canal.

Still Here

The hot weather only lasted two days and it is back to being lovely - sunny with a cool breeze.  So we're staying for awhile longer, maybe until Bastille day as we are right by the place where it happened.

Paris, in the summer, when it sizzles.

Cole Porter said he loved it, but I don’t believe that he was actually here in the summer.  It does indeed sizzle, but that’s not a good thing.  We’ve had two days of 35C/92F + weather and we are very pleased that it seems to have broken.  If this is what July and August are like we are out of here “tout de suite”. Not only is it hot but it’s humid and miserable..

The Arsenal port is “an oasis in the middle of Paris” but it is also set down below street level and get’s some breezes but they seem to have been pre-heated by the streets by the time they get here.  Once the sun goes behind the buildings it cools off some and the late nights are lovely, but the afternoon from 2 to 8 is very hot.  So what? head off to a museum or something.  Nice idea, but it’s summer and the museums involve at least a one hour line (in said hot weather) waiting for tickets, the metro is not air conditioned, the department stores are rumoured to be cooled  but either the hamster running the compressors hasn’t been fed or the thermostats are set to 90F.

So we have decamped to the bedroom of the boat which is at water level, has a nice little fan and toughed out the last two days.  Cooler weather is forecast so we will try and get all our museuming done and make a run for the (hopefully) cooler countryside before the real sizzle returns for a longer run. Perhaps we will return in the fall when, according to Cole Porter, it does nothing at all – sounds good.

Grey Skies and Silver Linings

Our string of fabulous weather seems to have ended with Noodle.  Since we lost her the weather has got cooler and greyer.  We even had a squall on the Marne a few days ago and we worried about losing the Bimini.  I held onto it to stabilize it but in retrospect it was silly because if it blew off I would have probably parasailed away with it.  Now the weather has settled in to grey days, a cool wind and occasional light showers.  But do we care?  Hell no, we’re in Paris!

A month ago we were worried that the weather would be too hot here as the Port d’Arsenal is set down below the surrounding city and can be stifling in hot weather.  So this weather is great for us. Armida is slotted in at the northern end of the port where we can see the people getting on and off the Metro at the Bastille station but we really can’t hear the trains.  Rates have gone up since last year so we may not stay as long as we had thought but it is still a lot cheaper than a hotel.  After five nights we still pinch ourselves every time we go out in the streets.

On Tuesday we had a long day of shopping and schlepping so opted for  an early dinner on the boat . After dinner I decided to go out for a walk and as I emerged from our secret hollow I was surrounded by throngs of people and music everywhere.  It was June 21st, the summer solstice, which has been the “Festival of Music” in France since 1982.  Anyone who wants can perform, and there were all sorts.  We got Rosie and made our way over to the beautiful Place des Vosges where the medieval arched ways were filled with all sorts of musical groups and appreciative people.  There was a new group every 20m or so.  Rather than compete they seemed to transitions seamlessly.  It was a magical evening which we finished at 11PM with Champagne and people watching in a street side brassiere.  But wait, there’s more.  We sat down next to a distinguished older couple and exchanged pleasantries.  After people kept coming up and talking to them we had to ask, and discovered that he was Edgar Morin, a famous French philosopher.  France must be one of the few countries left that has philosophers at all, let alone appreciates them.

Our friend Patricia (from SLO) came to visit us yesterday.  Many years ago she lived and worked in Strasbourg and has kept up a friendship with a French girl from 40 years ago.  Her daughter is getting married in their home town of Versailles in the 14th century church of Louis IV and a reception for 200 at a hill top Abby.  Sounds delightful.

This morning Terry is headed to an antique fair a few blocks away in the tiny Saint-Paul area.  Rosie and I will accompany her, but she will undoubtedly outlast us.

That time constraint I talked about at the top of the blog may be adjusted – Terry wants to stay forever! It is supposed to get hot (35C/92F) on Monday if you can believe the notoriously unreliable forecasts here, so we will see. So much more to do!