Sunday, July 28, 2019

Small towns along the way

Barge Date:  07-27-2019

Small towns along the way


Just a short addition to Epinal.  Lots of flowers in boxes on bridges and below windows.  I took these pictures so I know what to put in the hanging baskets back home.  Want to look too?






Tied up next along a rusted out metal canal in a village called Melomenil. The end of the day so a good spot but also we were told of a nice inn just next to the water. If you look at Marianne's FB page I am sure she must have some pictures of a Frenchman biking along the canal. He visited with us over 2 day as we passed locks (said I was an expert at the lock work; nice guy). Anyway, he added his approval of the inn for a good country meal.

So we tied up and went into the village, checked the inn and told them we would be back for dinner.  Then we walked the streets.  Just a lot of interesting buildings, barns and houses. Some showing age, some with the face of modern updates.  Many, I think, might be weekend/holiday houses.  So take a look.






Table saw powered by tractor.  Firewood



This was on an old barn.  Think it was from 1826..


After dinner we returned to the boat to find it beginning to hang up.  Someone was letting water out of the canal.  Had the same problem the previous night up stream.  Then I noticed it  during the night when I found a door swung in the wrong way.  So this time I pulled out some tricks we have not previously used.  Standoffs.  I have three but used just two.  Here is how they work.


From the gentleman that wrote the 2 books and those that followed, our boat has everything you need and standoffs are a good example.

It has been hot.  How hot?  France has their 2 hottest weeks on record this year.  For those back home, over 100 degrees. How to survive?  The new screens for the boat that I made last Winter help a lot.  Good ventilation. But surprisingly the cabin stays "comfortable" most of the day.  We use a fan but I think a larger one would help. A cold shower does wonders. And even with the days very hot the nights can be cool so there is some help.  Keep the boat moving; a little breeze.

Flies can be a problem.  Through the wheelhouse windows to make their way down below. Will work on this.


Fontenoyle-Chateau

Barge Date:  07-28-2019

Fontenoy-le-Chateau

As I might have said before, you never know what you will be served up in the next stop.  For us, this was Fontenoy-le-Chateau.  The entire mooring is run by the hire boat company, so the regular boaters are in with the weekend warriors. Water available, but after I had washed the boat, I was told of the water emergency so only use was to fill the tanks. But the boat was cleaned first.

The town was setting up for a yard sale and some food vendors, all to be located at the marina.  So some excitement coming and no idea what to expect. Only one place to eat in town and we planned  to go Sunday noon. But what else?

Saturday vendors began setting up at 7am.  For the most part very similar to what you will see in the US. Stuff you would never want being sold by people that obviously have too much. Lots of clothing. A collection of tools, instruments and other odds and ends that will be taken back at the end of the day. Marianne heard of someone that came to buy only old coins, clocks, and a few other "collectibles" hoping for the person that does not know what is on his table.

I found these lamps that I will make hangers for this winter and they will go in the wheelhouse.



 We saw no other food in town so we ate with the towns people. BBQ-ed game of some origin plus the fixings. Not bad.  Behind us as we ate folks were bowling.  Looks like a regular carnival game where you try to knock down 10 pins.  Ball and pins are wood, alley is rolled out rubber that is by no means level so getting a consistent roll is impossible.  If you get all 10 down you win 200 euros.  No winners that I saw.

Sunday came and the restaurant refused us; filled up. Needed a reservation. So we began to walk the town. The first thing you notice are hand painted signs with literary quotes.  Must have been 50 plus tied up all around town. You will see some in the pictures. As we walked by the church we heard organ music but when we entered there was also a flute. Practice for a performance at 5pm.  We sat and enjoyed.  The sound was very good in the church.

The church was small and gave off the feel of what you might have had next to your castle.  It was not overdone with the typical accoutrements you see in the larger churches. Simple with good looking stone work.  A rough stone table at the front, something I don't think I have seen before. A couple of pictures of the pews which are very old.  The church goes back to about 1000 but the current structure is about 1300.

Also in the village was an embroidery and manufacturing museum.  Small but interesting. Don't have any pictures but the examples were interesting. A white christening dress that took 900 hours to do. The village was famous for this and the clients stretched from France to Czarist Russia.


























Friday, July 26, 2019

Visitors to Lionel...d'Antan

Barge Date:  07-26-2019

Visitors to Lionel...d'Antan

Back more than 3 years ago we met Barrie and Carol, fellow barge owners. Their Silk Purse has been their home for many years but they are always off and on again.  If not back in Canada for a quick visit so they don't forget what snow is, or doing international pet/house sits, they can be found in Belgium where the barge is or, new since last year, their camper Gracie. Now, instead of putting hours on the boat clock they are putting kilometers on the camper.

They came for a short visit as we were ending up our stay in Epinal.  Here are a few pictures.  If it is Tuesday you know they will be somewhere else.



A Life Away from Canals

Barge Date:  07-26-2019

A Life Away from Canals

About this time last year we were introduced to John Wilson and we  wrote about his "mission" in life.

John operates a self-catering barge in NE France and has been at this for many years.  But as a young
John in 1973 as he began his work.
man just finishing his medical training he found himself in India and found his life work. He began an organization that started as a medical NGO and has grown to offer residence of the Nilgiris Wynaad area education, clean water and more.  To read more about the history of John's work with Nilgiris Wynaad Tribal Welfare Society see this link:  http://www.nwtws.org/history.html

This work continues in India.  John travels back to his "other job" each winter.  There is a good organization there to help him and together they have had many successes. But you and I know that the bottom line is money.  If you can help, I can guarantee that this use of your western resources will be put to good use in a place you and I will never see.  Never see, but there, none the less, with problems that far outstrip anything we can know of in the west.

Explore the web site and learn more.  And to support them visit this link:  http://www.nwtws.org/supportus.html

Thanks

Monday, July 22, 2019

Barge Date:  07-17-2019

Canal des Vosges

One of the stops on the Vosges is the town of Chatel-sur-Moselle. It sports a castle that has been mostly buried. Of course its origin goes back a long way; it was an interesting build that let the designers come up with various ways to get the attackers to fail.

Lots of tunnels to get into the fortifications, but beware, it is dark.  So you might fall into a hole filled with water;  you might enter a room that allows the defenders to drop rocks on you; and beware of the knee knockers designed not only to hurt your knee but to alert the defenders that you are coming: **%#^@.

At one time the defenders filled the upper rooms with debris and stayed below.  Perhaps someone forgot what was down there because others began new buildings on top so today you have occupied houses on top of castle walls and foundations.  Supposedly someone has a drawbridge in his basement.

Volunteers now come to the castle to help excavate the ruins.


That is an ancient thumb you see in the upper corner.








Our next important stop is the city of Epinal. It is not directly on the canal, but there is a channel of about 5k that brings you to the port. Unfortunately the water situation in all of France is bad and has been bad for a number of years. Epinal is near the high point on the Canal des Vosges, and it is at the top that problems begin.  There has not been enough winter rain to fill the reservoirs that feed this and other canals in the French system. You might remember that I wrote about low water levels in another canal.

The day before we were to leave for Epinal, the VNF, the operator of almost all canals in France, made a post that the branch to Epinal is closed until October. The city has such a nice port it was going to be fun to bring the barge into town. So we had to settle for tying up at the branch and walking into town. Three kilometers by the road and 5 if we followed the branch to town. The first day we took the short route and the second the "scenic" route.

This is a fun and interesting town. The Moselle River runs through the town, and it makes for a lot of pictures. Actually there is an island in the city and one branch of the river is a kayak course. There is a host of interesting buildings, castles and a Chinese pagoda. Don't ask me why the Chinese touch. Someone about 100 years ago wanted to make this a project, and there it is, recently restored. The town had a bit of a Mediterranean feel to it. Had a great dessert in town - crepe with bananas and caramel.






Another laundry.
















We must continue as we need to have the boat taken out of the water for a hull inspection.  If it is not done in August someone will need to stay longer.