Barge Date:  12-01-2021

And You Thought I Was Not Doing a Last Blog 

 Yes, I know, you are wondering where I am. France?  USA?

We returned to Auxerre having gone up the Nivernais canal half way.  If anyone is reading this and thinking about the Nivernais we give it a score of C.  At times very nice but other times lacking. Having just come off the Burgundy canal from one end to the other we would say it was a better experience; bigger, bolder views from the barge and a lot of towns and villages of interest.  The Nivernais had a good number of hire boats and less so for the Burgundy (except for the north end). We liked the Meuse more than the Nivernais. The Canal de la Marne au Rhin was much more interesting than the Nivernais.

I met up with the man I had spoken to earlier who was having his deck power stripped with water. Not a totally good experience. Made a big mess but did get down to steel. What he painted looked good and I picked up some tips. And he was not told that the  people who would do the work were on vacation so he did much more than he intended. I spent some time grinding some problem areas on my deck and actually it was not in such bad condition.  Based on some info from DBA I know what I will be doing when I return in 2022.

We were tied up in Auxerre for several weeks and crossed paths with a number of boaters. This year must be a record for meeting Americans. Probably half of them own boats in the US and live on board in both places.  Marianne went on a book buying spree; we now measure books by pounds not by piece.  Visited a few restaurants, had some fun.

Took the bike out to the Brico store to buy painting supplies and some lumber.  I have developed an idea for removing and installing batteries. If the boards don't break, if the rope holds, moving batteries should not be nearly impossible.

Of course everything on deck has been stored somewhere on the boat. Did all the steps for winterizing the boat.  My new plumbing fittings work great to pump out the water system. Once this was done we spent the last day in a nearby hotel then took the train to Paris.  Because it was the weekend and because of work on some of the rail line part of the trip was by bus.  Normally you take a train direct to one of the Paris stations.

Spent a morning tracking down an attorney in Paris that is dealing with English publishing rights for some of the books Marianne has translated.  We arrived just in the nick of time as she was passing us as we entered her building. But a loud yell from me and a conversation with Marianne as we walked with her was fruitful.  She was actually on her way to a meeting that might start resolving the roadblock that has stopped progress with these rights.  Now to find a proper English publisher that wants to do the printing.

Spent several days in Paris doing low stress things: the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, art museums, etc. Tried to eat well. Then zip zip back to Thomasville.

Thinking about next year already. One more item to make in the shop and I am ready. Will have part of the electric system looked at over the winter to see if there is a problem. And provided the old barge is floating in April or May we will return.

Luxembourg Gardens

This little girl is mugging for a photo.

Outside former apartment of Romain Gary