Barge Date:  06-20-2018

On to Verdun

A bit of traveling as we continue up the Meuse River towards Verdun.

Mouzon is a stop along the way.  Found an easy tie-up.  Marianne is set on seeing the felt museum.

Polish Mountaineer's Suit

  This was the industry in town for nearly 100 years but felt is no longer made in France.  Given our background we know a lot about felt making but there were some interesting touches.  Also took the opportunity to have a nice lunch in town. 

We are in a section of the river that does not have automatic locks so at this time of the year they are manned by college students.  Doing 8 or more locks a day, it is nice to have someone to take your line as you enter and drop it on a bollard.  We have also experienced for the first time locking up with another small boat to our stern.  This is made easier with the lock help.  While our supply of Belgian chocolate lasts we leave some with the help.

 This area has some wonderful farm land decked out in wheat, oats, corn and hay.  The fields can be very large and the contours are gentle rolling hills. In terms of scale and equipment, these farms are the equal of many American farms.

Along the way we have been seeing large works on the river and the canal. The French are finally replacing very old and low tech weirs with concrete and movable water control installations. The old relied-on wooden stick was used across the flow to raise and control flow, diverting water into the canalized part of the river.  Think of a little dam at each lock.  These modern weirs will not only help keep water in the canal parts but control flow on the river sections.

Hope you can see the sticks strung across the river

We do 40 kms on the last day to get to Verdun.  We are able to take the last spot on floating pontoons.  Another good mooring move by the crew.  Space, water and electricity are free in this port but this fact causes some to never leave.  The last two nights we have boats tied to our river side and this is common during the summer months.

Notice right away that Andrew, a UK barger first encountered in Liege, is tied on to the opposite side.  He passed Lionel while I was in the US. We learn that he and his dog Sam have been getting a lung full of engine smoke on their travels and he is working on a small wheelhouse.  As it is, he uses a large tiller at the stern, exposed to all the elements and the smoke.

Most Americans know Verdun as one of the French cities that saw months of fighting during WWI. The heavy fighting began only in 1916 but both sides made up for lost time and saw their way to killing more than 500,000. However, more recent calculations of fatalities may have been as high as 975,000. This over a period of about 8 months. The fields still give up the dead.  A large ossuary has the bones of more than 100,000 "unknown".  From the air the remains of many of the trenches can be seen.

In town we visit the underground bunker of the citadel. There are more than 4 kms of arched and bricked tunnels used to store all sorts of war material.  These tunnels were installed prior to WWI and were used during that war. A tour of the site has you on a robot cart that takes you through the site and presents information along the way.  Nearly a Disney ride. Nice.

We were able to meet some very nice people during our stay.  Peter and Ellen from down under as well as Peter and Jo from down under too.  Shared some treats and meals with them and Andrew.

The port is in the middle of town and is the focal point for downtown activity, cafes, and restaurants. For the summer solstice there were 5 bands playing in the downtown areanand lots going on. The following night an impromptu performance by a African drum group and local dancers was a big hit.  Saturday night also more music and fun.

Here are some pictures around town.

We think we now have all the documents needed to apply for French resident permits.  Marianne was able to get through by phone to ask some basic questions.  The problem has been making an appointment.  This must be done on-line and it seems impossible to get a slot.  They suggest we just show up and beg for mercy.  Will do.

Peter and Jo mentioned that when they did this (in another city) things went much faster when their income situation was made known.  We have been told that all of this could take months but perhaps when they see we are on the up and up the permits may come faster.  Will be making another trip to Strasbourg soon.

Don't forget Marianne's photo collection on Facebook.  You do not need a Facebook account. Search for "Barge Adventure".

Barge Date:  06-11-2018

From Givet to Charleville-Mezieres and Sedan

 .... and How We Saved a Life in a Lock

The weather since our arrival in France has been wonderful. I, for one, like global warming and that has been the weather. With blue skies and darkness coming at about 10pm each day.

The boat seems to have handled my absence very well.  A couple of hours of work had everything in its place. We used this time period to see some more of the town, now with Marianne along for the ride. A visit to the food store, a walk up to a landmark above the river, a meal at a restaurant and we were ready to head upstream.

A couple of notes about the boat.  It has been about 5 weeks since I last plugged the boat into shore power and even that was not needed.  For some reason the systems like to have the batteries charged to a set level and it will not accept the sun as the source.  But when I have plugged in, the system has not reset itself. It is working correctly but the dumb measure of "percent remaining" has gone to zero and will not come back to 100%.  If I just ignore it I am fine but would like all systems to be giving good data.

The engine continues to sound great. Still burns some oil as all DAF engines do, I am told, but moves us through the water with ease.

No more plumbing problems.

Have been able to mount all four cameras to give us a view to the stern, port and starboard sides and a look just in front of the boat. The stern and bow cameras will be most useful when mooring in tight space between 2 boats; the bow and side cameras will be used in locks.  With a few tries it is obvious that I must also train myself to use the views; not pushed, I have found I ignore the views. Practice.

With a few refresher comments about locks and lines Marianne is game for pushing up river.  On this portion of the river most of the locks are automated but at the beginning we have a short tunnel to cut through a small ridge so the locks one and two will have workers on site. The lifts tend to be reasonable but we see a lot of wall in addition, so the distance between water and bollard is somewhat more than we expected.  The lock workers lower a hook to take our lines. Passing through the tunnel is fun and we immediately come to the next lock.  This is where we save a life.

As we come into the lock the doors close behind us and we see the lock worker coming down the steps to take our lines.  With him is his wire haired terrier, name unknown.  Having reviewed the video tape for the view, it is possible that when the keeper was picking up his long pole that is used to snag our lines he may have goosed the dog to the edge and over. About 15 feet or so. This happens behind the worker and Marianne is getting the lines and also misses the mishap although she hears the splash. Quickly everyone knows there is a problem.

The dog is swimming but has no idea what to do. First time for everything.  What to do?  The worker rightly chooses not to jump in.  There is a wet, slippery ladder but not a good option. It is up to us. How can we save the dog?  With a bit of encouragement we are able to get our new boat hook under her and guide her to the side of the boat.  Only by lying on the deck at the low point am I able to reach the scruff of her neck and take a grip.  I am lying prone and not sure I can make the move to get up with dog attached. But somehow it works and she is on board.

Water is added to the lock, the boat comes up and dog and master are reunited.  For eight years the four-footed lock assistant has been coming to work and this was her first tumble.  In all the confusion we failed to get her name but here are some pictures.  And it all gave a chance to use the cheap headline.

 

 This year we resolved to take each day slower. We have the new advantage of not needing to find a place to "plug in". And I think I have figured out the water system so that we can have all tanks full and not causing any floods.  So when we see a nice place to tie up, we will (famous last words).

We have seen the town of Haybes from the train and make that our first stay. Little town, nice mooring with low prices, a baker, a nice restaurant.  Meet a few other boaters and relax.

The next day we move up to Montherme.  The marina is full but luckily we decided to pull over and tie to a guardrail with several other boats before the marina.  Two local girls give us their best interpretations of English speakers and I have an equal conversation back in French. We can not see it from below but had we been up on the ridge above town we would have taken a picture of the river nearly circling the town as it meanders around all high obstacles. On the postcard it looks neat.

The next mooring is Charleville. Found space at the marina, but just barely space.  Cameras were helpful in fitting in the only slot available. Real pleased with how well we did.

We are seeing our first day-long rain.  Notice from somewhere that this has been the wettest June in France in some time.  On the Canal des Ardennes the water got the best of one lock.  Somehow a channel worked behind a lock wall causing the wall to fall into the lock.  Canal now closed for through traffic until December 1. Hope we can get through the Meuse OK.  The river is high and muddy and flowing very fast.  We have held up for 2 days to let things settle.

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Our "Big Muddy"

 Charleville is really Charleville-Mezieres but we are only visiting the Charleville side. The centerpiece is the main square or place. Large enough for 2-3 cities. Among our activities is eating, visiting the tourist office, a tour through the Museum of the Ardennes, visits to book stores and eating ice cream.

The stone you see in the Place is common throughout the city and region. All the buildings around the Place have the same basic design.  What is different is the style of roof.  Similar buildings continue all around the Place.

The VHF radio is broken.  Will not turn on.  Checked the power and is fine. Not a great need where we are as the locks are automatic but talking from boat to boat is sometimes needed. Order a new hand-held unit which is shipping from the UK.  Will  need to catch a train back to Charleville when it arrives at the tourist office.

On the way to Sedan we overnighted just at the entrance to the Canal of the Ardennes then on to Sedan. We have driven stakes along a stone wall and find we have a front lawn.  This city is known for the role in WWI but even before this was land that the Germans have vied for over the past 150 years and maybe longer.  This being the 100th anniversary for WWI, you see special events and displays.  Also saw a good number of WWII pillboxes along the Meuse.

The largest castle fortress in Europe is near the downtown area.

Downtown Sedan is a bit rougher than some other French cities we have been to. But it has the normal count of cafes and parks. Everything is an easy walk from the mooring including this one.

Barge Date:  06-05-2018

Strasbourg

For our return we choose to enter through Paris.  We will both be seeking residence status in France and thought this documented entry best. After a couple of late flights, we arrived early in the morning and having collected our bags made our way to the TGV station for the fast trip to Strasbourg.

Strasbourg is on the eastern border with Germany and is in an area that has slipped back and forth between the two powers for some time. So you see a mix of German and French, from food to language. We were immediately taken by the city. The entire downtown area is nearly a car-free zone. The streets are for foot traffic and you will find shops and restaurants in great abundance. This area is encircled by waterways and you can see large tourist boats filled to the brim with visitors. But the water is off limits to those of us with boats.

Our first day was spent going to the local marina and arranging for winter mooring. We did not want to have to return to Belgium at the end of the season. As this is the general area we will be in for this year, it made sense to winter here. We also needed an address to call our own for when we applied for residence. The facilities look fine and it will be a good location for the boat.

Because we arrived on the weekend, we needed to wait until Monday to visit the Prefecture to pursue the residence cards.  By 8:15 we joined a crowd of people who seemed to be mostly from the mid-East and Africa. We quickly learned that our documents were not up to their standards. We had copies but they wanted originals.  We have these at home and they are now in transit.

Because I covered this problem last year, let me just say that in France it should be easier.  As Marianne is an EU citizen and I her American spouse, we both should be granted residence.  That is the hope.  We will return in several weeks to present the papers.

Here are some sights around Strasbourg.

On June 5, we took a train trip to get us to Givet.  Out the window of the train we saw very large farming operations. The land is gentle rolling hills and some of the fields were exceptional in size. Mostly wheat and oats, some corn and hay and probably some fruit operations. From Charleville to Givet we followed the Meuse River which we will travel on in a day or so.

Barge Date:  05-20-2018

Givet, France and the trip home

This is a catch-up post for a  time when not much happened.

I did elect to travel up the Meuse to the French town of Givet.  Come hell or high water we were going to travel this piece of water.  I and all the others wanting to take this route to France knew the estimates for the opening of the trouble spots and if they held I would be fine.

The idea was to use this time to work on the boat, things that needed to be done and some elective work.  And I did just that.  Painting of the raised portion of the cabin and its top.  A bit of red trim around the front.  A couple of coats of green and red on the dingy. Arranged all the Ethernet lines needed for the 4 cameras I brought with me from the US and the placement of the control box and TV monitor for these cameras. Cleaned the brass that is on the boat and added brass "touches" here and there.

I was able to do some sight-seeing around Givet so not all work. I also made friends with a Dutch/German couple that have been on their sailboat for 6.5 years, a boat that they fabricated in Germany. Leo and Yuki are headed back to Dusseldorf.  We shared some time on both boats. Nice people. Hope to catch up with them.

About May 21 I took a bus and train back to Brussels for the return flight to the US for Jinglei's high school graduation. Was able to spend some time with the Belgian family and also make a trip back to Antwerp to purchase the rope I forgot to buy in an earlier trip.  Will have to take it with me to the US and bring it back on the trip with Marianne to Paris and on to Strasbourg.

Yes, Jinglei graduated.  Along the way she won a PC for her work at the tech school where she completed a number of college classes.  The entire family was able to travel to Thomasville for the event and it was wonderful to have everyone together. We ate well and had some fun time and I was able to get some work out of the boys.  Will we do it again when LiQiong graduates from college next year?

Was able to do some work in the wood shop to make some items for the boat that are needed for the camera systems.

Left the two girls in charge with a credit card  and boarded the planes for Paris.

Barge Date:  04-30-2018

From Maastricht to Dinant

Wim, the engine mechanic, returned with all the parts needed to make my oil filter change easier. I will now be

able to use a spin-on/spin-off filter which should eliminate the possibility of big spills  The extra days of waiting have been worth the time.

I say goodbye to Sandra and Rob as I turn the engine on and head south for Liège. It is a short run up the river and the engine sounds good. I want to make the mooring close to the address where Marianne lived. As I come into town I see a lot of live-on barges on the port side and just one space so I quickly take it. 

I am to meet up with an old friend of Marianne’s from her college time here in Liège. I thought to take my bike but the wall that I tie up to is just too high to get it off. So I take off on foot passing through the neighborhoods that I knew well back in 1972. Her apartment building which is right on the river has not changed.

I visit Beatrice at her home and she has not changed much at all other than we are all older. She graduated with the same degree as Marianne and spent nearly 40 years teaching English and Dutch. Now retired, she has a number of activities and she does travel with friends. She prepares a simple lunch and afterwards we begin a tour of the town. Also from her I receive my radio which has been programmed with my boat identification numbers.

Sunday is market day in Liège and it is directly across the river from Marianne's old home. I am off on foot early in the morning while everything is being set up, but I quickly judge that there is nothing that I need. I return to the boat and decide to move it to the south edge of town where there is mooring space.  It is here that I make the acquaintance of a younger man from the UK who has been building his live-on barge for two years and an older couple who have had their boat for 25 years. It originally started out as a fishing boat but has been expertly converted to a two-berth travel boat.

I am able to travel on the bike in town to complete some small tasks but spend the rest of the time on the boat doing work.  On Sunday evening, Beatrice and I have a farewell dinner at the newly renovated Liège train station. It looks exciting but the one negative comment from Beatrice is that in the winter it is still outside and not so pleasant to wait for a train.

I continue to hear rumblings about problems in France on the Meuse River, just as there were last August. The Dutch couple wants to enter France as well and we attempt to put our heads together to see what might be possible. We can read the notices from the French canal office but we just don’t know how much weight to give these pronouncements.  At one point we elicit the help of Marianne to call France. In the end we still don’t know what to do. There are two options: one, to wait on this river and try to work our way into France with the possibility that we could be stuck for some weeks. Is this where we want to be? The second option is to do what was done last year, that is to make a big detour and enter France on another canal. This will add many hours to the boat and fuel consumption and will leave me still some distance from the area we want to explore this summer. At some point I must decide and then hope for the best

From Liège I travel up river to Namur where I stayed several weeks last year. It is an ideal mooring location and I know where all the stores are. We continue to listen for new news from the French  I am now traveling with the Dutch couple so we can share our concerns. There are several more encounters with the French and we still do not know what to do, so in order not to do nothing I continue upstream to the town of Dinant. The Dutch hold short of the town to do painting.

Huy, BE

I was also in Dinant last year with my Australian travelers and noted in the blog that there was a lot of construction going on at the riverfront downtown. As luck would have it, I have returned to Dinant on the weekend where they are dedicating the completed project. On Sunday there are speeches, a special concert in the cathedral featuring a nearly all-saxophone orchestra and choral group. Attendance is by invitation so I stand outside in front of a large TV screen to see and hear what is going on inside.

Lionel...d'Antan on the Meuse.

Dinant s the hometown of the inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax. The concert centers around the various types of saxophones with the orchestra being led by a Hungarian, Vladimir Cosma, who has written a number of movie scores, some featuring the saxophone.

Along the quai there are old military groups in full costume as well as 4 or 5 Saxophone groups. They all have

a rag tag look to them which I think must be their costume for this event. For a small town, Dinant has a good crowd in attendance. The weather was very nice until 5 o’clock when we had some showers but gave hope that the sound and light show scheduled for later in the evening would go forward. But at about 8 o’clock, a very strong storm came through the city with high winds and rain and served to wash out the remaining evening activities.

It is now April 30 and I hope to make a decision today about the road to take to France.

Picture below of Dinant along the river.