Wednesday, December 12, 2007

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

FROM THE YONNE TO THE CANAL DU NIVERNAIS

From the town of Villeneuve sur Yonne, our next stop was at Joigny. The Tour the France was arriving there on the July 11 and we wanted to be there for the event. The approach to the town on the river is superb, and as we were coming in the sun touched us with its rays and the light began to change. We passed in front of The Cote St. Jacques, famous for its wines, and the restaurant by the same name, one of the best in all of France. It had been rainy all day up to that point. Luckily, when we got to the port we were able to tie up to a large pontoon on the outside, all by ourselves. From our boat the view of the town was outstanding. We went into town for a while until a sudden rain storm caught us off guard. We went back to the boat, had a lovely meal and went to sleep.

The next day after doing the laundry, it started to rain which meant I could not hang my clothes to dry. We found a Laundromat nearby and used the dryers. We then went by the tourist office, got all kinds of information about the town and activities and went back to the boat. That day we met a German couple and their son who came to have some drinks with us. They had rented a boat for 10 days, it had rained every single one up to that time and they were to return their boat the next day. How sad. And to think that most of the people on rental boats were in the same situation.

The town was preparing for the arrival of The Tour de France, so all public parks and gardens had been done in bicycle themes, they had giant TV screens all along the quay, and all types of activities were planned for the day. It was a Wednesday, but the town was given the day off for the occasion. Bill and I had made a reservation at a restaurant called Paris- Nice, which turned out to be one of the best we have tried in a long time. Our meal was superb from beginning to end, as well as the service and presentation of the dishes. We had a great time. Around 5:30 PM we went over the bridge and took our places on the quay below one of the giant screens to wait for the parade of accompanying caravans. There were thousands of people lined up along the way donning their favorite team's shirt or cap, waving their flags, some singing their country's national anthem. It was a beautiful sunny evening, a true change from the weather we had been having. Finally, the leaders could be seen a few feet away, then the "peloton," zipped by, all in a flash. The arrival about a block away we were able to see on the giant screen. So much preparation, organization and money are put into this event, but the French do it right. It is quite the spectacle.

That same evening we walked over to the center of town whose narrow streets make you feel like you are still in the XIV Century. The half timber houses have some of the most beautiful carvings we have seen in houses of the era. Just across the street from the Mairie and the old library is the house where Madeleine Sophie Barat, founder of the Community of the Sacred Heart was born and raised. Since I went to a Sacred Heart school, I was very interested in visiting the house. It was almost 8:00 PM, so I did not think we could go inside. Bill and I were reading the exterior plaque when a nun came walking in and asked if we wanted to visit the house. Of course, being an alumna of the school gave me the right to a very thorough visit by a wonderfully enthusiastic nun who showed us around and told us anecdotes about M. Sophie, a most interesting tour. The gardens are gorgeous and the house is currently used for religious retreats for women.

Down from her house is the Church of St. Thibault which has over its main door a beautiful equestrian relief of the saint by the Spanish Golden Age sculptor Jean de Juni. As we entered we could hear the organ playing and realized that we were in for a treat. An organist was practicing for his concert the following week and Bill and I sat through the whole thing, all alone in this beautiful church while we admired the beautiful stained glass windows and incredible statues in the interior. It was quite a special day from beginning to end.

The next day we left Joigny and had to wait for about two hours before the second lock while it was repaired. We had lunch after stopping in Migennes and turned around to arrive at the charming village of Gurgy about 5:30 PM. Soon after another boat called Bayleaf pulled up behind us. We had seen them in Joigny and in Sens, but had not talked to them. They are Jill and Kevin Makins, an Australian couple from Surfer's Paradise who have been sailing all over the world and in France for a few years. We connected right away, and since then we have been meeting in other places as we make our way down south. The next day, July 13, I remember very well because it was the first real summer day we had since we left Briare the first week of June. We met a large Vietnamese family the Nguyens, half of them French and the other half from California. They liked our boat, so we invited them for a visit. The grandmother had come to France from Vietnam to see her family, so they thought that a boat trip would be the best. They were enjoying themselves, no doubt.

We left Gurgy under a most beautiful sunny sky and this part of the river Yonne was gorgeous. We saw lots of herons, mandarin ducks carrying their freckled little ducklings on their back, and a couple of martin fishers. The river was wide most of the way and the approach to the city of Auxerre, magnificent. From the distance its three most distinctive buildings, the Abbey de St. Germain, the Cathedral of St. Etienne and the Church of St. Pierre can be seen. It is a breath taking view no matter what time of the day. We were told to stay in the Port de Plaisance and tie up to another boat because the Independence Day fireworks were to take place that evening. Bill brought the boat in alongside an old tanker called SHELL owned by several couples who have it for one month each out of the year. There were dozens of boats already there and many more came that afternoon for the festivities. Bill and I had a great dinner at the Creperie du Pont, one we had discovered last October when we were there in our car.

The fireworks display was fantastic and all of us sat on the decks of our boats sipping on cocktails, lights above our heads, multicolor sparkles flying and bangs echoing in the most stunning of settings. Certainly an evening to remember. The next day, July 14, the real holiday, it was a very hot day. We had made a reservation at a place called Le St. Pelerin, known for its wood burning oven. The lunch was great and copious, so we decided to walk it off by walking the town from north to south. The very sober Cathedral is being worked on but we were able to see it. We also visited the Church of St. Pierre and the center of town with its beautiful XV C. clock tower. That night we had Kevin and Jill over for drinks on Biesbosch and had a great time with them.

The next day, we left Auxerre and soon we were on the Canal du Nivernais, built to connect the Loire to the Seine. The locks are smaller, the lock keepers nicer (usually students with summer jobs) and this northern stretch of the canal, fantastic. We tied up before a lock, had lunch and even a nap! In the late afternoon we tied up the boat and walked up the hill to visit a cave where they produce a white sparkling wine as well as some good roses and others. We got back on the boat, the canal widened to the point that it looked like a river, and in a couple of hours we moored at a little town called Vincelles. The village had a tiny grocery store, which doubled up as bakery and bookstore. After dinner, we took a walk to the town of Vincelotte which is on the Yonne, parallel to the canal. Great little cafes and a beautiful restaurant by the banks, lovely architecture, all and all a great area.

On July 27 we were supposed to be in Chatillon en Bazois to take part in a boat rally that our friends from Anfra told us about. At this point many of the boats we encountered were traveling to the same event, so we met some new people on the way. At Mailly le Chateau we stayed all by ourselves in a basin at the foot of the promontory, walked up to the town, true little hamlet full of treasures, like the path to it, a former mule path, the chateau with its adjacent park and the XII C church with its most unusual statues. That evening we watched the most competent of boules players trying to outdo each other at it. They were absolutely fantastic!

The sun shone for us for five days in a row, and just as we thought that summer had truly arrived, the weather changed. The next week of cruising we had showers, patchy skies and cooler weather.


Medieval church along The yonne


Joigny


Tour de France Decoration at Joigny


July 11 at Joigny


Victorious!


A XIII C half-timber house in Joigny


The house of Madeleine Sophie Barat in Joigny


The smiling Madonna XIV C.


The Nugyen family


Auxerre Port


Kevin and Jill Aussie friends at Auxerre


Along the Nivernais


Old lock house on The Upper Nivernais Canal


Bill helping lock keeper


Sunflowers of The Nivernais


Mooring at the foot of Mailly le Chateau


Mailly leChateau


XII C.church at Mailly le Chateau


Les Roches de Saussois


Les Roches


A beautiful lock


Same lock


Chateau de Faulin on The Nivernais


Draw bridge before Clamecy


Moored behind elizabeth in Clamecy

Monday, July 23, 2007

A GREAT VISIT FROM THE GRUBIC BOYS

After Paris we went back to St. Mammes hoping to do some painting on the exterior of the boat but the weather did not cooperate. The rain continued, and though not constant, the sunny times were not long enough to get a project started. Bill continued to do wiring and electrical work, which was a great thing.

On July 4, Michael and Joseph Grubic, the sons of Bob and Alicia, our California friends arrived in Paris from Barcelona. They flew into CDG, so we drove to Paris to pick them up. They had to take a train from CDG to Orly --much closer to us -- so it took a while for them to get there. It was great to see them and to hear all about their traveling adventures together. Michael, the younger brother had just finished his semester abroad in Barcelona, and Joseph, who is starting medical school in the fall decided to join his brother for a nice vacation in Europe.

We got back to the boat after midnight, showed the boys how to set up their beds in the wheel house and went to sleep. It had been a long day for all of us. The next day we would be navigating, so we needed our night sleep. After a delicious breakfast with croissants and baguettes from one of the two good bakeries in town, we drove the boys to Moret sur Loing so they could see it. Oddly enough it did not rain at all that day and for the remainder of their stay, so we could say that the boys brought the good weather with them.
At 11:30 AM we cast off the lines and departed under very windy conditions. We were traveling upstream on the Seine with high winds and lots of commercial traffic. I made lunch for everyone while we were underway, so we did not need to stop. Just before the little town of Cannes, we had to wait for the lock to be repaired. There were at least 4 large peniches waiting to go in. These locks can fit lots of boats, since they are 700 feet long! After this lock we turned right onto the River Yonne where the locks were not as big, but the walls were sloped. The first few did not have pontoons for us to tie to, and it was nearly impossible to get to a bollard. If the lock keeper felt like helping with the ropes, you were lucky. In one occasion one of them refused to take my cord. Once the water starts coming into that lock the forces with which you are dealing are incredible. Bill had to keep the motor running to control the boat. Quite a challenge! The locks on the Yvonne are supposed to be open until 7:00 PM, but that day, we got to Pont Renard before 6:00 PM and it was closed. We tied up along the wall on the weir side with a Dutch cruiser called Blaue Banjer. The had been in St. Mammes with us.

Bill and I wanted to teach the boys the game of Boules, so we went ashore and had a couple of games before dinner. We had a great time eating on the boat with Joseph and Michael because they like everything and there is nothing they do not eat. The next day after breakfast we cast off at 9:45 AM heading for Sens, a large town right on the River. This stretch of the Yonne was beautiful. The river is wide and wild, the vegetation very thick and the birds forever present. At 1:30 We stopped at the lovely town of Pont sur Yonne, famous for its IX C bridge, of which only 3 arches remain. It was a very balmy, sunny day, we tied up onto a pontoon before the bridge, and the guys went to explore and look for a bakery while I made lunch. They came back with some scrumptious desserts as well as some bread. The rest of the trip to Sens was beautiful as well. From the river the high cathedral can be seen in the distance. The port was a very pleasant surprise for us. It was so nice and safe in such a central setting. We moored opposite of St. Maurice, a half timber XIIC church and just before the bridge. We had just tied up the boat when we saw our Irish friends in Aquarelle coming from the other direction. We had met them in Briare, where they spent most of the winter. They have always been a great source of information, since they write and contribute to the DBA's Blue Flag magazine. We planned to get together for coffee in the morning.

Entering one of the locks we saw a beautiful boat called FENICKS, owned and built by a British couple. I had complemented them on their boat, and when we got to the port they invited us for drinks in the evening. They were traveling with another couple and having a grand time. Another couple who had a sailboat called Capella had also been invited, so we were quite a crowd. We had a great time, and the boys got to experience a little bit of the social aspect of barging. After drinks we had a fantastic raclette dinner on the boat, which the boys very much enjoyed. The had brought us some wonderful Catalonian wine, a great complement to the meal.

The next morning after breakfast we walked to the train station and bought the tickets from Villeneuve s/ Yonne to Paris. Michael and Joseph would be leaving from there the next day. We then went to visit Michael and Rosaleen on Aquarelle and had delicious Irish tea and cookies. Michael built that boat himself literally in his backyard. The boat is a sea going as well as a canal boat, very beautiful and comfortable. We exchanged information on the state of things towards The North where they were heading, and they gave us all the information on The Nivernais Canal where we were going. We said good bye, I prepared lunch for us and we soon took off in the direction of Villeneuve sur Yonne.

We were very lucky that day, since of 4 locks we had to do, three we were asked to tie up to a large peniche, thus making the process much easier in these sloping locks. There were three of them, a pusher with a dumb boat owned by a young couple, and another one owned by the parents of one of them. They transport grain from the Seine to the Yonne. They were absolutely wonderful, and even gave us a detailed copy of one of their charts for us to have. We arrived at the last lock before Villeneuve as it had just closed, so we tied up to them for the night. They hung a ladder on the side of their boat so we could get ashore to explore the town. We did just that, but not before having a nice game of boules on the quay. The town is a gorgeous mediaeval town with two beautiful gates and vestiges of an old castle. We walked the town, the boys called their parents and back to Biesbosch for another nice meal. The next day, soon before 8:00 AM we untied our boat, let the big peniches go into the lock and said good bye to these wonderful people who made things so much easier for us. The boys continued to sleep and after a brunch of omelets, fruit salad and good bread, I made some sandwiches for the boys to take with them on the train. Soon after, Bill walked with Joseph and Michael to the station while I stayed on the boat doing laundry and such. It was very sad to say good bye to these wonderful young men whose company we so much enjoyed. Hopefully we will see them in the winter when we go to California.


Before leaving St. Mammes


The Grubic boys w/ Bill in St. Mammes


Heavy traffic on the Seine


Joseph at the helm


The Grubic boys enjoying the sun


A XII C. Bridge


Lunch on Biesbosch


Along the River Yonne


Traveling along with Fenicks and Capella


Our mooring in Sens


St. Maurice Xii C. Church in Sens


Villeneuve sur Yonne


Tied up to "The big boys" at Villeneuve


The cook gets some help

SAINT MAMMES AND THE DBA RALLY IN PARIS

We had intended to stay in St. Mammes a couple of days, but we liked it so much that we ended up staying for 2 weeks. There are a lot of great things about St. Mammes. It is on The Seine, so the spectacle of seeing the large peniches, laden or empty going in opposite directions is quite an experience. The town extends along the quay facing the river, and it has little restaurants, a butcher shop, a bakery, a small chandler's store, a small supermarket and the setting is idyllic.

After our friends Ronnie and Nigel left, Bill continued to work on the wiring of his dash board and control panels. One rainy day, as I was ironing, I looked out and What did I see across the river at the fuel dock? ANFRA, the boat where we lived in Cambrai while we worked on Biesbosch. I picked up the phone and called Rosemary to let her know that Bill was running across the bridge to meet them. We talked them into staying at the dock for the night and have dinner with us. It was a joint effort. Rosemary and Andrew brought a great bottle of Champagne and a quiche and we provided the foie gras and a salad. It was a great evening on Biesbosch and a fantastic way to meet with our friends. They had told us about the Nivernais Rally, so we will be meeting them at Chatillon en Bazois at the end of July to participate together.

The following day, our friends Susan and Doug from Quo Vadis tied their boat up near ours, and a couple of days later, Dave and Juliet Webb of Jubilant, tied theirs up along the quay. These two boats were on their way to Paris for the DBA Rally, as were several others that we saw there. We had drinks on Jubilant, which is a magnificent boat, and then had Dave and Juliet and Doug and Susan for drinks on Biesbosch. As we were talking about the DBA Rally in Paris, we mentioned that we would be going by car and would be staying in a hotel. David suggested that we stay on Jubilant instead so we could be in the middle of it all. We were of course, delighted to comply.

On June 28 we drove to Paris and drove straight to the Bassin de la Villette where the event was to take place. There were about half the participating boats there, since the rest would be arriving on Friday. We saw many boats we knew, said hello to Paul and Bertha King of Tarahumara, Mike and Pippa of Sterna, Jerry and Barbara of Vivante, and a few others. We parked the car by the boats and took the train to Bastille so we could look at some more boats--for a change -- at the port of Arsenal. From there we walked to my niece's neighborhood in Nation and met her and her husband for dinner at a place where we had eaten when the family was here last winter.

I was surprised to see how well Sylvia is recovering after such major knee surgery. It has been 12 weeks and she is already setting her foot down, and the swelling is entirely gone. We had a lovely dinner together and planned to eat a Sunday meal before our return to St. Mammes. We went back to the port, checked in on Jubilant, where we were shown to our beautiful cabin, had drinks with Dave, Juliet and the other guests, and had a great night sleep. Breakfasts on Jubilant were fantastic and plentiful and not served until 9:00, so we could all sleep in. Friday Bill and I had to go to the American Consulate to notarize signatures for some bank business in Miami. When we arrived there, after going through all the security, the place was packed with people. We thought we might have to be there all morning, but their system is so efficient, that in 30 minutes we were done. We walked to a Fed Ex office, sent the documents, so now we could enjoy ourselves.

We were near the Opera, where the large department stores are, so we did a bit of shopping. The big sales were going on, so we found pants and a few things for Bill, and a couple for me. After a small lunch, we went to find some foie gras at a place near the Louvre, but the shop was closed. The sign on the door indicated opening at 13:30. We took a walk, came back, but no sign of life. We decided to go across the street to have a coffee, and around 2:15, as we were about to give up, the fellow came in, opened the store, no apology at all, although we told him we had been waiting for 45 minutes. We bought what we wanted, walked along St. Honore and in the early evening got back to Jubilant. Friesland and La Chouette and our friends Tam and Di and Bob and Bobbie had arrived earlier. We saw them briefly before dinner and decided to eat at the Israeli restaurant by the port, but being Friday, it was closed. What a disappointment. We had seen it so full and lively the night before. It was the Sabbath, so nothing to do. On Jaures we had noticed a few ethnic restaurants, so we went to check them out. The one that appealed to us, a small Indian and Pakistani proved to be the right choice. It was as authentic and fabulous as one can find. We had stayed away from Indian food in France, because it is usually cooked to the French taste, so the spices are not quite there. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, walked back to Jubilant, had an after dinner drink with David and Juliet and retired for the night.

On Saturday after breakfast, Bill took the car to a parking garage, so I went for a walk along the basin. I heard my name called, and it was Tag Caisley, our friend from Cambrai, who had taken the train to see the rally. We had a long chat and I took him over to meet Dave in Jubilant. He had a beer, saw the boat and left to see the rest of his friends. Sadly, Bill did not get to see him. Later, when he arrived, we watched Tam and Di do a demonstration on Barge handling. It is always interesting to see that, especially the two of them who do it so well. To the French who live in the neighborhood this event was most interesting since it brought such color and life to the basin which is virtually empty all year long.

In the early evening, we changed to go to have drinks on Sterna before going to eat with Bertha and Paul on a boat called Libertijn, which was tied up to theirs. Doug and Susan were on Sterna along with Pippa's daughter and two other British couples. We had a great time on the rear deck of this beautiful boat and very much lamented the absence of our dear friends Ronnie and Nigel and their boat Blokzjil.

Bertha was cooking a Mexican meal for 8 people. Dan and Emma, Americans, and owners of Libertijn were in charge of the Margaritas, the real thing. The other couple, we had met in Cambrai last year when they had stopped by the port in their camping car. What a small world! We had a fabulous evening and a wonderful time eating and drinking on deck. I helped Emma bring the dishes down to the kitchen, and I could not believe my eyes! This boat was so beautiful inside, so different from anything I had ever seen, but yet it looked familiar. Two years ago, I had read an article written about Libertijn in House and Garden, the British magazine. The boat is extremely comfortable inside, open space, island with professional stove in the kitchen, home theater in the salon, and the most beautiful woodwork in cherry and maple. It is all very modern and colorful, except for their cabin which was redone with the oak salvaged from the original cabin; superbly done. There is a full marble bathtub in front of their bed. Dan and Emma come from San Francisco and live on the boat most of the year. They are very gracious and generous hosts.

On Sunday, after visiting with friends and saying good bye, we drove to Sylvia and Laurent's for a Sunday lunch. They has roasted chicken, an avocado and tomato salad, delicious potatoes and some great wine.
We had a wonderful afternoon with them and then drove back to St. Mammes where we had left Biesbosch.


Bassin de La Villette, Paris


Di demostrating rope handling from Friesland


Beautiful Jubilant


An assortment of Dutch Barges


Mexican meal on Libertjin

Saturday, June 23, 2007

FROM CHATILLON COLIGNY TO THE SEINE

I drizzled the morning we left for about two hours, but then it cleared up beautifully. This part of the canal is very pretty, the locks are all from 1885, many of them have beautiful and elaborate gardens. At one of them there is a beautiful pipe organ, a giant music box, that as we entered the lock started to play a happy tune. Imagine, a serenade in the middle of the day! The lock keeper told us that the great grandson of the man who built this organ kept the business and repairs and even builds new ones. As we locked down he played 3 tunes for us.

Our destination was Montargis, but being that there was going to be a jazz concert on the weekend, we thought we might not find a mooring at the Port de Plaisance. Ronnie and Nigel had been there for a couple of days and sent us a message letting us know there was no place to tie up. As we approached the port, Nigel signaled us to tie onto his boat, we did just that without asking if it could be done.

After we secured the boat, I changed and walked downtown to the bank where my new credit card had arrived. Montargis is the city where last year our friends Debbie and Richard left from. It is called "The French Venice" for its many canals. I did a bit of window shopping, checked out some of the good stores, and as it started to rain I got back to the boat to find Bill and the port captain talking about the fact that it was not permitted to tie up onto another boat for safety reasons. At that hour the canal is closed, so there is no other traffic at all. We thought that argument was weak. He called his boss, who came down to the port and, rather than argue, as his work day was coming to an end, decided to look the other way, to our delight.

Nigel and Ronnie had seen an Indian restaurant they wanted to try, so we all changed, walked to it, about 7 minute walk from our boat, and had a very good meal. Next day we left ahead of Ronnie and Nigel, but soon after the 2 locks in town and just after the commercial port, Bill spotted a Bricorama by the railroad. This is a store much like a Home Depot. We tied up Biesbosch and within the hour Bill was back with a box full of things for the boat. Nigel and Ronnie went by and stayed ahead of us until we got to the Seine.

We had thought we would tie up at the port in Moret sur Loing, the town where Alfred Sisley lived and died, and which we so enjoyed last year. But the moorings were all taken, so we continued on the Loing which flows into the Seine at St. Mammes. We tied up onto a pontoon in the Port de Plaisance, right on the river, along with Ronnie and Nigel, and have been here for 5 days. Sunday they set up a market along the quay, very picturesque and very good. I even found mums for my flower pots, which I planted right away.

We had heard of a restaurant in Moret that belonged to a Colombian lady and a French man, but did not even know the name. We ventured to go by foot along the river to see if anyone knew of it. In town we inquired in 3 different restaurants from one end of the town to the other. Our friends were able to see the town, until finally the owner of the Cheval Noir told us it was beyond the other side across from the river, about ten minutes away. The place looked beautiful, smelled delicious and we were hungry, but were turned away. No reservations, no place. Sunday lunch is very popular with the French and a reservation is a must. As we got there a party of 7 had been turned away although they had come from Paris. I joked about having come from Colombia, but it did not work. Luckily, nearby there is a very good Chinese restaurant where we had eaten last year and we had a great meal and a good afternoon after all.

On the way back to St. Mammes, we stopped to see Ronnie and Nigel's friends aboard Sterna, who were moored on the side of the canal. It had started to rain, and the guys wanted to see the start of the US Grand Prix. Mike and Pippa, got out the wines and goodies, and we wound up staying until about 8:30 PM
The next day I did laundry, some painting, Bill did work on his dashboard, so we felt very good and productive. Tuesday morning I called Le Relais de Pont-Loup, the restaurant in question, made a proper reservation and after a long day's work, we walked to Moret. The hostess recognized me from Sunday and remarked that I had persevered. "You will not be disappointed," she said.

The restaurant is an old and elegant house with an enormous garden, very tastefully decorated. We later found out that it was the owner's grandfather's house. He, the owner is quite a character, interesting and very humorous. His wife is the chef, so we did not get to meet her until the end of the meal. The food was fantastic, as were the wines we chose. Mme. Moncada sent us some champagne--on the house--to have with our dessert. She came and chatted with us for a while, and it turned out that she is from Bogota and knows my brother Diego and his family because they go to Providencia Island when they go to Colombia. What a small world!

Our friends Ronnie and Nigel left yesterday and will continue to travel until August. The will be exploring the Champagne region. As for us, we will stay here tonight and tomorrow we will continue upstream on the Seine to the confluence of the Yonne in the direction of Auxerre. We shall see what new experiences this new river will bring us. We cannot wait.


Port at St. Mammes


Sisley painting of St. Mammes


Organist lock keeper


Blokzjil and Biesbosch at Montargis


Mike and Pippa on Sterna


Farm near Nemours


Biesbosch with big barges in St. Mammes