OUR TRIP SOUTH

We left Cambrai via Paris during the heat wave, which lasted two weeks. We had planned to meet with friends from California who were there on vacation, so I made a reservation in a lovely restaurant in St. Germain and met them for dinner there. I think it was the hottest day of the year. We had a lovely time with them and their son Matt who goes to school at AGHS, and where Lisa, his mom is a Psychology teacher. We spent the night at Sylvia's niece's apartment, had lunch with her the next day and continued south to the town of Doussas, near The Nivernais Canal, where we had been invited by our friend Rosemary. She is the owner of Anfra, the boat on which we lived while we were outfitting Biesbosch. She and her husband John bought a lovely house there, where she spends part of the summer. She booked the local B&B for us, which was a very charming old farm owned by a Parisian couple and their two daughters. The area is one of the most beautiful in France, rolling hills, Chateaux, cattle fields, absolutely beautiful. Rosemary had invited the owner of the B&B, her neighbor, for cocktails in the yard. We had a lovely evening sitting among the apple trees, chatting and drinking some lovely champagne. After cocktails we had a lovely meal with Rosemary and her visiting friend, Hannah in the house. The next morning Rosemary had to leave early to take her friend to Dijon, so we said good bye and continued down towards Besancon, where we were to meet our friends Ronnie and Nigel, who were cruising on their boat, Blokzijl. The drive was beautiful, and we got there just before 7:00 PM. Their boat was moored below the fortification walls, in a most impressive setting. The fort is lit up at night, and from the canal the view is breathtaking. We sat on their deck to have some cocktails before going out to dinner in the old part of town. Blokzijl is a Dutch barge of 19 Mts. beautifully outfitted and extremely comfortable. We were so looking forward to spending the night on their boat and to spending time with them. They were the couple who found Biesbosch for us.

Bensancon is an old City with beautiful architecture, a lot of parks and incredible charm. It is there where Victor Hugo was born. We had dinner in a great restaurant on the Main Square/park which is laid out exactly like a Spanish City. We sat outside under these enormous plain trees and thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and this very special time with our friends. The next day we had a lovely breakfast on their boat and left in the direction of Annecy and continued south towards the Alps Maritimes where we were due to visit our friends Ana Ines and Jacques who spend their summers in La Doire. Their house is a wooden chalet, which Jacques has fixed up beautifully, all in pine, with a gorgeous garden that Ana Ines cherishes and which is located in one of the most beautiful settings one can imagine. It is a pretty isolated place where one can truly find peace.

They were having a party with 28 guests on Sunday, and everyone had to wear some kind of a hat, an original hat. Rosemary had lent us a couple that we could use and put anything on. I put a sunflower-like flower on Bill's and taped his ear. Since he looks like Van Gough, well, it was obvious. Mine was a type of fishing hat with loops, so I filled it with cosmetic items, and it turned out all right. There were some incredible hats, especially the one made by Ana Ines's niece made from origami birds. It was most artistic! On Sunday we did all the preparations for the party, such as setting the tables outside, They had already prepared the food, and their friend who is a caterer in Cannes was bringing the rest of the food. It was an unbelievable spread! It felt exactly like a French movie, with the family meal scene, in the most beautiful of settings. Copious amounts of drink and food were consumed that day, and after the meal, Jacques and two of his friends who have a music group, and who are quite accomplished musicians, played and sang for us. It was a beautiful ending to a special day. Monday morning we left their place down the Maritime Alps through some narrow roads along some incredible gorges, cascades, medieval towns, all and all, an incredible ride. We got to Monaco in the early afternoon, and decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. We stayed there for a week in Sylvia's nephew's apartment, truly relaxing and exploring around. We had the opportunity to go to a concert at the Palace Princier, given by the Monaco Philharmonic to celebrate Charlotte's birthday, and sat a few meters away from the Royal Family. We went to an art exhibit called New York, New York, on the last 50 years of New York art. It was incredibly well done. There was photography, painting, sculpture, video and film. It took us about three hours to see it all. The weather was warm and great our entire time in The South. One day we went to St. Tropez to meet our California friends Ken and Paca and their daughters, who were spending some time there while his paintings were being exhibited in a gallery. Being with them was a fabulous experience. We played petanque in the park and had a lovely meal right down from the gallery, sitting under the stars. The town is as beautiful as a Mediterranean town can be, and it is the playground of the rich and famous. The harbor is full of luxurious yachts, some with helicopters. It is a place where the men are as beautiful as the women. We left them at midnight and got back to Monaco after 2:00 AM. From Monaco we went to some tiny promontory towns such as Eze, La Turbie and Gorbio, each with its unique charm and beautiful architecture. The day before we left, we drove to Italy, and had a lovely experience eating on the beach at Bordighera. The ocean was so beautiful!

On the way back, we went through Burgundy, and south of Champagne, we went to visit our friend David, owner of Shenandoah, whom we had met in Cambrai, and who was stranded in an isolated spot with engine problems. His girlfriend had gone back to USA and he was there all alone literally in the middle of nowhere, a gorgeous bucolic spot, but very remote. He had prepared a great pasta meal for us, which we very much enjoyed, and he insisted we stay one more day with him. We did, and had a great time with Dave. The next day I cooked and we watched King Kong after dinner. We hated to leave Dave there, but Mary Ellen, his girlfriend will be back next week, and the 21st his new engine will be installed. It is going to be quite a project. They plan to go to Saint Jean de Losne for the winter.

We got back to Cambrai on Wednesday, and ever since it has been rainy and cool. Our friends Ronnie and Nigel stoped here for the night on their way to UK. They slept on Biesbosch, and gave us thumbs up on the recently completed "guests" accomodations. Today, Sunday, it is raining again. It is hard to believe that it is August, but that is the way the weather is in The North. Needless to say, our departure date has been postponed to next Friday the 18th of August. We are glad to start our cruising, but truly sad to be leaving such wonderful friends behind. It has been our third season here, so the friendships we have forged are very special. We will sure return from time to time to see all of them.


Hat party


A fabulous meal


View of La Doire from Jaques and Ana Ines' house


A typical town on the Maritime Alps


Beach at St. Maxime


Church tower in St. Tropez


Bill and Ken playing petanque


Group picture with Ken, Paca and girls


View from Monaco apartment


Town of Corbio


Evening view from Monaco apartment


Italian town of Ventimiglia


Shenandoah stranded at Marnay sur Marne


La Porte de Paris in Cambrai


La Turbie


La Turbie


View from the town of Eze

HEAT WAVE

We have been experiencing a heat wave, a rare thing in the north of France. For the last week, we have had temperatures from 33-42C! A couple of days ago, it felt just like Arizona in the summer, but then we had a rainstorm one night, and the humidity set in. Today, after an all-night storm, it is muggy and sticky, more like Miami or Brazil. They say that it will last for another week, at least.

The work continues on the boat. Bill built some new boxes for the top deck to make them look like a cargo bay on a commercial peniche. They are beautiful and very useful for his tools, paint and other materials he needs to have. They are going to be covered by canvas which we will be getting on Monday. The wheelhouse is almost done, only the area around the windows has to be finished. We ordered some shades for the windows, and they are supposed to be ready the last week of August or first week in September. France and Belgium go on vacation in August, so most factories and businesses are closed for 3 weeks.

Earl, Bill's friend from N.Y. arrived yesterday to stay with us for the weekend. We picked him up in Brussels and drove to Anthwerp to look for a few things for the boat, not knowing that it was their National Holiday and everything was closed. We decided to stay and walk around the main part of town, the gorgeous Main Square surrounded by gilded gables. We had a lovely lunch and drove back to Cambrai. It was 38C, not too conducive to walking around. In the evening, we went to The Petit Chef, the restaurant by the port, had a fabulous shrimp dinner and sat on our deck until past midnight talking and listening to music. Today we are going to walk up to the open market which takes place every Saturday, and where very fresh produce, cheese and food specialties are found. Right now it is sprinkling, but it is still warm.

Next Thursday we take the car to Drive to Monaco and St. Tropez, where we will be meeting our friends, the Christensens. Ken is exhibiting some of his paintings in St. Tropez. On the way down, we will be stopping near Cannes to see our friends Ana Ines and Jacques who are having a "Weird hat Party." Somehow, I have to get creative and make some kind of original hats to wear. We are planning to be back on the August 6 to get ready for our departure on the 11. We have several ideas for our itinerary, but nothing concrete yet. We do know that we will not be coming back to Cambrai, and that we will leave the boat somewhere in the South for the winter.

BACK FROM ROME

My trip to Rome was a real experience, especially, the getting there part of it. The flight left from Charleroi Airport, outside of Brussels to Ciampino Airport, outside of Rome. To get to Fiumicino, where our friends' boat was moored, and where Rome's main airport is, I had to take a bus into Rome's main train station, buy a train ticket to Fiumicino Airport, and from there take a bus to Fiumicino Port. I had arrived in Rome at 8:30 AM, and did not get to the boat until 12:00 PM. Of course, it was the hottest day they had had in a long time. It was never cooler than 34 C.

Soon after my arrival, we had a lovely lunch on Arteme, our friends' boat, I took a shower, unpacked, and I was off with Willemijn to explore Fiumicino Cita, which is pretty much a lower middle class area on the outskirts of Rome. The River Tiber runs into the sea right there, so walking along the docks is a fabulous experience. We got to see all the fishing boats coming in loaded with fish, snails and shrimp to sell it fresh on the docks. We bought some beautiful "zigalas" which we grilled that night. There are all kinds of little shops and markets belonging to Pakistanis, Indonesians and Algerians which sell everything from food to porcelain. Utterly fascinating.

I was there for five days, three of which were spent in Rome, exploring new areas and visiting some of the ones one does not want to miss. Trastevere, is one of the areas where we got to see very well. It is one that is being recovered, right by the river, full of beautiful narrow streets with plenty of trattorias, cafes and galleries and where one of the lovelier churches in Rome is located. Sta. Maria in Trastevere. It has a beautifully preserved XIII C mosaics on its exterior as well as interior, some great frescoes, and a sumptuous ceiling in gold and blue. There are little piazzas everywhere, and the best thing is that there aren't any tourists at all. We walked across the river to The Synagogue, now a Jewish museum, and to Marcello's Theater and the Temple of Apollo, gorgeous Roman ruins right behind it.

One of the most beautiful new things we saw was the Basilica of Sta. Maria sopra Minerva, a church that did not look like one from the outside, but it was absolutely incredible on the inside. It has such art treasures, like sculptures by Michaelangelo, as well as a painting and some frescoes, a whole chapel by Fra Filippo Lippi, frescoes by Fra Angelico, as well as his tomb, and many more. It was there that the Italian inquisition took place in the time of Galilleo. Just outside of it, there is a monument of an elephant with an Egyptian monolith by Bernie, and on the other side, you can see the Roman Pantheon, one of the sights we revisited. It is a church now, but one wouldn't know it judging the behavior and dress of the tourists that were there.

On Sunday we were all ready to go to St. Peter's Square for the Pope's Angelus and blessing, but we did not make it on time. Bus and train schedules are different, of course, so we decided to go to The Spanish Steps and Trinita dei Monte, where there is a beautiful chapel with a fresco of Mater Admirabilis, the patroness of the Sacred Heart schools all over the world. I wanted my friend to see it, so we spent some time there. We were allowed into the big church at the top through the side entrance, just because I was an alumna of the school. On Monday, we visited Ostia, the beaches of Rome and Ostia Antica, the ruins of Rome's first port, where during its prime, more than a million people lived.

As you well know, the World Cup has been going on for a while now, and we have been caught up in it. After Italy's victory it was not easy to sleep. The car horns and street singing did not stop until early the next morning. Upon my return to France, we watched France beat Portugal, then came the fireworks and the parade of cars waving their flags and singing The Marseillese. Everyone at The Cafe de la Marine, where we watched the game, including Bill and me, got a French flag painted on his/her face. It was loads of fun.

Tomorrow is the final game, and I think France is going to win. ALLEZ LES BLEUS!

Lunch onboard ARTEME with Kees and Willemijn


Fishing boats coming from sea to Tiber River


Sta Maria in Trastevere


Typical Roman scene


Filippo Lippi's Chapple in Sta Maria Sopra Minerva


Fountain at Spanish Steps


Tiber River at Fiumicino


Castle of Julius II in Ostia Antica


Rome's First Port of Ostia (Ostia Antica)

PROGRESS PICTURES

Wheelhouse






Newly painted boisel and pinstripe.







Shenandoah

OFF TO ROME

Tomorrow morning, we will be getting up very early to drive up to Charleroi, where Brussels' secondary airport is located. From there, Sylvia is taking the 6:30 flight to Ciampino Airpot, the secondary one in Rome. From the airpot, there are several ways to get to Fiumicino, the port on the River Trevere, where our friends' boat is moored. There is a bus that takes you to the Metro and from there to Rome's main train station to connect to Fiumicino. There is also a bus to the station, or one can also take a taxi. I guess she will be playing it by ear, and at the end decide which one will be best under the circumstances. The weather promises to be good --sunny and warm, so Sylvia is truly looking forward to this little trip.

SUMMER IN CAMBRAI

This past weekend was a very busy one here in Cambrai. There was the FEODALES, a type of Renaissance Fair, which was set up all around town in squares and walking streets. They had horses, jousting demonstrations and tents set up with arts and crafts of all different types. The best one was a German group who had the most gorgeous setup of all. It looked just like a medieval town with a public bathtub, goldsmith, bakery, beer hall, carpenter, seamstress, etc. They had great food and beautiful costumes. In the evening they lit a bonfire and performed the most unusual pagan like dances. It was all very professionally done. Also, it was the Day of St. John, so the Portuguese community in town had a set up a large tent here at the port with hundreds of tables for their celebration on Saturday evening. They had folk dancing in their beautiful regional dresses, adults and children alike. It felt like a true Portuguese village with the smell of grilled sardines and sweet white wine all about. It was a beautiful day, so the turnout was good for both festivals. Unfortunately on Sunday it rained all day, and needless to say, there were not too many people out on the streets.

We were very pleasantly surprised by our friend Hortensia from San Diego who was in Lille visiting her son, and who came to see us for the day. It was great to have been able to show her a great summer day in Cambrai and to have spent a good couple of hours with her on the boat.

SUMMER IS REALLY HERE

We have been having beautiful summer days, and nedless to say, we have accomplished a lot. It took me three days to paint the stern and the suround of the boat it a glossy black paint. It looks great, and I was able to do it with a dingy that our friends John and Val lent us. Bill is finishing all the woodwork in the wheelhouse and ready to start on the walls. We have found a seamstress who is going to do all the cushions and pillows for the seats. I have an appointment with her this evening, so we hope it will not take too long to have them done. After that is done, we have to find window covers, and VOILA! Next project is the bathroom. We will be covering the wall, painting the ceiling and making a storage area under the steps. If the weather holds, I'll be able to continue to paint, this time, the yellow pinstripe, the white exterior, and the red forepeak.

This past weekend, a gorgeous boat with an American flag stopped by at the port. We got all excited to see some fellow Americans--the first ones we have met here in Cambrai. They had their boat built in England, brought it across the Channel and are now on their way south. They met a couple of friends here who will be traveling with them for a while, so I offered to take them shopping, in view that Sunday nothing would be open. They stocked up for a few days, especially on wine. They are planning to have a good time indeed. We had drinks with them on their boat, which is the most beaufilly outfitted I have ever seen. It is 24 mts. long, and it is exquisitely decorated. Both David and Mary Ellen,the owners, designed it. We went to dinner together, and had a great old time. I shall include some photos on my next posting.

On the 29 I will be going to Rome to visit our Dutch friend Willemijn who is there on the river with their boat. Her husband in going to Switzerland, so she invited me to come over for a few days. We both like museums, concerts and shopping, so we are looking forward to a good time. I found a very economic fair from Charleroi Airport in Brussels. It will be a good change.

OUR FIRST VISITORS

After a lovely time with our friends Jamie and Anne on their boat, we came back to Cambrai to do some more work on Biesbosch and to have it looking nice for our first visitors. The weather was awful, however, until the day they arrived. We managed to do some touch ups between rainstorms, but not much to the exterior. In the wheelhouse Bill was able to set the table so the four of us could eat together. It is a beautiful mahogany table which he built in California and finished here.

Jeff and Susan were coming from Italy where they spent a few days in Lake Como. They went to Paris for a few days and took the train to come to see us. Bill picked them up at the station in Cambrai and brought them over to the boat. This was a totally new experience for them. Although it was still a bit cool, we had good weather when cruising to Vaucelles the next day. The trip is about four hours along the St. Quentin Canal. It is a lovely stretch with 11 locks between Cambrai and the abbey. Vaucelles is a XIII C. Abbey which is said to have had the second largest library in France. It has suffered horrible damage especially during WW I. Throughout the year many events are held there to collect funds for the restoration of the abbey. We happened to be there on Monday of Pentecost, when they were having a sort of art fair. There were dancers, a fashion show, artists of all types and food in the gardens. It was a gorgeous day for such event, so we very much enjoyed it. The walk from the boat to the Abbey is less than 10 minutes.

We had drinks and dinner on the boat and managed to have a good night sleep despite the fact that Jeff was getting a cold. He was such a good sport about the whole thing, although he was not feeling well. On Tuesday we had a leisurely breakfast on the boat and started our trip back around 1100 AM. The morning was sunny and crisp, but by the time we got back, it had warmed up a bit. Upon our return, we went to the train station to see about buying tickets for their trip back to Paris. After that, Jeff and Susan took us out to a lovely restaurant where we had a very nice meal. Wednesday around lunchtime, Bill drove them to Douai, a nearby town so they could take the TGV straight to Charles de Gaulle Airport. It was sad to say good bye, but it was wonderful to have had the chance to share this experience with them. It meant a lot to us.

It has been a week since the weather changed. We are finally having summer weather. The last 3 days, the temperature has gone up to 35 C, very hot but dry. Bill is now setting the floor in the wheelhouse, and I am finishing a table he built for the living room. Today is supposed to be another hot day, so I am sure a lot will be accomplished. Our friends Tag and Enid are going cruising tomorrow, so we are having them over for dinner tonight.

FROM MAASTRICHT TO LIEGE

Last Thursday we left Cambrai via Aachen, Germany thinking that the stores would be open. It was Ascension Day, and in France, everything was closed. There is an Apple Computer Center there, and I needed take my computer to have something done to it. Well, all the stores were closed as well, so we decided to relax and have a hearty German lunch. It was great, as usual, and after eating, we decided to walk around for a while. It was cold and rainy, but this is such a charming city that it did not matter. There was a festival of Aachen sister cities behind the Cathedral, built by Charlomagne, and one of the prettiest in Europe. Tents had been set up with food and spirits from the different places, and a fabulous band was playing. As we were checking it all out, a man very elegantly dressed donning a solid gold chain with a beautiful pendant, approached us and invited us in to check his tent. He was the mayor of Halifax, England, who was there for the occasion. He offered us tea sandwiches, a delicious cup of tea, and talked to us for a while. We would have liked to stay longer, but had to get going. We were due to be at our friends' boat in the early evening.

From Aachen we took a small road into Maastricht, and saw some beautiful countryside. This part of Holland is hilly, full of manors and beautiful farms. Our friends were moored just outside the city, on the Flemish side of Belgium. As we got to their boat we saw a marker at the port marking the limit between Flemish-Speaking Belgium and French-Speaking Belgium.

It was great to see Jamie and Anne again. We found out Anne was recovering from a colon operation, but she looked great. Their boat is a 32 mts. Dutch barge, beautifully done. They are still working on the forward cabin. The boat is being turned into a hotel with 3 cabins, 3 bathrooms, a kitchen and a salon.

Our friends are charming hosts, and Anne a great cook. We had a very good time with them. On Saturday we took the boat to Liege navigating on the Albert Canal with no locks. The canal joins the Maas River at the entrance of the city. It is a very wide canal with a lot of commercial boats carrying from sand powder to grain and coal. The boats can be 100 mts. long, and they travel rather fast. We moored by the old town where the market would be set up for Sunday. As soon as we arrived, we set off to explore the Old Town and its charming narrow streets with clusters of small houses and gardens. There is a Citadelle up on a high hill. To climb it, there are 373 steps! Jamie and Anne new a way around the steps trhough a gorgeous convent. The view of the city is quite impressive from there. To get down was a true adventure. It was a true labyrinth with tunnels and spiral staircases. We came out into the Artists' Distract where they were setting up for a Music Festival. At this time, it started to rain. We found refuge in a cafe, had a beer and watched the world go by. We then walked across the river to Restaurant Row, a tiny street full of restaurants on both sides. Jamie and Anne have been there many times, and have never eaten in the same place. We chose a lovely place with warm atmosphere, small and charming. The food was delicious, the wine, superb, but he service was slow. We were so animated and busy talking, that it really did not matter. As we left the restaurant, it started to rain very hard. We ran for about two blocks and arrived at a club called Les Olivettes. It is a bohemian type bar where people go to sing. They have a piano ad a saxophone player, and it is a most unique place. There were some very talented people as well as some not so talented. They sang Piaf, Sinatra, Elvis and all kinds of songs. We felt transported to the early fifties.

Sunday we woke up to the hustle and bustle of the merchants setting up their market along
The river banks. It is the largest market in Europe, and it a true experience. They sell farm animals, exotic birds, clothing, flowers, and of course incredible food. Liege is a very ethnically diverse city, so each nationality had its deli, meat and dairy market. It took us over 3 hours to walk the length of it, and it did not rain!

We left Liege around 500 PM, under a sunny blue sky. The ride back was beautiful with only a couple of boats in front of us. Back in port, we had a lovely dinner cooked by Anne, and a great night sleep. Monday we took our car to Aachen to show them the town and to have my computer looked at. We showed them the town, which they loved, had a great lunch, walked around, and on the way back stopped in a big store where the guys found lots of things for the boats. Tuesday we said our good-byes and drove to Maasbracht and Dordrecht in Holland where we looked for a new wheel for the boat. We arrived back in Cambrai around 10:00 PM. Today, Tuesday, June 2nd, is the first sunny day in the last two weeks. We cannot wait for the summer!

FINALLY SOME PHOTOS

HIDING INSIDE

The last couple of weeks we have had bad storms, wind, hail, the works. Obviously it is hard to work on the boat under those conditions. The saw cannot be set outside, so it is hard to advance. However, Bill has managed to do a lot of work. The base cabinets in the wheelhouse are finished, and the new flooring has been temporarily laid. Things are beginning to look great. I found an upholsterer who is calling me today with an estimate for the cushions which will serve the dual purpose of dining room seats and beds. Hopefully we can have them ready for our first guests who will come in early June.

Yesterday Bill made us a wine cellar, where we can store our wine under the floor directly on the boat's steel hull. This will keep the wine at canal water temperature, which is considered optimum by some people. It has freed up a lot of space in the pantry area.

Last Sunday we went to Brighton, England with the Cambrai Mini Club for the 21st London-Brighton run. We crossed the Channel Tunnel on a bus. Although it rained all day, we managed to have a great time shopping around The Lanes and going into the little pubs. We had a lovely Indian meal which lasted at least three hours, and were back in Cambrai by 10:00 PM. Tomorrow is Ascension Day in France, a National Holiday, so we are going to Maastricht, Holland to meet our friends Jamie and Anne, whom we met here while taking our boat-handling course. They have a lovely 32 m Dutch barge, which we are going to take as far as Liege, Belgium. It is about a day's trip on the boat, but I am sure stops will be made along the way. We shall be back on Monday to resume our work on Biesbosch.

AT WORK ON THE BOAT

Since our arrival in Cambrai, we have been working non-stop taking advantage of the good weather we have had. Bill has removed the old floor on the wheelhouse, put in new insulation, and is now ready to install the new one. The water tanks are now permanently installed and the plumbing for them working beautifully. We have a total of 1,100 lbs. Which is quite a lot for a boat of its size. Sylvia has grounded off all rust spots on the decks, treated them with an anti-rust agent and painted the entire area with a non-slip paint, a gritty and rubbery paint very difficult to apply. It took all afternoon to do it, but it dried quickly and it looks great.

Spring is in the air, all is green and beautiful, and we have a new generation of duckling. Mama duck, one of last year's babies, paraded around along with "dad" and her 16 duckling three days ago. Two are bright yellow, four black and the rest brown with yellow spots. They are the most beautiful thing to see. Many of our friends who keep their boats here for the winter are back working on them before doing their cruising, so we are back to socializing in the evenings, and enjoying our friends' company very much. On the 21st, we will be going to Brighton, across the Channel with the Cambrai Mini Club. We did this last year as well, and had a very good time. It is the London-Brighton Mini Run # 21 this year.
The following weekend, we will join our friends Jamie and Anne in Maastricht, Holland to go with them on their boat to Brugges. We are very much looking forward to this. We did a short trip on their boat last year from Charleroi to Namur, in Belgium. Our first visitors this year will be Jeff and Susan Nemerov , friends from N.Y. who will be with us for three days in June. We will take them on an overnight trip to Vaucelles, where there is a Beautiful Cisterian Abbey.

THE REST OF OUR TRIP

We returned to Cambrai on May 1st, after a fabulos three weeks of travel. In San Sebastian, we stayed and had a lovely evening trying every tapas bar in the old section. Our rule was not to have more than one glass of wine per bar, and no more than two tapas per bar. We had some of the best ever, and got a lot of mileage out of that experience. From there we pretty much stayed along the coast from Fuenterrabia, Hendaya, Biarritz and then through the beaufiful dunes and forests of Landes up to Bordeaux. The weather was sunny and warm even up in Brittany and Normandy, known for their gloomy weather. We stayed in Dinan, a half timbered town from yhe XIIIC, then to St MaLo, a fortified medievam city built entirely of stone and from there we went to Honfleur. This town is most charming with a small port and a church and bell tower built entirely of wood. Before going to Paris for three days, we visited Giverny, and Monet's house and gardens. In Paris the weather turned cold and rainy, but Paris is Paris. . . We parked the car and walked and took the metro everywhere. We saw the newly restored Petit Palais, a sumptuous museum, the Monet museum, went to an organ concert in La Madeleine and enjoyed some great food. Today, the weather is gorgeous and Bill has started to *attack* the wheelhouse to have it ready as a guest room for our friends.

FROM MADRID

As we suspected, we were not able to navigate on the Rhone the week we were in Valence, so after three days with our friends we took our car and drove to Provence where we visited the beautiful towns of Gordes, Lacoste, Roussillon and others. The weather has been glorious since we left Valence. On Easter Sunday we happened upon the Feria, which was taking place in the ARENES or Roman Colosseum. Although we had no tickets for it, we experienced it all by sitting outside the circus eating a great paella listening to the music and watching all the people enjoying themselves. We drove through the Pyrenees to Lerida through some breath-taking landscape. We are now in Madrid where we have been for three days seeing friends and the spring. Yesterday we went to an exhibit of Rembrand´s engravings at the National Library. It was an incredible show. Tomorrow we will leave Madrid for SanSebastian via Burgos.

IN VALENCE

We arrived here in Valence after 2 days of travel, one night which was spent in Chartres. We had the privilege to attend Palm Sunday High Mass at the Cathedral. It was a sung mass officiated by The Bishop with procession and all. As you know,Chartres is one of the largest and most impressive cathedrals in France with beautiful stained glass work and the largest laberynth of any church in Europe.
We have joined our friends Willemijn and Kess here in Valence in order to travel with them on their yacht to Marseille from where they will leave on a cruise through the Mediterranean. Right now the Rhone River is rather flooded, currents very strong, so it looks like we will not be leaving this week. We must decide what to do tonight, but since we have our car with us, we will make our way down to Spain stopping at new places and eventually we will meet our friend Paca in Madrid around the 20 of April. Since we will be bringing our boat south this summer, on the way back to Cambrai, we shall be scouting for places to moor our boat this coming winter. Right now it is still pretty cold and windy, but we hope to have warmer weather in Spain.

BACK IN FRANCE

After a great flight and a good night's rest, we are back on our boat. Although this has been a severe winter, the boat shows no sign of wear, and not a leak was found at all. Because of the fact that the water tanks were emptied before our departure, we tried to get a hotel room for the first night, but not a room was to be found anywhere. The people at La Chope, a small hotel where we spent a few weeks when we first arrived in Cambrai, offered to let us shower there until our tanks are filled. The friends who kept our car in their garage for the winter had it all sparkling and clean waiting for us in the parking lot. We are so lucky to know such kind people. It is a shock to feel cold--45°after 90° in Miami-- however it is sunny, so no complaints there. We will leave for Valence tomorrow to travel to Marseille with our Dutch friends. We do hope to be able to do some postings from there

WE'RE BACK!

We had a great flight on Business class, great food, and a few hours sleep. We rented a car in Brussels and drove to Cambrai, dropped off our luggage and drove to Lille where we had to return the car. We took a train back to the boat and had a great night sleep. All is great there, and it is sunny. Today everything was covered with ice, but now it has warmed up to about 9°.

GETTING READY TO RETURN

After a short 5 days in New York where Sylvia visited her friend Stella, she is back and getting ready for our return. We have 2 weeks left in Florida before our departure on April 3 when we will be going to Alabama to visit our friends Skip and Jill for just 2 days. On April 6 we will be flying to Brussels, will be picking up our car in Cambrai to travel south for a while. We will be meeting our Dutch friends in Valence and will travel with them on ther boat as far as Marseille. We are so looking forward to that trip. Upon our return to the continent, we will be looking for future locations for winter mooring in the south before returning to Cambrai. This year we will have visitors pretty much every month until October. We look forward to seeing all of them and to having them on our boat with us.

VALENTINA

We are happy to announce the birth of Sylvia's niece's daughter, Valentina, born on Feb. 23 at 1:05 pm. She weighed 6.8 lbs and measured 18 inches. Both mother and baby are doing splendiddly.

STILL IN MIAMI

We have been so busy, that it has been difficult to get to the computer to update our Blog. Since our last entry, we have been sailing on my broyher's catamaran in good and not so good weather, helping my god daughter Sandy with a shower she had a coupke of weeks ago and spending time with my brothers Also, we had the Miami Boat Show, so we moved to the apartment on the beach to have easier access to all the events. The weather was beautiful all four days, and both my brothers and Bill were pretty busy getting parts for their boats.

Our plans were to leave FLA around the 19 of March because my brother Diego was supposed to come to see us in France in early April. His plans have changed, so now we decided to stay until the first week of April. Sandy is getting married on April 1, so we really want to be here for the wedding. Next week Ian will be here for a few days, so we are very excited to see him once more before we leave.

BACK IN MIAMI

I have been tinkering with the Blog, and was able to add a couple photos of Biesbosch for you all to enjoy. We are sitting at a cafe in Coral Gables where the temperature is a perfect 81 degrees. Bill and I are now taking brisk walks every morning at a park nearby and try to walk as much as we can. We are supposed to get a cold front sometime this week, so we are taking advantage of the weather for now.

BIESBOSCH FINISHED INTERIOR

BIESBOSCH IN THE SNOW

FISHING IN FLORIDA

While in Ft. Pierce, we have gone deep sea fishing for the last three days under varied weather conditions. The first day we had no luck, but a great time was had by all. Yesterday I caught a 35 lb. barracuda, which apparently is not eaten in Florida. Although it gave me a good fight, it went back in the water. Today was our best day. All of us caught fish, mostly dolphin, all between 8 and 15lbs. To attract more fish, we had live bait on our lines, but the sharks were the ones after it. Dolphins (mahi) put up quite a fight and jump rather high. The whole experience was fantastic, and after 4 days of sunshine at sea , I must say we have quite a tan now.

Tomorrow we go back to Miami, and are already looking forward to getting together with our friends Melvin a Lana next winter when we come back to Florida.

From Fort Pierce

We arrived here after about 2 1/2 hr. drive from Miami. We met Melvin at the marina where he keeps his boat. He was washing it after having caught a mahi-mahi, or dolphin, for dinner. Their condo is right on the ocean, and the view is breathtaking. The beach extends for over ten miles from north to south, and the ocean is blue and green, although, today it has been very windy.

Melvin made a Mahi Ceasar's salad--outstanding--which we accompanied with some very special wines. This morning, after a walk on the beach we had a wonderful brunch of eggs and smoked salmon with cream cheese and bagels. I just found out that they have wireless Internet access here, so I am glad to be able to do an entry. We are now going to take a drive around. The wind is kicking up, so we will not go out on the boat today.

This is our boat

From Miami

We have been here since the 17th. We are staying at the cottage that our friends Justo and Stella have in their garden. It is totally independent, so we can come and go without bothering anyone. Tey have exotic birds everywhere, even a pair of very colorful pheasants. Tomorrow we wil be going to visit Bill's college friend who is in Ft. Pierce. We will be there for 4 days, and will return to Miami.

FROM THE CENTRAL COAST

This has been a great week as well. We have been visiting with friends and colleagues, and having a very good time. The weather has been glorious, as well as the food. Sylvia is feeling much better, recovering very well. Tomorrow, Saturday we return to L.A. from where we will be flying to Miami on Tuesday.

FROM LONG BEACH

We have been in Long Beach visiting with friends and spending time with our son Ian. Tomorrow we go back to the Central Coast where we lived before to see our old friends. On Jan. 16, we fly to Miami.

WINTER IN CAMBRAI.

WINTERIZED BIESBOSCH DECEMBER 2005.