My life with Robert has been a series of adventures. He always has a new plan of action. He leads, I follow. So I guess that leaves me with only 1 plan....follow him....simple. The latest plan is suitable to our ever advancing years.
In October 2011, we ventured to Cambray, France to get our boat captain licenses to cruise the inland waterways of Europe. Even I passed, and we are allowed to handle boats up to 90ft or 70 tons. Call me Captain Pam please. We looked at a few boats in France and The Netherlands but did not find one to suit. We thought we wanted a converted Peniche, built around 1900. Peniches were designed to haul cargo through the narrow and shallow canals and be low enough to make it under bridges. The captain usually lived on board with his family.
Back in Sonoma for the winter, we would periodically search the Internet for boats we wanted to consider. In March, Robert found time in his schedule and made a trip to France then to The Netherlands. He found the boat he liked best in Sneek (pronounced snake) NL. A few phone calls and pictures to me, and we had a boat. It is not a Peniche, but a 1974 classic Dutch Motor Yacht by Valkvlet, made of steel and weighing 7 metric tons. Yacht sounds a little presumptuous, as the boat is only 37’. Robert learned it is about the largest boat most inner city docks will take. As the pleasure is to explore small villages, there would no pleasure in being stuck in a marina on the outskirts. We have our vacation "home".
We departed SFO on 5/24/12, arrived in Amsterdam on 5/25 and drove to a hotel in Sneek. We took a 2 hour nap then explored the little town, ate, drank, then slept a full night. It is usually more difficult for me to adjust to the 9hr time change, but we got a pretty good start.
Off to see my new "vacation home" the next morning. Considering her age, our little ship is in pretty nice condition. I started the "domestic things". My priorities were to get a new mattress and make a 1.5 hour trip to Ikea to buy pillows, down comforter and some kitchen things. (I always have to make a nest)
Holland or The Netherlands consists of 8 provinces. They used to be “island states”. The people have always been great ship builders, sailors and traders.
When I was a child of 6, my parents took us to Holland on vacation. I remember crossing a large sea called the Zuiderzee on a very large ferry boat. Everyone was sea sick because of the huge waves. Well, that sea is gone now. It has been turned into productive land.
While driving on the highway, we see what looks like sailboats in the field...kind of disconcerting. The land is extraordinarily flat and there are lakes and canals everywhere because people and constantly dredging and filling to make more land. Dredge and fill must be a major industry for this country.
The people have an easy nature, quick to smile and laugh but still serious and efficient about their work. Most everyone, but especially the younger people speak Dutch, German and English very well. Their English sounds American, not British. Perhaps 1/2 the TV programs are in English and it seems all their music is.
This is also a very tech savvy country. Robert offered to write a check for one of the boat repair bills and was told by the ship works person that he had not seen one of those in years. All banking is done by electronic transfers and no one goes into banks anymore. People have I-phones but don't appear as addicted as American's seem to me.
Far more people use bicycles than cars. One would assume a healthy people until you eat a typical meal. An example: I ordered Weiner Schnitzel (breaded and fried veal steak). It was served with 4 sides: green salad with mayonnaise, cold claw with mayonnaise, potato salad with mayonnaise and French fries with mayonnaise. Of course, beer to drink and if you are game, a rich desert topped mit slag (whipped cream).
We are very far north, so the days are very long. It is only really dark from 11pm to 4 am. The birds never seem to sleep. They are plentiful and cheerful all night long.
Every house and garden is meticulously groomed. Shutters are painted with one design on the open side and a different design on the closed side with big picture windows facing the street and at least one vase of flowers. I never saw anything remotely looking like a slum, trash on the streets or a homeless looking person. Medicine is socialized, so I guess illness does not eat up your last pennies. The country's goal is to be totally off coal and nuclear energy by 2025, relying solely on wind and solar. I feel pretty sure they will make their schedule.
At noon on Wednesday, 5/30 we set off on our journey. We did a few checks before leaving town and all is well with our boat.
So, in an hour or so, we see the depth sounder always reads 4.7 meters and the compass always points to 126 degrees. So, it's an old boat. We end our short 1st day cruising in Echtenbruger at a nice marina and walked 2 blocks to the bridge. The bridge tender was a little like Billy goat gruff, the least friendly Dutch person I encountered. I photographed him (maybe that was the problem) opening the small bridge, and then dropping down a blue wooden shoe from a fishing pole. As you pass under, you put 2 Euros into the shoe. I dropped my coin with precision the next morning. He did not look like he would tolerate a fumble.
I have had 2 fears about this trip. The 1st is handling the lines while going through the locks.
Thursday, 5/31 Well, our first lock was a joke. When I finally got a line over a bollard and Robert got through a little learning curve with a peculiar way the boat turns its self in reverse, we got the boat secured against the wall. I was holding the line for dear life. We were ready. In about 2 minutes, the gate opened and we both broke into laughter. We had risen less than 3 feet. Ha!
Dark clouds, then winds 25-30 and heavy rain for the next few locks, but I managed to stay on the boat....my line (rope) throwing did not improve. We took refuge in a Marina.
After a not so easy day (mostly because of my nervousness) I thought we deserved a nice meal. Robert had helped me with the grocery shopping and had picked up some petit filets. I fried some potatoes with onions and we were both hungry. The 1st bite went down quickly and I actually chewed the second bite of meat. I said to Robert, this is tasty but has a very strange texture. I looked a little closer and said oh, this is probably something weird like tongue or something. Looked again and said, OH, it is TOUNGE. Even though it tasted good, I finished my potatoes and gave my meat to the fishes. Shopping can be difficult when you cannot read labels.
Friday 6/1, 7:05 a.m. and we are off again. One more lock and we are on the river Ijssel. We are running against a 3.5 knot current, so it is a slow go. Stopped for lunch in Deventer and ate at a cafe by the church in the central square. 
The glockenspiel played the whole time we were there. Lovely. We ended the day at a modern marina, not attached to any town. We were the only customers at the restaurant and I consumed another mayonnaise meal and beer for dinner. I thought I had lost 5 pounds before leaving California. It wasn't really lost; it was waiting for me here in Holland.
The glockenspiel played the whole time we were there. Lovely. We ended the day at a modern marina, not attached to any town. We were the only customers at the restaurant and I consumed another mayonnaise meal and beer for dinner. I thought I had lost 5 pounds before leaving California. It wasn't really lost; it was waiting for me here in Holland.
Saturday, 6/2, 5:30a.m. Puffy clouds, no wind and we reached the Rhine River at 9:30am (my 2nd fear). We are cruising with the really Big Boys now. Remember we are 7 tons and the 1st ship we encounter is a double barge, each weighing 1,700 tons. These work horses of the inland waterways are called Peniches. They in no way resemble the turn of the century boat I wanted. They are giants. The Rhine River is very heavily traveled by commercial ships from all over Europe and the water is churning and crashing.
Our forward speed is about 7 miles an hour, about the same as taking a leisurely bike ride, so we really have time to take in our beautiful surroundings. Much of this route is through wild life preserves and Holland is filled with birds. Many I cannot name, but here are a few; huge numbers and different kinds of ducks and geese with tons of goslings, swans, a few storks, Cuckoo birds, heron and hawks. We have seen very large rabbits and an otter. Farm land has sheep and lots of different breeds of cows. The cows take interest in us and watch as we pass. They sure look like happy cows. Last, but not least are the magnificent Friesian horses. 
They are huge black horses and were used for war horses for centuries, ending with WWI.
They are huge black horses and were used for war horses for centuries, ending with WWI.
We are now running parallel to the German border so many boats are flying German flags. We fly a Dutch flag on the stern, as this boat is registered there and an American flag on the bow, to indicate the country of the owners. We also fly a courtesy flag on the mast of the country we are traveling through.
The Romans dug and used these canals then King Louie the 14th increased the number and size of many. He was known for his many water-works projects.
Ferry boats, used to cross the small river are more frequent now. It must be less expensive to operate them than to build a bridge.
The sky is blue, the clouds are white fluff and having a long day on the river is pretty nice.
Sunday, 6/3 Slept late for us. We are up at 6:30 and underway at 7:20. There is light rain, light wind, and we are back on the Maas. We had dinner at the Marina restaurant last night. Talk about portion control, I have a hearty appetite and could only eat 1/2 my dinner. There are some REALLY big, both in height and width Dutch people. I feel almost petite here but I will feel XXL when we get to France. An American size 0 would be way too large for many French women. The French people starved through WW1 and WWII and have not gotten super-sized like the Dutch and Germans.
Robert has been using my I Pad to run the navigation program so I am writing this log with pen and paper. Oh well, I have lots of time. We stopped at 10:30 to purchase some navigation charts for the next phase of the journey. They will be essential.
The school master asked the Germans to allow him to scuttle his own ship. He filled it with only a little water, the Germans departed and he pumped it out. His ship was the only left floating in the harbor. It took several years to clear all the ships from the bottom. When our guide was a young man, he hauled coal from Massbracht to Heidelberg during the post war construction. My father was U.S. army and we were stationed in Heidelberg in 1954 to 55.
Monday, 6/4 Underway at 7:15 and immediately into the largest locks so far. We rise 40'. 
The big locks had intimidated me but in fact, they are much easier. The bollards rise on a track with the water level, so you only have to loop the line once. Each lock seems to have its own character.
The big locks had intimidated me but in fact, they are much easier. The bollards rise on a track with the water level, so you only have to loop the line once. Each lock seems to have its own character.
We are on the Princess Juliana Canal, constructed in the 1950's, to replace the ancient, hand dug canal. I saw a picture yesterday of a very old lady with a harness over her shoulders, pulling a peniche from the toe path along the shore. It is called a toe path, not foot path, because you really have to dig your toes in to make any forward progress. A picture I saw in another museum showed a pregnant woman with an infant in a sling and harnessed to the boat pulling forward. It sure didn't pay to fall for a boat captain in those days! They didn't get the bright idea to start using mules instead of women until the 1890's. And I resent having to run the vacuum so often?
My Robert is a very fine civil and structural engineer and he has been most impressed by the work done by the engineers of this country. One example
is this picture of a bridge, showing a sliding cage that was installed at the time of construction, for all future maintenance. How simple.
is this picture of a bridge, showing a sliding cage that was installed at the time of construction, for all future maintenance. How simple.
Note: The way we meet oncoming vessels is, both vessels stay to the middle of the channel. (It’s a bit like "playing chicken”, then each vessel steers just enough to the starboard to clear. Then, the big ship's wake will continue to push us away. I don't like getting so up close and personal with these giants. A friendly wave and we continue each our own way.
Another point, the upstream vessel has the right to choose to "Blue Board" you. That means he is giving you a signal he will pass you starboard to starboard (not on the port or left side).
I just watched a crane put a bobcat into the hold of a peniche. I guess the bobcat is going down to clean the rest of the load. The amount of industry on this canal is impressive. The Dutch government paid for this public works project, which has allowed billions of dollars of private venture to build a remarkable country. Robert calculates that each ship keeps at least 100 trucks off the roads. We have avoided 80' feet of rise worth of current by using this canal.
3pm. We have reached the city of Maastricht. We are too late to enter the next canal, so we are here for the night. Maastricht is best known to most in the U.S. for being the city where the Treaty of Maastricht was signed, forming the European Union.
12:30 The winds picked up as we entered and it started to rain. We are leaving the Prince Albert canal
(not the same one that married Queen Victoria). We entered the largest lock yet, which was also the customs office, were we received permission to navigate in Belgium. At 12:30, just 5 days ago, our trip began.
(not the same one that married Queen Victoria). We entered the largest lock yet, which was also the customs office, were we received permission to navigate in Belgium. At 12:30, just 5 days ago, our trip began.
Huy: Stopped on the quay long enough to get groceries. It is a nice looking town. Off loaded trash, recycle bucket, grocery bags, my purse and me. As I stepped off the boat, Robert said something black just fell into the water. 
Quick assessment; still had my wallet and camera secured inside my purse....nothing else black so I assumed it must have been a bottle from the overloaded recycle bucket. On we go to the grocery for food with labels I can read...no more tongue for my dinner!
Quick assessment; still had my wallet and camera secured inside my purse....nothing else black so I assumed it must have been a bottle from the overloaded recycle bucket. On we go to the grocery for food with labels I can read...no more tongue for my dinner!
Lunch was a ham a cheese, but so lovely. The ham was more like prosciutto and the cheese was Roblechon, ripe and as rich as butter, and lovely French bread. Opened a good bottle of wine and had my favorite French cookie, called Le Petit Ecolier (the little school boy). It is a butter cookie topped with chocolate. No mayonnaise this day.
The day has turned to hard rain and our middle windshield wiper just went out. We are in heavy traffic. Robert will have me on the foredeck with a squeegee if his side goes out. Oh well, as long as we have running water and toilet does not break, we keep going.
An Aside: In 1980 (this is long before I met Robert) he was cruising in the Bahamas on his sailboat for an extended time. His toilet broke and he sailed to Key Largo to get it fixed and decided to look for a temporary job for the winter. Within an hour, he was hired by a construction firm, working for a developer who doing a feasibility study for a project was called Port Bougainville. Day 1 started with a 4 hour meeting, and then broke for lunch. Four Star General Potter asked Robert if he would work for the developer instead of the contractor. Robert said he did not care, if they worked it out between them. General Potter told him he had only worked for 4 men in his life and they were all “great men”. Potter's 1st job was as an assistant to Robert Moses, who built the 1937 New York World’s Fair, his next job was chief of staff for Eisenhower and planning the invasion of Normandy. His 3rd job was board member and director of operations for Disney World and Epcot center. His 4th and last job was chairman of the board of Port Bougainville, working for Fritz Scharenberg. Well, General Potter was right about 3 of them.
Robert worked for Fritz on and off for the next 5 years. He quit several times because Fritz proved to be without much in the way of good character and morals. Once Robert left for Italy and Fritz actually sent someone to find him.
When the Port Bougainville project was winding down, Robert built his 1st home and opened a design/ engineer/ build firm. The home was a lovely little Italian villa and his specialty was designing historic replica homes.
Fast forward. I met Robert after interviewing several architects to design a home for me in the Florida Keys. I liked his work much better and he was a total package. (I did not realize at the time how total his package was). Over the next 2 years, he designed, permitted and built my dream home. I transitioned from his client to his realtor, then business partner, friend and lover. After much pleading on my part, we married on 12/24/99.
Back to the present: 3:30 and we are in foul weather and driving circles in front of the next REALLY big lock. Huge ships are line up beside a 40' wall waiting their turn. I feel like one of those little boat rides for children at the carnival, just going round and round. Finally, after an hour, we see a spot at the end of the line and hug our boat against it. We haven’t a clue how long we will be here. We have called the lock tender and he will not respond. Belgium seems so far removed from Holland.
A Danish boat even smaller than we are, comes in behind us, at the last little space against the wall. Apparently, he did not secure his boat well. A 3712 Ton barge comes out of the lock and as he passes, the Danish boat got sucked into the wall, bow first, then his line snapped and he flipped around and ran into the passing ship. The sailor seemed o.k. but his boat sustained some damage. He retreated, not to be seen again by us. My thoughts quickly returned to our time in the Mediterranean where we saw, and experienced some hair raising times. I thought this was going to be a passive trip.
5pm, still on the wall. The difference between Holland and Belgium is remarkable. Each ship is taking at least 40 minutes a cycle. As a new peniche arrives about every 30 minutes, this could be an eternity.
6pm, still on the wall. Robert has fixed the windshield wiper while we wait...one problem down. I tried calling the ecluse master again, using my sweetest broken French. No response.
A 7503 ton Peniche just pulled into the slot in front of us. He has his personal car on the upper deck. It is a BMW. I was really impressed how this German boat just slid into the space with no more than 8 feet between us.
7pm. We have been waiting 3 1/2 hours without response. Robert decides to climb the 40' foot slippery ladder. I prayed.
7:20 Robert returns. He told the ecluse tender he had been trying to call....he said "no problem, maybe 2 hours and we will get an opening.
7:40 We and the 3 other pleasure boats are called into the ecluse along with a huge peniche carrying scrap metal. The other small boats will never know what Robert did for us all. After climbing the vertical slimy ladder, he discovered there really was no path at all. He walked on a 30 inch wide piece of concrete with holes in it, over bollards then around a fence to get to the office to get their attention. I am so mad; I may never eat Belgium chocolate again, ever!
8:45 Robert saw a dock in a tiny village and decided we had enough for that day. He went off to see if there was a bar or bistro we could eat at. I knew better and started making lentil soup. My cup of soup and beer for lunch was long gone. I am tired, hungry and cranky. We ate dinner at 10pm, very late for us. Thinking many negative thoughts of Belgium, I remember him telling me that in the 1930's chlorine gas escaped a plant, the evening fog settled, trapping the gas to the valley and killed hundreds of people. It was the first industrial accident recorded. Nice bedtime thoughts!
Tuesday, 6/5 Up at 5:15 but could not leave until 7:15 because of fog on the river. A short distance to the ecluse and we got through in 1 hr., 15 minutes
The river at this point has high walls but I spy the first poppies I’ve seen tucked between 2 factories. I will be happy when this part is over, as there is not much nice to look at.
We keep rising to the hills of Arden, mostly known for its forests, which are said to produce 80% of Europe's oxygen. And, in case you hadn't caught it yet, this river runs from the south to the north, so we continue against current for 2 more days. The terrain continues to gain elevation. Prince Albert, sovereign of Belgium died in 1936 while climbing mountains in Namur. He was a young man.
2:30 I just finished a shower, shampoo and blow dry. Blow dry means sitting on the bow, letting the breeze dry my hair. Hope we get an inverter soon so I don't have to do that anymore, it is still a little too cool. Did I say, this is not a fashion trip?
Feeling nice and clean, we enter the first of three consecutive locks behind the big ship, Fatima. I held the bow line, just behind her as she belched diesel exhaust on me for at least 40 minutes today. More "blow drying" tomorrow.
Such a beautiful day. We haven't gotten a weather report, but it looks like I might take down the plastic bag I rigged up to catch the leaking portal over Robert's side of the bed. When he is in bed, it looks like it looks like he is getting an IV. It does pay to keep up with your boat maintenance.
7pm on Tue. 6/5 We are at a city dock in the center of Diant. We are less than a block from a nice little water side bistro for dinner and a pleasant evening.
My side of the bed has a bowl. We need to find a fix for these inward sloping portals.
We sat around in our fluffy robes with morning coffee, the ventured across the bridge to the Capitanerie to pay for our dock, and my last opportunity to purchase some Belgium pastry. The city is covered with saxophones and has some pretty amazing rocks. 
The Arden forest probably remains because there is only rock, not farm beneath these magnificent trees. We will be in France after lunch time.
The Arden forest probably remains because there is only rock, not farm beneath these magnificent trees. We will be in France after lunch time.
Entering the last ecluse before France, the clouds start to break and we are humming the French national anthem. We were in Belgium 48 hours. Seems longer.
We have been the through many locks/ ecluse since starting and have become comfortable with the procedure, although each is different. The French ecluse are different so we may need to learn so new tricks.
We entered the ecluse at the Belgium/French border with a nice couple from NL. Their names are Edith and Gerald. They switch from Dutch to each other to English with us then French with the Duane (border patrol) with such ease.
Robert and Gerald go into the office on the lock with boat papers, boat operating licenses (ours were acquired in October) and we pay 235 Euros for the tax to cruise in France and a device that looks like a garage door opener to click our way through the unmanned ecluse we will be coming to. What a deal!
Gerald offers some good advice, we exit the ecluse in tandem and follow them to the next ecluse, which is small but deep. Edith scurries up the ladder to secure her boat and is waiting there to get our line too...how nice. She shouts "hold on" and the water rises quickly and somewhere violently" and requires a little muscle work on my part. The "big boy Peniches are not on these narrow waters, and I don't miss them at all.
Edith and Gerald have been our good shepherds. We followed them through our 1st tunnel and 2 more locks and each time, Edith has been up on the wall, ready to catch and tie off our lines. 
They have spent the last 5 summers cruising from NL to France for the summer. This year, they will spend the summer in Strasbourg.
They have spent the last 5 summers cruising from NL to France for the summer. This year, they will spend the summer in Strasbourg.
We stopped for the night in the town of Vireaux-Wallaird. This was the most northern post defended by the Roman's, to block invasions from the north via the Muse River. We invited Edith and Gerald to our boat for wine and good conversation. He brought 2 albums from previous trips and they were works of art. They have 3 grandchildren who rotate trips with them. I hope our boat and we last long enough to share with our (too young now) grandchildren. Now 3 year old granddaughter Fiona seems precocious, maybe she will be ready for Paris by age 6?
9:15 Thursday, 6/7 We follow Edith and Gerald to the 1st lock of the day. The ecluse do not open for pleasure boats until 9am, and close at 6pm. Waiting at the gates was a boat named Marco Polo. The owners are from Arizona. This was only the second U.S. flagged boat we have seen on our trip. We three traveled the day together, going through an area known for slate extraction since the 12th century. We three boats ended our day in the village of Revin. I read there is laundry facility at the marina and boy, do we need it. I quickly sort 2 very large bags and I am ready to go. Alas, the more savvy travelers have reserved the machines in advance. This looks like the last place for washing so I will continue with bags of damp and dirty clothes.
Next chore: get fuel. Sounds easy right? Well, we have learned from Gerald that you walk several blocks to the hardware store, purchase fuel cans, then to the grocery, where you can get a shopping cart, wheel it over to the gas station and then several blocks back to the boat. Do it again and we are up by 1/4 of a tank. Hard work for Robert. I shopped for groceries, bought Edith a bottle of Champagne as a thank you and 3 bottles of Cremant du Bourgogne. It is a bubbled wine, made of the same grapes, but not called Champagne because it is grown in a different wine region. The Champagne cost 40 Euros. The Cremant cost 5.10 Euros and I like it just as well.
After our little entourage finishes with necessary provisions, I invited them for some Hor d’oeuvres and 3 bottles of Cremant. Although we were all tired, we enjoyed our evening with Edith, Gerald and now Allen and Kristen from Flagstaff Arizona. I think we will see them again, as her parents have recently moved about 30 minutes from Sonoma. They own the boat, Marco Polo and are here for 3 months (lucky them).
Friday, 6/8 we are at the dock until 1030 a.m., waiting for the water hose. Our water supply is almost gone, so we have no choice. We do drink bottled water, not trusting these old holding tanks. We leave Edith and Gerald. They are staying over a day and then continuing in a different direction. Good bye to our new friends. Hope our paths cross again. We part company with Kristen and Allen at the 2nd ecluse. They are traveling much slower than we are. Our old boat is certainly fuel efficient. A good thing as the price of fuel here works out to about $8.50 a gallon, U.S. I thought it was bad in California at $5.00 a gallon.
About 4pm and we go through an ecluse that is attended. He drops a hook to pick up our lines and loops them over the bollard. After the ecluse is full, we see that he is talking to someone over the other side and he stays for quite a while before returning to open the gate. As we pull forward, there is a young French man with his family in a "location bateau", which means rental boat. He is clinging to the wall in front of the doors and somewhat desperately, calls to me: it was his "premier tempt". He looked as afraid as his virgin status warranted. We are seeing our first rental boats. We call them the plastic boats. Robert and I considered renting one of those prior to purchasing, just to make sure it was something we would enjoy. I am glad we didn't was our time and went straight to this one.
The day has been a strange mix of rain squalls and intermittent sunshine. We are in nowhere land now because we cannot make the final lock we had planned. We see a decrepit stone dock, just big enough for our boat and there are a couple of bollards on the bank. It looks like home for the night as there are no signs to say it is private.
We review our successes and short comings of the day. I say to Robert" In our licensing course, Tom the instructor pointed the transponder at the sign every time before entering an ecluse". Robert argues the book says it is to close the gate once we are in the lock.
I make dinner, we have some wine and while I am cleaning up, Robert makes me an "eye splice". He has complained since the beginning that I cannot throw the lines over the bollard and he is absolutely right. In our licensing course, I learned pretty quickly how to "lasso" the bollard with an eye splice. I spent about 40 minutes practicing, so I would be prepared for our next series of locks.
Saturday 6/9 Robert does his early morning routine, which is to find the boulangerie for our daily bread. A freshly baked baguette by an artisan baker costs about .80 euro. (How come I spend $4.99 for a loaf of Oroweat bread that is loaded with preservatives?) He discovers the name of the street is Rue du Port (street of the port) we laugh knowing our little one boat dock was "The Port".
We are leaving the Muse River. It has treated us pretty well and has been lovely to pass through. The Muse continues to its source, around Nancy, Fr., but we are headed in another direction now. Bye Muse.
Our 1st lock of the day, Robert points the transponder at the sign at it works. We start laughing at all our efforts to open the ecluse. The more we think about it, we realize the ecluse tender must have been rolling in the floor with laughter watching the stupid American lady waving her frying pan from the bow.
We are now on the canal de Arden. It is very old and the ecluse are small and there is no commercial traffic now. Our greatest impediment seems to be men with very long fishing poles. They act a little miffed if we don't run our boat into the shore so they don't have to move their poles.
We passed into an ecluse with a very large dog, kind of like a Labrador, but much larger. He absolutely insisted on being petted the whole time we were in the lock and repositioned himself to allow us the pleasure. Here are pictures of him and his companion Billy goat.
1:20 we passed through our last lock of the day and more monumental, our last lock going up. We relinquish our transponder, which we have used successfully only once. We have black clouds seeming to chase use from behind. The nice lady at the fuel dock gave me the weather report: Raining and wind today and beautiful tomorrow. We will see.
Sunday 6/9 we leave at 9am when the locks open. They will close at 4pm today, as it is Sunday. Today we will go through 26 successive locks. They are called the steps, and for our direction, they are all downhill as we have passed the crest. This is the 1st time since our trip began that we are in a descending ecluse. Robert has me handling the stern line while he drives into the lock. He keeps the boat just barely in forward gear while the ecluse empties. It requires lots of line handling on my part but the last few minutes in each lock means I am sucking diesel fumes. Of course, I washed my hair last night. At ecluse #20, I have a diesel fume headache and I am tired and my right hand is raw. I knew I would miss that glove. Robert gives me a few instructions and I take the helm and he handles the lines. There are no new scratches on our boat!
We relinquished our "garage door opener" at lock #26 and now have a new way to trigger the lock. A pole extends over the water and you give it a twist as you pass.
For days now I have seen what I thought were black butterflies. Some have come on the boat now and they are not butterflies but beautiful dragonflies, black with iridescent blue and green.
Attigny has a castle ruin and is the former home of the Carolingian Kings. It is a pretty lazy little town on a warm and humid Sunday afternoon. There is an entry gate in town built by Clovis the 2nd in the 7th century. 
This was the home of the kings from 750 to 850. We think Clovis was the father of Charlemagne, who united all of Europe under one crown including Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Spain. England was just an outback during this time and was controlled via Normandy, in the NW part of France. He split his kingdom between his 3 sons. Thus, all future European wars, including WW 1, were fought by rivaling cousins. We are constantly amazed by how rich the history is of this little country.
This was the home of the kings from 750 to 850. We think Clovis was the father of Charlemagne, who united all of Europe under one crown including Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Spain. England was just an outback during this time and was controlled via Normandy, in the NW part of France. He split his kingdom between his 3 sons. Thus, all future European wars, including WW 1, were fought by rivaling cousins. We are constantly amazed by how rich the history is of this little country.
Sunday evening and this village is pretty much closed down. So much for my steak and fries. We purchase a sausage stuffed pastry just before the Boulangerie closed and back to the boat to open another bottle of Cremant. The evening is warm and there are lots of flying things. We decided to open the large, screened ceiling hatch. Hopefully none of the flying things are mosquitos. Off to bed early, it has been a physically requiring day. Sometime in the late night, I awake enough to realize the noise is heavy rain. Robert is up, butt naked, struggling to close the screen and hatch. It requires 3 men and a bear's strength. 
The salon is pretty well saturated but my IPod and camera are safe. By the way, I call Robert by several names: Robert (American way) Robert (the French way, like Row-bear) Bob, Beau (male gender of beautiful), or his full name, which I gave him early in our relationship: Ro-Bear-Beau-Bear-Burly-Bear.
The salon is pretty well saturated but my IPod and camera are safe. By the way, I call Robert by several names: Robert (American way) Robert (the French way, like Row-bear) Bob, Beau (male gender of beautiful), or his full name, which I gave him early in our relationship: Ro-Bear-Beau-Bear-Burly-Bear.
Monday, 6/10 our planned 7am departure was actually 8:15. I twist the pole and we proceed through our 1st ecluse of the day. I ask Robert how long until our next and he said about 30 minutes. A few minutes later, he said back on deck, there is another pole on the port side. We go over, I twist the pole then look ahead, and there is no other lock. Then look back. I have just reset the last lock behind. We are still learning.
At 10:45 we encounter our 1st broken ecluse. Luckily, the Voies Navigation de France man was near and closed the lock manually. We have seen their little trucks passing since arriving in France. They are the maintenance people of the "navigation route of France". Thanks guys. Just out of the ecluse, we see a barge driving pilings along the bank. Of the 3 men, 2 were working and the 3rd was fishing. To the French, life is about eating, not working.
Je suis tres Francis. Lunch today was 2 courses; starting with cured ham over the one of the sweetest melons I ever had, then a pause for an ecluse, then onion soup from a bag (it was really good), topped with shredded Emmental cheese. The bread was too fresh to float in the soup so I just put butter on it.
P.S., the butter in France has a much higher fat content than U.S.
Another rainy day. It has rained at least part of the day on all but 2 days of our trip. Even so, it has not spoiled anything.
The birds have sung us a chorus every day and I am beginning to lose count of the blue heron that seem to give us escort service through their segment of the canal. Lovely.
The birds have sung us a chorus every day and I am beginning to lose count of the blue heron that seem to give us escort service through their segment of the canal. Lovely.
They took a picture of us and I a picture of them. We see so many people hiking with the back packs. Still in the Arden Forrest, this is a nature lover’s paradise. I am not so into sleeping on the ground....still too afraid of creatures who crawl on the bellies. I am always be in favor of satin sheets, turn down service and a chocolate on my pillow. Robert's and my union has been a little like the "home room mother" running off with the "pirate". Love my pirate.
The Arden Forest is now being broken by the wheat fields of France. If you favor the color green, this is the place to be. Just passed through the village of Herpes...no thank you. There is a huge supply of fire wood lining the lock.
This is where the forest is going. We continue our decline, one lock at a time.
This is where the forest is going. We continue our decline, one lock at a time.
3:30 we are at the last ecluse of the Aisne, one more lock and then we will enter the canal of Reims (pronounced rance by the French). Reims is the largest city in the district, or Department Champagne. Reims is known for its great Champagne wines and the great cathedral where the kings of France were crowned. Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) insisted that one of the kings (which one escapes me) be crowned here, although the city was occupied the English. She rallied the troops into battle and they re-took the city and the coronation was completed.
Robert is singing “Camelot” because we just passed such a pretty water side park. The canals are virtually empty. We have only seen 2 other boats today.
4:45 we are at the confluence of the l' Aisne canal and the les Marne canal. We are going UP! A man appears at the top, asks if we want him to pull the rod that closes the gates and starts the water. We are ready and say yes. I am at the wheel and Robert call me to get 5 euros. I think, what a rook, 5euros for that? The man pops beautiful, fresh berries in front of my nose as I descend. I say “oui”.
As we rise, the landscape quickly changes. We are in the bread basket of France. The canal water has turned a more pastel green and clear. 
The canal is lined with concrete and/or steel sides, not like the earthen banks we have passed. The water is filled with trout. No wonder we have seen so many people fishing. There is a very black sky behind us, the wind is blowing, the air feels charged, there is a beautiful scent coming from the fields and the light and shadow moving over them. It is sensual.
The canal is lined with concrete and/or steel sides, not like the earthen banks we have passed. The water is filled with trout. No wonder we have seen so many people fishing. There is a very black sky behind us, the wind is blowing, the air feels charged, there is a beautiful scent coming from the fields and the light and shadow moving over them. It is sensual.
5:30 p.m. we rise in ecluse number 5, one of the last ecluse of the day and it does not open. There is an un-attended building with a call box. Help will come. I am washing Strawberries. Robert yells lets go, the gate has been remotely opened. 5:45, we are eating some lovely, sweet strawberries. At 7p.m., we at our home for the night, in the village of Lovire. Some exploration and we learn about the devastation this village suffered in WWII. We are in the heart of the battle area.
Tuesday, June 12, we arrived in Reims France at 11 am and found a suitable marina to stay for now and also leave the boat until we can return, probably in August. We traveled through 104 ecluse (locks) to get here and most were in the last 3 days. I would say we both did very well.
The marina has a laundry! Doesn't sound like a big deal but after living with 2 weeks of dirty clothes, is a big deal to me. Also, shore power, which means a blow dryer and a hair do. Luxury.
We stroll out for dinner and turn the corner at the 1st block and there is the great cathedral, only a few blocks away. The main pedestrian street has not changed since we were here last, maybe 12 years ago. $ I am thinking the main street hasn't changed much in decades or maybe centuries. We had a nice meal then to bed for a lovely sleep. Yes, I was tired.
I have learned a lot this trip. Robert taught me that "purchase" does not mean buying souvenirs, but the leverage you get by putting your line through a block when you have to pull hard. Today, I intend to return to my old interpretation of the word. There is a Galleries Lafayette here and I am going shopping. He should not have told me how much less money this trip has cost than we normally spend on a France vacation (excluding the boat purchase of course). Most meals have been cooked by me. No need to buy fancy clothes that would just get ecluse slime on them or purchase any art, as the scenery we have passed has been more beautiful than I imagined, or sleep in expensive hotels because our little boat has cradled us to sleep each night. I love our new vacation "home".
Wednesday, June 13, we venture out to McDonalds (almost obscene) for a Wi-Fi connection. Robert finally got email and there is nothing too pressing. The McDonalds offered its standard menu, but also French petit dejeuner. How nice. 2 more blocks and we are at great cathedral of Reims. It is a magnificent structure that took a few hundred years to build. The stone masons had job security for generations. In 2011, they celebrated its 800 year anniversary. The Germans did massive destruction in WWII. John D. Rockefeller donated money for the restoration and there is a street and plaque honoring him.
Thursday, 6/14 a full day of boat cleaning and laundry. Not so much fun.
Friday, 6/15 we button up our little boat, depart Reims via train, arriving in Paris around 11a.m. Our hotel is the Ibis at Charles De Gaul airport. Ibis hotels are modest, sparse, but clean and we use them frequently when traveling in France because we only sleep there. Off again on the train to Paris, we finally see the Musee d’Orsay. I have managed to go there several times, only to discover it was closed. What a wonderful museum, especially if you appreciate French Impressionist.
When we return in August, we will only be 2 days by boat from Paris, where we intend to stay a week. Imagine, Paris for only 35 euros a night for the marina and it is at the arsenal, in the very heart of Paris.
Until the next time,
Pamala & Robert
