Photo Stop en Champagne (22 April to 8 May)

Friday 25 April – Chalons-en-Champagne

This blog is mainly a story in pictures.

The Marne from the Jean Jaurès Bridge at Chalons

Working on the Chalons-sur-Marne Lock

The St Etienne Cathedral at Chalons

Wish we had a Tourist Office like this

Le Mau in the centre of Chalons

Chalons’ Hotel de Ville

Jacaranda Tree at Relais Nautique / Rue Jean Jaurès

The St Etienne Cathedral above the Grand Jard

We arrived at Chalons-en-Champagne on Tuesday after a gentle stroll up from Chepy.  Damian, the responsable for the relais nautique was really welcoming, but we were his only customer until a couple from just south of Nantes arrived.  No-one else though.  So we had a good look around the town, several times bumping into our Nantais friends.   It is a really beautiful city, but we’ll let the photographs speak for themselves.

Damian really could not do enough for us, including checking out the route ahead.  There was a minor hitch with the lock here, but they would get us through. But the section north of Reims was closed, but he thought he had heard there would be further delays.  And there were.  It was supposed to re-open on the 2^nd May.  Now it would be the 10^th.  He offered any help he could, including contacting ports along the way.  Well, that’s canalling for you.  We had a bit of rethink on our hands, losing 8 days.  We could always take the Marne, Seine and Oise around Paris – but actually that would take longer.

On Wednesday we decided to put it all behind us and visit Epernay, just 20 miles away.

The Grande Maison of Moët et Chandon building at Epernay - 

The tree seemed more interesting than the building

Hotel de Ville across the street – somewhat more imposing

The Grande Maison de Castellane

The St Martin’s Gate at Epernay

Still some impressive period buildings at Epernay

We were actually quite disappointed by Epernay.  Yes all the great Champagne houses are there, but the architecture was very hit and miss.  Even the St Martin’s Gate had been mostly knocked down to make way for traffic – though admittedly that was in 1916 when there may have been some more pressing needs.  We found a reasonable café.  But it was quickly clear that if you wanted interesting Champagne finds you would have to go into the villages.

So Thursday we decided to stay a couple more days here – now with time to kill – and did a little travelling around the villages, but we are not Champagne buffs so really just explored.  Bouzy was interesting, not just its name, but its reputation especially for the “Bouzy Rouge”.  An interesting village but the famous red wine is fine but light. Worth tasting, but not a Burgundy!  We did buy some bottles.

Linda and Girls with the Bouzy “Coq”

An old wine press at Bouzy

Today has been standard shopping and things like that, though we did get to see the inside of the St Etienne Cathedral, which is only open in the afternoons.  The green stained glass windows really are impressive, though sadly the colour did not fully show in our shots.

The impressive green-coloured rose window at St Etienne

Impressive blues in the baptismal chapel

So many stunning windows – this on the south side of the nave

Thursday 1 May – Sillery (Communauté de Reims)

So on Saturday we set off further down the Marne, before turning into the Aisne-a-Marne canal up to Reims and (hopefully, eventually) north into Picardy.

The first section was along the Marne canal to Conde-sur-Marne.  Although straight and slightly industrial on the way out of Chalons, this was a beautiful stretch of water.

The Marne Canal from Chalons to Condé

We had a very pleasant overnight stop, and could not resist popping into the Potié cave just up from the mooring.  Mme Potié was the most delightful hostess who took the dogs and said “do bring them in”. Her champagne was nicely dry and slightly fruity.  To our taste certainly, but no doubt the ambience helped - and not having to drive afterwards.

Sunday threatened rain, but it did not come till late.  We risked it and decided to do the eight locks to the summit.  As we are low in the water, uphill on French canals is always a bit of challenge, but this went quite easily, once we got the locks open.

Vaudemange at the summit was quite “au sauvage” but very enjoyable for the dogs, at least until it rained.  There were some lovely walks here.

Tree-lined sunshine at Vaudemange

Route to Compostella - Topsy was threatened with a longer walk than Condé if she did not behave!

And from there we took the tunnel through to Sillery and Reims.  The Mont-de-Billy tunnel was now short by our standards (only 2.3 kms) and well-lit.  But even though we were the only boat on the water the tunnel supervisor did not manage to spot us.

Tunnel entrance and gate house at Vaudemange

A well-lit tunnel all the way to Sept-Saulx

We overnighted Monday evening just beside the canal at Sept-Saulx.  The quay noted is very industrial and best avoided, but just behind the bridge was a beautiful quiet place to stop, where the girls could run undisturbed and only the occasional walker stopped to say Bonjour.

From then on to here at Sillery.  A nice little port / marina with most facilities, though no washing / dryer machines or wifi.  Surprisingly after we arrived two other boats came in during the afternoon.  Hans and Elionne on the Louis Pasteur are Swiss, and bought a Snaillie boat at Chagny last year.  We would have been there at the same time.  They've been doing up the boat at Corre and then came up the Vosges, following us not far behind all the way from Toul.

The Capricorn has its home port as the Hamble, but now based at Portsmouth with crew from Lyndhurst and Dibden Purlieu.  Chris and Fawnia, Andrew and Judith were having a nice trip across the Channel, up the Seine and Marne and then back via Calais, until they too came to a full stop at Reims.  There are other boats, all French and unoccupied plus the Ferdinand, which is Danish and wintered here.  Solway and partner will however head south next week when they have finished de-winterising.  Those of us here are all foreigners.

Sillery like Sept-Saulx has a major “Necropole National” right next to the moorings.  These are sombre places, and you cannot ignore them.  If ever you need a reason why we need a united Europe, these give just a very simple one, in spades.

The Necropole National at Sept-Saulx

Yesterday after some chores we visited the neighbouring vineyard villages of Verzenay and Verzy, with over 100 Champagne producers between them, the first guarded by an old mill and a lighthouse (yes, in the middle of land-locked Champagne) and the second topped by the most wonderful Forêt Domainial.  Here we could walk for hours with the girls snorting and snuffling in the woods.  Let the photos speak!

The windmill at Verzenay across the vines

The windmill closer up

The vines closer up

And even closer still

Verzenay in the valley from the Mill with the Phare in the distance

The Phare closer up

The Mill and over the village from the Phare

Knotted Beeches at Les Vaux in the Forêt Domainial at Verzy

Can you see the knots in this leaf-covered beech?

Compare the size to the normal trees

Well today is a national holiday in France, even the locks are closed.  But we have ten days before the locks north of Reims re-open.  So the next blog with photos, mainly photos, will be of Reims and its environs.  What a city to be forced to be tourists in.

Wednesday 7 May – Courcy, north of Reims

Well, we had to stay at Sillery until today, but tomorrow 8 May, even though a national holiday, hopefully the locks will open. All in good humour the VNF supervisor has just said “Bien sur! J’espere. Normalement.”

Last Thursday we had thunderstorms in the late afternoon, and Friday was dull and wet.  But since then we’ve had very good weather with occasional rain.  On Saturday we drove up here to see how the works holding us up were progressing.  We met Claudia and Ha-Ge (Hans-Gunter) on the Gehusy.  They had passed us at Vaudemange and then at Sillery, and desperately needed to get to Holland.  Claudia had to go back to Aachen to work, but Ha-Ge would come back next week to try to move the boat.  On Sunday we got to tidy up, diesel up, touch up paintwork and all the other chores that boats demand. On Monday we got to see Reims a little bit.  We’ll let pictures tell the rest.

A busman’s holiday – on the bus into Reims we get joined by a class a 5-6 year olds whose teacher encourages them to practise their English

The blue in the cathedral rose window is just quite stunning

The cathedral inside is very large but actually quite unfussy inside

But some of the interior work is very special

At the east end these modern art windows were only installed in the last half century

This side chapel is also impressive

Outside we managed to find the laughing angel, but difficult to photo at that height and angle

The northern doorway is also impressive

We were surprised how little else there was to see in the centre of Reims, though we did not have time to visit the Musée des Beaux Arts.  It is a quite beautiful city, with even the outskirts extremely presentable.  The amount of white stone and concrete could perhaps be a little more varied but it does look good.

The archbishop’s palace – the gardens are very well set

The courtyard to the Musée de Reims has a fascinating sculpture

Even the shops have floral walls

The Hotel de Ville still stands resplendent

But Reims has sadly suffered much destruction over the last century – this half maintained facade reminds you of that

Back at Sillery the China Bird, a Widebeam like ourselves with Martine and Diane, whom we have met previously at Gannay and St Leger, arrives on Sunday.  They too need to make haste to Belgium where their boat is being shipped back to England for a new owner.  And we find some lovely shady walks for the dogs.

Topsy ran through some trees and found this lovely walk through the woods

It winds around to the river’s edge – warm, comforting and shady

Meanwhile we also share the port with fishermen/women, cyclists, walkers and joggers

And of course endless groups of ducklings

Finally today we are able to head north out of Champagne country.  The passage through Reims is quite pretty, even if the northern end is somewhat industrial.  But as we set off this morning an industrial comes right up behind us as we leave the port, and of course we have to give him priority.  He also tells he will take the locks first tomorrow when they re-open, as is his right.  After so little traffic we are then also caught by a Danish cruiser, who wants to overtake, until he realises that we have to stay behind the industrial in front of us.  They both pull into Reims, but at least one we will see tomorrow.

The canal in the centre of Reims – with the Danes impatiently behind us

So here we are at Courcy, waiting.

Boats waiting at Courcy - Ha-Ge and the Gehusy, a local resident with a beautiful wooden boat moored permanently, us, the Capricorn, and the China Bird further back

Hope that’s not too many pictures!  From tomorrow – hopefully – the dash to Cambrai and the Belgian border.

Calm and Tranquility – Moselle to Marne (6- 21 April)

Tuesday 8 April - Toul (Meurthe-et-Moselle)

Here we are back in Toul for the start of a new season.  Though we soon find out that locally no-one thinks the season starts until 1 May.  On the 6^th we made Malmesbury to Toul in one day as no suitable Logis were open for us to overnight.  A 15-hour day but we are able to quickly de-winterise and spend the night on the boat.  Yesterday we spent “provisioning”, having a bit of rest, giving the girls some fuss and walks, solving a few minor water problems, and quickly getting shipshape.  Today we sorted our dues to the Port-de-France and Lorraine Marine.  Duncan has sorted our alternator problem.  Tomorrow we are on our way.

Sunday 13 April – Tronville (Meuse)

We set off on Wednesday.  12 locks uphill to Foug.  Linda cycled all the way so that we had someone quayside to take ropes.  At Foug the lockkeeper shouts and gesticulates, but he is only telling us he wants us portside and rear in the lock because of the thrust.  We get priority through the tunnel and the other pass an actual Dutchman on a Dutch barge.  Only boat seen that day. 

We overnight at Pargny, always a lovely spot. We decide that on Thursday for the rest of the rise to the summit Linda can do it by car.  But at Void we learn that electricity to some of the locks is down, so we are accompanied half the way by a team with a generator.  Nice and easy.  They arrange for us to pass the Mauvage Tunnel that day, but as there are no other boats some poor VNF man is designated to cycle through the tunnel behind us – just in case.

Baudignécourt is peaceful and beautiful, though Glyn has to cycle back over the mountain to collect the car.  As a 16 year old in the Welsh valleys it wouldn’t have taken a second thought. Here the 10 miles takes him an hour and a half.  The violets here are fantastic.

We quickly descend down to Tréveray for a night, as beautiful as last year, and then on to Ligny.  Only remarkable thing is an open lock with two red lights.  We ponder what to do but decide to ignore the lights.

Lock ready but “do not enter”

No-one at all around, except a few walkers.  Not even any fishermen yet!  But one of our eternal friends is always with us.

Eternal friend as we descend towards the Marne

As we approach Tréveray the cherry trees are in full blossom.  The journey has been quite cool in the mornings, with occasional frosts, but beautifully sunny afternoons.

Cherry blossom at Tréveray

And then – our first fisherman.

Throwing out a line on the Marne-au-Rhin

Just outside Ligny we pass a French cruiser out for the day.  He is as surprised to see us as we him.  Just two boats in 4 days. 

Ligny is dead, but power and water is available though nowhere to pay for it.  A few locals fascinated that we are there at this time of year.  Powered and watered we have come on here to Tronville, a beautiful quiet spot.  We expected to be on our own but Len from the Wirral, single-handed with a big Dutch barge, is passing time here, working on his boat.  So three boats so far, though Len is not actually cruising, so really two.  No three! Next morning at 07h00 a fully laden industrial passes on carrying steel from Luxembourg to somewhere in the north of France.

Thursday 18 April – Bignicourt (Marne)

From Tronville we cruised straight through Bar-le-Duc which also had no boats in it, though we catch up with our industrial friend and have to cruise slowly behind him.  We overnight at Fains-les-Sources, taking power and water.  The lock-keeper on this section is very friendly, and gives Glyn a lift back to the car, so he doesn’t get his daily cycle ride.  At the bakers next morning we try to pay the small charge for facilities used overnight, but no, it’s not May yet.  She can’t possibly take our money.  The bread and croissants are excellent. Next stage is to Revigny and again we are on our own.  We did however pass two Swedish yachts clearly travelling together.  So now 5 boats on the move.  At Revigny the wildflowers are beautiful and we can’t resist picking some cowslips and ladies’ smock.

Bedeck the boat with Spring wild flowers.

At Pargny we again partake of free electricity and water, but two boats either side of us are occupied one by a Norman who now lives at Toulon, and one a local couple.  But they are not cruising.

Boats moored at Pargny-sur-Saulx

We have something in common with the local couple.  They also sport the Catalan donkey!

A donkey to match our own.

And now we arrived at Bignicourt where we spend two days.  No power or water, but we have plenty, but just an idyllic spot.  We can shop at Vitry (le-Francois) without having to moor there.  But just enjoy this great beauty spot.

Lindy and Shady enjoying the morning sun

But Topsy prefers to show off and make a noise

From here we also take time out to visit the Lac du Der, again deserted at this time of year, but then the wind is a bit chilly.  But another beautiful spot.

Lac du Der (Can you spot the single sailing boat in the distance?)

Easter Monday 21 April – Chepy-sur-Marne

We left Bignicourt on Saturday, having used some of the time to explore mooring on the Marne.  We had originally planned Chaussée-sur-Marne, but the mooring is cut off by a property.  Locals advised against crossing this but it did not seem too bad, until two ferocious uncontrolled Alsatians through themselves snarling and snapping against the gate.  Perhaps locals do know best.  Pogny a little further on is quite OK, though a little bare and post-industrial.  We decided that we would look at some other places as we passed on the boat.  So we set off and completed the downstream to Vitry in 3 hours, turning directly into the Canal Lateral a la Marne. Couvrot seemed to three possible mooring.  The first was very pleasant and we stopped there for lunch. Alas however no access for either bikes or cars.

The beautiful setting at Couvrot

Here we clearly find the high chalky hills which make the Champagne region what it is. But some of them are can be quite industrial from quarrying.

Chalk cliffs at Couvrot

The other two at Couvrot were definitely old industrial quays.  What the French would call “moche”. 

Here too we lose the automatic cell detectors which open the locks and have now to pull on the Perches, hanging over the water.  Not too difficult, though you have you get the boat right under them, and some are hard to reach.

Perches to open the locks – good to exercise the shoulders

But then we alighted on Soulanges.  A beautiful spot.  Here we also spent two days as we understood from the guide book that the locks were closed on Easter Sunday, only to discover the next day that they were not.  This was a fascinating little village set down below the hills.  With one of them dedicated to Resistants who were lost during the war.  Soulanges is almost cut off from everywhere, but well worth finding.

 Can you see us – moored at Soulanges?

The avenue of crosses at Soulanges

This mooring is very good for anyone coming this way.  Even the fishermen all around you are friendly and chatty.

Trees line the mooring bank at Coulanges

And then we set off for here – Chepy – our last stop before Chalons-en-Champagne.  Again a very quiet, beautifully pleasant mooring, away from everywhere for those who want to escape.  On the way we pass remnants of the old industrial past.

An old quarry works returning to nature, just outside Soulanges

And would you believe it – on Easter Monday – another industrial barge plying its trade.  Gosh, that’s six boats in a fortnight.

A loaded industrial on the Lateral a la Marne:  Six boats in a fortnight.

Next: Champagne country – from Chalons to Reims and beyond.

Powerless at Nancy (9 - 20 September)

Autumn Rain for Sainte Marie

We descend the great Rechicourt lock in beautiful afternoon sunshine with Wernher, partner and the Albatros, and set off for the lovely mooring at Port Sainte Marie.  We haven’t even completed the pound from the lock – less than 15 minutes – and the skies blacken.  By the time we make the next lock it is pouring and stormy. 

Houston We Have a Problem

We have to get “plug in” at Sainte Marie for power, as for last week or so we have noticed we have a problem with our charging from the domestic alternator.  We call Duncan at Lorraine Marine.  It may just be a loose connection he says, but where and how to find it.  I’ll look at it when you get back here, he offers.  We now have to plan it so that we can keep finding power points.

Sunshine at Xures

We want to miss Lagarde, however, and we can’t face the horse flies and there is no power at other placements.  So we push on to Xures.  They have just finished some very fine moorings here, but when we have tied up we discover that the power is not being commissioned until next season. 

Xures is a quiet but pretty little village, with a strange but sad monument in the middle to whole families transported during the war, but little to explain it.

A Grey, Rainy Day

While our first day at Xures is beautiful the next turns to rain again, and in search of power we move just a few kilometres on to Parroy, which has a beautifully set camping site and mooring run by the local commune.  We can settle in here for a couple of days.

Moored at Parroy

Again this is a very pleasant village but the centre has more about the travails here and at Xures in 1944-45.  There is clearly a particular history which is only partly told. 

Sentier du Memoire

On the walk back there are many trees and flowers and little pathways.  This wild outgrowth on the side of the road was particularly enticing.

Wild Apples and Blackberries

History Lessons at Parroy

Back at the mooring we get to meet up with Mme Lysiane Anstett who is the manager of the mooring and the campsite.  She is a very thorough lady but quite engaged and informing.  She explains the particular tragedy of Xures.  She lends us some local histories which were quite fascinating accounts of oral memories of families who were deported but mostly made their way back. 

Histories of Parroy and Xures

We enjoyed our two days but now onward to Nancy. We are worrying how we will maintain our power batteries but Lysiane kindly gives us some tokens for power at Einville, in case the shop to get them there is not open. 

Worrying about Power

We manage to get four hours of power at Einville.  We phone ahead to Nancy and book a mooring with power there for two days ahead.  So with what we take on at Einville we think we can survive two days, and take a delightful stop at Crevic as we did on the way out.

Leaving Crevic we go through Dombasle and Varangéville, where we pass through six locks where the gates are made of plastic to avoid rust.  It seems it works. It might catch on.

A Plastic Lock at Varangéville

And then on through St Nicholas and into Nancy itself.

The Chateau at St Nicolas du Port

Miscommunication at Nancy

We arrive at Nancy and the harbour master is not the one we had previously or whom we spoke to on the phone.  He says he has no record of our booking and any way no spare spaces.  But we find a kind Frenchman who is happy to let us moor alongside him.  The harbour master agrees we can do this.  Phew! We plug in with our domestic batteries showing 11.9 (for a 12 volt battery range).

The plug-in is great, but the barge we are moored against is about 4 foot (1.2m) above our decks.  We can clamber up, but the dogs can’t.  Shady relaxes in our arms as we hoist her up for a late night walk.  But Topsy considers this undignified, and fights and tussles so that she almost falls 6 foot into the canal, and we are quite exhausted.  At least getting them back on is easier.

Next morning at 7 am we unplug (now having our batteries reasonably charged up) and chug out of the port and around the corner where the dogs can easily get off on to the canal quay.  But a few early morning walkers and joggers look intriguingly at us, wondering no doubt if we are doing a moonlight flit.  But a good stiff walk, breakfast, and off we go again.

Liverdun Sadly Not for Us

The canal out of Nancy is gentle enough.  We drop onto the Moselle.   As we round the bends at Liverdun the wind and rain kicks up quite fierce.  With the wind now lashing away we seem to making hardly any headway around the bends, with both wind and river flow working against us.  One kilometre seems to (does almost) take half an hour.

 

We head for the run into the Liverdun cove. It is completely deserted.  The entry is quite narrow with large reed beds on either side making it very difficult to manoeuvre.  There is just one long, right angled steel pontoon, and then the walk to land is about 50 metres over meshed metal.  We are not going to carry the dogs that far and they cannot walk it.

We decide to give it a miss.  But if getting in was difficult, getting out was .... well, a nightmare.  But nudge, nudge, slowly, slowly, we finally made the open river.

OK then, non-stop to Toul. It is late in the day and we are very tired.  We moor up at the pontoon opposite Lorraine Marine, check in with Duncan who will come to look at the alternator tomorrow, eat supper, walk the dogs, and crash out for the night

Entering Toul

Resolving Problems

Duncan tests the alternator and it seems to have gone completely.  Luckily we can plug in at the Port de France where we will winter, and Duncan will replace the alternator over the winter. [That is another story.] 

A Beautiful Autumn at Toul

Anyway, now we’re home for the winter.  We have a lovely few days at Toul, though mainly cleaning up and winterising, and then leave the boat in the tender care of Tony and Jean-Pierre at Port de France, and Duncan at Lorraine Marine.

As often here the afternoons and evening are warm and sunny.  We have some beautiful evenings.

Sunset at Toul

But the mornings are cold, chilly and very misty.

Morning Mists at Toul

But they do get better!

Mists Rising

And so to winter in England.