A Warm Start

This blog finds us on the Marne River, heading for the Champagne Region but not quite there yet. We set out as usual North on the Yonne River, revisiting old haunts and finally dropping into Cezy, previously passed by as it is in a branch of the river below a barrage. It is a most attractive town, well worth the diversion. Cezy Old Town Gate

We followed the Yonne into the Seine and travelled smoothly towards Paris. Laden commercial barges did not have quite such a smooth ride along this section while we were there. A failure of the hydraulic system that works the barrages on one lock had resulted in draining out a great deal of the water in a 15km section of river. There was therefore a severely reduced water depth, fine for us drawing less than 0.9 metres and for unladen commercial boats which draw about a metre, but most barges laden with a cargo would have been quickly grounded. The interruption lasted about three days and the Waterways Authority (VNF) has undertaken to reimburse commercial losses resulting from the failure.

Before we reached Paris we turned East into the Marne River, with the intention of continuing in this Easterly direction until we reach Nancy, then turn North up the Meuse River to and past Verdun. However with the current drought, we may be unable to carry out these plans in full. This particular part of the Meuse River and its Canal has been closed at its southern end, so we will hope that there is good rain between now and mid July. If not, there are other routes we can take.

The Royal Way- Bois Vincennes- Penny
We stopped for a break at the junction of the Marne and Seine Rivers. Nearby is the largest Park in the city of Paris, almost 1,000 hectares which is almost ten percent of the total area of Paris. It contains a zoo, a stables, dog training park, a hippodrome and lots of woodland and gardens.  There too is the Chateau of Vincennes which started life as a hunting lodge for Louis VII in the 12th Century. During the 14th and again in the 17th centuries it was upgraded as a Royal Chateau occupied by many of the Kings and Queens. It was important also because it guarded the Eastern approaches to Paris. We decided to dust off our bikes and have the first cycle ride of 2017 to visit the Chateau, approached through the very pleasant cycle paths in the Bois de Vincennes itself. It was a rewarding first excursion before the day warmed up too much. The Parkland was full of people running, cycling, walking, taking the dogs for exercise. If it had been the weekend there would undoubtedly have been plenty of picnic groups too.  The Chateau Vincennes

The Chateau Vincennes

The Chateau Vincennes

The Moat- Chateau Vincennes

Today we are thoroughly enjoying a "holiday". Today's forecast is for 35 degrees, currently 33 degrees on land at 2pm. Tomorrow is forecast to be 38 degrees. We have looked out for shaded spots. First it was on a pontoon in a shaded though weed- covered small canal. It would have been difficult to travel along it because of the weed, but it served our purpose of a quiet mooring, and we enjoyed watching a large family of nine newly hatched ducklings, exploring their new world. We even caught sight of a very large frog lying in wait for the dragonflies flitting over the water lilies. Yesterday we found ourselves a beautiful mooring tucked in under a tree tied up to an old bridge which helped to provide shade. We decided to have a "heat day", taking advantage of the excellent shade for an extra day of non-movement.

A good place to be in 38degC
The first ten days of our 2017 voyage have been very enjoyable and so far quite calm, There may be issues later as the country is rapidly descending into drought. As well as the closed canal, travel will get slower as we move further East where the lack of water is more severe. There are limitations to water depth and also the grouping of boats through locks rather than allowing access on arrival. The wait could be up to an hour.

Over the next few weeks three of our children plus families will be joining us, so we will have plenty of very enjoyable company. The Grandchildren would really enjoy the substantial Tree House shown above- on the banks of the River Marne. We will hope for the rain to come and go before then, so that they too can enjoy these magnificent fine and warm days.

Best Regards,

Penelope and Dave