the Luxembourg loop

Jul 14

It was hard work dragging Angie away from the Port bar at Sarreguemines given cold Bitburger Pils was €1.50 a bottle! A nice port.

Sarreguemines

Then with knees knocking we set off for the German border on the Canal de la Sarre. We had already had an officious German boater (10m tupperware) carefully pace out the boat length and tell us loudly we would need a special Fahrerschein and that was still in France! At the border/first Schluese they waved us though onto the River Saar and wished us a Happy Holiday - must have been our new German flag.

Onwards through Saarbrucken which was full of  large daytripper boats and we felt relatively safe after that. The first 30km was mostly Saarstahl both sides and our first overnight was at the World Heritage site at Volklingen  (aka rusty old steel works).  The town was more Turkish than German but Peter got some brotchen at last!

Cheaper than pulling them down - call it Heritage

Turn right to Luxembourg - easy nav

We were back into big commercial locks and our first actual experience of a (water saving) divided lock though we had seen them before we had never used one.

A lot of the locks had one massive swinging gate rather than the usual double or guillotine type.

We stopped at Merzig so Angie could stock up on her favourite German foods at a supermarket - Angie was enjoying eveyrone speaking German (though that was true of Alsace as well). We then went on and overnighted on a nice commercial stop at Schemlingen. It was a popular female bike route so Peter spent a few hours watching girls legs with a beer to cool him off. We were now well into the German forests - very attractive.

Chapel for the River boatmen

Enjoyed slowing down the Dutch

The Rhine traffic must have been slow as we had a Rhine holiday boat come past - must have been full of steelwork enthusiasts as it was never seen again.

The first vineyards at Saarlouis - nice little German 'wine town'.

Saarlouis

At the end of the Saar we stopped at a small pontoon to let Kes visit some trees and were nearly put ashore by a commercial - must get heavier ropes! Then at the Saar/Moselle junction trying to turn we met another one - do we go left or right?

Need to get a bigger camera

We were now pushing against the current which slowed us a bit - easy to forget that the Moselle is nearly as big as the Rhone.

River Moselle

Very hygenic - must be the German side

We pressed on with Germany to port and Luxembourg to starboard - the first try at a mooring we got pushed off by a big trip boat but second attempt we got in at Wormeldange (on the Luxembourg side but the bar we found was very Germanic - though they let Kes in). We pulled into Schwebensange to fuel up at Luxembourg prices (€1.17 litre) but a Brit boat took the last mooring before we finished.  Feeling hard done by we pushed on - Schwengen on the border was day tripper only (typical EU) so it was back into France - fairly knackered we ended up tied fairly precariously on a piling commercial wall at Malling. Peter and Kes have not had to do the ladder trick for a while.

Kes is going on a diet (as well)

After that we needed a break so stopped in the centre of Thionville for two nights - a good pontoon and we were joined by the usual boater riff raff.

Thionville sunrise

I had a propeller last time I looked

Then Metz - the Marina was mostly small stuff and fairly full so they pushed us onto the one 'town mooring' by the Moyen bridge (a few mins from the town centre).

Metz Cathedral

Mooring - end of the line

Temple de Neuf (Protestant)

A white water competition was under way adjacent to the mooring - we admired it from a distance.

Then we went on to Pont a Mousson - first we tried the marina but didn't fancy that so went onto a quiet canal cut reserved for commercials - lovely spot with a large park on one side. The town must have been wealthy as it had a large Abbey and a very large triangular town square with arcaded shops. We were joined by a commercial overnight but no fuss.

Pont a Mousson Abbey

Parish church with tourist

Off to the Nancy turn off and moored at Pompey - a new mooring we have bypassed usually - normal mod cons in the town and the local model boat club turned up with their expensive remote control boats.  Then into Villey St Etienne, a tiny inlet and small pontoon with a buoyed entrance, before back into Toul and completion of the loop' rafted up to 'Nautilus'. Angie was struggling with reverse as the morse control cable had a .kink. in it - then the cooling impeller on the generator failed - another day in the life of a happy bargee.

My walk is overdue you idle lot!

After 5 years we need a new set of ropes, but hopefully that can wait till a trip to Antwerp this Winter. Lorraine Marine (Toul) replaced the morse cable and we are all set now to head north on the Meuse.

and then to the German border

Jul 14

We idled after the Mauvages tunnel - downhill all the way.  Two nights at the VNF stop at Void, a nice little town with a reasonably 'original' town gate (still has its gate chain slots).  Angie squandered the housekeeping on local produce (honey, jam and wine).

Through the Foug tunnel and another lift bridge (better than sunsets Terry).

A couple of nights later we were in Toul at Lorraine Marine.   The sewage pump had been playing up and Duncan, the proprietor, being half Peter's size managed to squeeze in and replace the pump valves, after we managed to get replacements from UK. Peter did some gardening (he needs a greenhouse!

The crew of  'Romany' a kiwi boat (Ruth and Roger) arrived from down under, which was an excuse for drinks and they kindly gave us a lift to Lidl (3 months beer supply replenished) but then after five days it was off to Nancy by way of Liverdun.  Liverdun is a small inlet that looks dodgy so we had avoided it previously,  but we forced through the weed and mud  and an extremely large dead fish and had a good night in peace - reversing out round a 90 deg bend was accomplished with Angie's normal panache the next day.

Liverdun Inlet

Not sure what breed

Liverdun

We were now off the canal and onto the River Moselle for a period.

River Moselle nr Liverdun

Always get good reflections on the rivers

The high point of the run through Nancy was the Intermarche (in a previous life it had been Auchan, but we noticed they were developing a new Auchan closer in to town). No one we knew so we tucked in on a quai by the lift bridge.

Nancy port de plaisance

 The Cathedral St Nicholas de Mariniers always looks totally stranded but is actually on the riverbank

At Parroy we met 'Nautilus' (Susan and Mike) liveaboards who are also wintering at Brugge.  Lots of hire boats on the move - not helped by the closure of the Arzweiler Plane which is pushing them west. The last act before turning north was the Rechicourt ecluse (15m) as usual the eclusier tried to pack us in with lots of shouting.

We turned onto the Canal des Houliiers/Canal de la Sarre and we were on  new territory at last. Moored at Diane Capelle before tackling the 15 lock flight down to Mittersheim.  Angie is like a pig in muck as everyone speaks German (or a version of it). Tarte Flambe at the village bar - Angie preferred the beer.

Mistakenly worried we would get trapped by Bastille Day we pushed on to Sarralbe - nice town and the Bastille festivities were much more 'family oriented' than those previously attended - more like a village fete (beer tent by the tennis club, tarte flambé by the rowing club, cake stall by the french WI ....)  We noticed that most of the towns had old RC and Protestant churches - unlike further west (as Alsace was unaffected by the Wars of Religion).

Sarrallbe Gate tower

More churches

The Canal de la Sarre moved us back into the 'debateable' lands with old defensive works we hadn't noticed since Belgium.

A Dutch flagged peniche put us into the side near Wittring and the bowthruster expired after picking up a load of rubbish - once we stopped Peter dissassembled it and put in a new shearpin (amazingly it all worked on reassembly). Finally into Sarreguemines last town before the German border. Not sure they will let us through given length and licences but fingers crossed as Angie desperately desperately needs a German supermarket (and bratwurst mit frites - or is that Peter). Peter squandered €6 on a Deutschland cruising flag which he will burn if we are turned back.

Port de Sarreguemines (and 'Casino')

Paris to Mauvages Tunnel

Jun 14

We both maintain paper diaries, Peter's is a boat one of moorings, hours run, fuel used etc while Angela does the social one (nice churches, shops and boats/people met) so the blog could be a bit superfluous - but with the rapidly changing scenery it is a help to know roughly where we were a week, month, year ago with the pictures to match (Pagny where??).  Angie will also be able to use it to bore her grandchildren to death if she ever has any! Our best man died yesterday unexpectedly so we are both feeling rather mortal especially as he was 5 years younger than Peter!

Back to our travels :) - A greyish run up the Seine to the River Marne and onto new territory again. Commercial traffic was quite thick as one of the northern canals had been blocked.  All the boat ports were full of sports boats given our proximity to Paris but haven't seen a hire boat since the River Loing

River Marne ecluse

A small tunnel to practise for the big ones

At Neuilly ecluse there was a super Moules/frites restaurant adjacent to the pontoon, while waiting for a commercial to come through Peter dashed off to organise a takeaway with his few words of French and the usual sign language - Angie nearly had a heart attack fending off the eclusier when we were called forward sans Peter but the trail of moules shells was worth the effort.

The few river derivations (canalised bits) were narrow and overgrown so a bit slow.

The weather had deteriorated so once we moored (green bank) Peter did his Mrs Mop imitation in the rain  (in a pair of shorts) to clean down the boat  - not a pretty sight. At Lagny we ended up moored to dolphins (Duc d' Albe in french?) - met our first Kiwis this season (John and Jane) on a a baby barge 'Elise Rivet' - the antipodeans seem the only cheerful boaters at the moment not sure why.  Peter and John enjoyed watching the ABs beat England (again).We shared ecluses with them to Meaux where the port was empty when we arrived.

Meaux port

Meaux Cathedral

Meaux Bishops Palace and Gardens

Night view

Good moorings were a bit thin and a few had had their elec/water fittings vandalised which doesn't give one a 'secure' feeling for overnighting so we often used the quais above the ecluses.  Mixed weather, sun followed by rainstorms. We found a supermarket and Angie went beserk filling the trolley to overflowing which was reflected in the bill! Given the cellar was down to its last two cans of beer and dinner had been forecast as canned tuna and salad Peter didn't complain.

Onwards to Vandieres where Angie enjoyed the weather and yes - another BBQ - lovely mooring.

Kes cowering in the shade at the back

A happy boater

Our first 'River Yonne' type locks with sloping sides and internal pontoon

On the pontoon at Reuil we were well in champagne country with all the villages having small Caves (good champagne at €15 a bottle). The second night we moved to fit in an Australian boat 'Charmame' - lent them a power cable and use of the washing machine - a mistake as champagne and a few beers turned into an impromptu party - Chris needs another German posting as the whisky stocks are falling fast (in barrow boy mode Peter swapped what was left in the bottle post party for a Dutch gas bottle)!

Between Reuil and Ay we moved onto the Canal Lateral au Marne (still heading east). We green banked at Ay near a supermarket - given the low diesel price (€127.7/litre) Peter jerricanned 200 litres to the boat - - next top up hopefully in Luxembourg. The east end of the Canal Lateral was boring miles and miles of straight canal and not a lot of scenery or life - very few boats around (one a day).

Chalons en Champagne

Then onto the Canal Marne au Rhin (Ouest) which was much more rural.

Bignicourt

A dog's life

TheMarne au Rhin was deserted by both boaters and eclusiers - poorly maintained too with grass growing over ecluse bollards,and the occasional snake moving swiftly away from our noise.

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Into Bar Le Duc where we sneaked onto the last mooring (and met the new owner of Avontuur - Ian Lones old barge). Peter got dragged to the top of the old town up thousands of steps (he counted every one and his counting is creative).

Bar le Duc clock tower

.We had been meeting lots of moveable bridges both swing and lift - two at Bar le Duc and on the way out they were combined with the ecluse.

Swing low

Ligny was a lovely little port so we spent three nights there - joined by 'Elise Rivet' the second night - Peter retired half way through the BBQ with a severe case of 'Delhi belly' - Peter blamed the unwashed grapes, Angie the chausson au pomme - unusual as his stomach is normally built of cast iron.

Ligny

More impressive close up

The weed was getting bad (clearing filters two or three times a day) but the water was stunningly clear - easy to see the bottom of the canal and the fish - strange to be able to see the bottom of the ecluse gates and the paddles operating.

We stopped at Demanges just before the tunnel - another 'desolate' village with the alimentation, boucherie and bar shut down.  Peter is having to bake - pity he sticks to bread (and gingerbread).

Up until recently everyone was towed through Mauvages tunnel but the next morning we went through occasionally accompanied by a cyclist.

Mauvages tunnel tug now disused

It was our longest tunnel to date - nearly 5 km and took us an hour - you wouldn't want to be claustrophobic - Angie didn't touch the side once seriously impressive.

Mauvages tunnel entrance (west end)

Tunnel exit (east end)

The Marne au Rhin (Ouest) is hard work west to east - uphill with 70 ecluses (plus another 12 after the tunnel) in 80km.but now it is downhill to Toul next week.