Dissapointment at Vitry le Francois

This year we nearly missed skiing. Peter is having trouble with a knee and he was having some treatment done and did not want to strain it too much. But we did have the opportunity to get to the snow for one day. We know Pam and Paul, a British couple who have a boat in the port, Pam had not skied for over 30 years. She was enthused by our descriptions and on a spur of the moment we planned a day at La Bresse-Honeck. Paul had never skied but was happy to be involved.

They have a car and off we went!

The weather was fine and sunny and the snow perfect. We had a wonderful day and the result is that Pam and Paul are hooked! Even Paul now owns skies.

We were due to depart Nancy soon and had a couple of evenings with our friends. Thomas, Cecelia, and Stephane joined us one evening for a meal and the day before we left, we entertained Pam and Paul, together with Lucy and Michael. Again we had a lovely evening.   

We departed Nancy on Saturday the 2^nd of April heading generally towards Paris through Vitry le Francois where we had arranged to put Matilda into dry dock to have her bottom scrubbed and re-painted.

We had our friend Steph on board, he was coming to Toul with us – a real Day Trip. A good stretch of canal followed by a few hours on the Moselle River.

Coming up the Moselle we pass this grand chateau at Liverdun. The “folly” at the rear is owned by a friend of Stephane who has recently renovated it. We were most impressed with the result.

Approaching Pargny sur Salux, Marg tried to befriend these goats. They were very interested in Matilda.

We spent some time at Pargny waiting for word that the dry dock, a short way off in Vitry, was ready for us and used the stop to do some spring cleaning. Matilda’s canvas work was all taken off, and scrubbed to get rid of the last year’s accumulation of “European grunge”

Even some loose rugs and carpet was given the treatment!

We headed into Vitry planning to wait outside the dock, observe their docking procedures and be ready.

In the dock we found a vessel we had met most unceremoniously last year when it jack-knifed across our bows.

Our regular readers will probably recall this from last year.

One day a most attractive “Dutch Cruiser” passed us and we found that it was owned by an Australian from Queensland. We spent some time with Reg and Peter who, one night joined us for a pleasant dinner.

They departed after a few days, heading for Meaux and Paris where Peter was leaving to return to Oz.

Our problems started the next day when the owner of the dry dock informed us that he would not put Matilda into the dock. His reason was that he did not have the equipment to support her hull. Matilda has a small spline or skeg that runs the length of her hull – on the centreline and on each side of this spline, her bottom is not perfectly flat. It has a very open V shape running out to each side. The photos above of boats in the lock show his system of supporting boats on the “chairs” is to put a straight steel beam across under their flat bottoms. So we have been hanging about here for a fortnight with nothing to show for it.

Such is life! We will have to make other arrangements.

We travelled on to another favourite town of ours, Chalons en Champagne where we spent a few days.

The day after we arrived we found there was a boat race happening in the port. We were amazed to find out that all the boats were made of cardboard and gaffer tape! We were not too sure of the outcome but all the contestants seemed to be having a great time.

Chalons has been known for some time as a centre for circuses. There is a big school in town for performers and every time we have been in town there is a circus tent somewhere. This building goes back many years in the circus school’s history.

Peter found this beautiful retro mobile home in the grounds of one circus and thought of David and Louise,Bill and Rhos and Geoff and Judy back in Australia. Built on a truck chassis, it has a 14 litre motor – overkill?

We were now well into champagne country and the hills, covered with rows of vines were starting to turn shades of green as they burst into leaf.

Spring is well under way on board as well. This bay tree has produced bay leaves for Margaret’s cooking for three years already and is bursting with new growth again. The rest of Marg’s garden is taking shape and will soon keep us supplied with salad and other vegetables for the summer.

We will leave Chalons in a few days and head toward Paris. We have a friend coming to join us for a few days and we are meeting her in Meaux.

There will be more to tell so we will keep in touch.  

South to Provence

The date is the 7^th of March. Technically this is spring but at the moment we have snow falling outside. The first real snow we have seen this year. The weather this winter has been generally quite mild with even a few days when the sun actually broke through the cloud and shone weakly..

We are doing little jobs on Matilda getting ready for the cruising season, Peter has serviced the engine and other equipment in readiness for an early departure this year. We are putting Matilda into dry dock in Vitry le Francois to have her under-water areas cleaned and re-painted and will be leaving Nancy around the end of March.

To pass the time a little we decided to take a break and visit Avignon for a few days. Avignon is in the south of France, on the Rhone River close to the Mediterranean Sea. The town has two major claims to fame. Firstly it was the home of the Popes for many years and secondly, as every one of our generation will know, the location of one of the oldest songs we still sing:

Sur le Pont d'Avignon

L'on y danse, l'on y danse

Sur le Pont d'Avignon

L'on y danse tous en rond

On the bridge of Avignon

We all dance there, we all dance there

On the bridge of Avignon

We all dance there in a ring

Actually the bridge is quite narrow and the story is that the dancing was done under it on an island.

It was quite a remarkable bridge, constructed between 1177 and 1185 it had twenty-two arches covering a length of nearly 900 metres. It spanned two branches of the Rhone and a flood-plain island in the middle. It was washed away on many occasions and finally abandoned in 1680. Today these four spans are all that remain.

In 1304, the archbishop of Bordeaux was elected Pope with the name Clement V but because of the political situation in Italy at the time, he refused to reside in Rome. The papal court was set up in the city of Avignon. There were seven Popes who resided in Avignon, they built a great palace, each one adding more, and the city was fully fortified.

From our hotel, just outside the City Wall it was just a quick walk to see all of the old city.

The old town is a labyrinth of narrow streets, sometimes cut deeply into the stone of the hills.

We toured the Papal Palace, partially restored as a museum and admired the details still left from the original development.

We travelled out of town, across the Rhone to Villeneuve lez Avignon. It was here that the Papal Cardinals and other church notables built their massive castles and mansions. The structure above, the Fort Saint Andre was built in the 14^th century to protect the village and Abbey of Saint Andre. The towers enclose the main gate into the structure.

We took an afternoon tour out of Avignon to a town called Orange.

The Principality of Orange in the Vaucluse area has famous connections with the Dutch Royal Family who had roots in the area in the 16^th century.

The Romans had settled this area 16 centuries before and their triumphal arch above still stands at the entrance of the old city.

The details in parts of it are as sharp today as they were when it was made. Unfortunately parts of it have suffered with time – and war!

Their theatre, built into the side of a hill (circa 80 BC) stands as a tribute to their ability and is still used today. It can seat over 7000 people. The seating today is as it was – just made a little safer to suit modern safety requirements.

This area was one of the first in France where the Romans produced wine to send back to Rome. We visited the village Chateauneuf-du-Pape and of course had to sample some of the local product. We can report that it is still excellent.

Next day we were on the train and left Avignon for Nancy.

We still had things to do so there will be more to tell. We will keep in touch.

Our Australian Holiday

We arrived in Sydney around 0700 on the 23^rd December after a tedious twenty six hour trip from London. A trip that needs no elaboration.

We planned to pick up a car, spend a few days here then drive to Melbourne.

We were staying at Chatswood and would be having Christmas with Peter’s sister, Pam at their new home in St Ives.

They have down-sized from their family home in Pymble to a very nice unit in this lovely setting. Their son Michael surprised them, visiting from Melbourne and we all enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner prepared by Pam and Fiona.

Our time in Sydney seemed to go in a flash and we were off towards Victoria. A five hour drive and we were in Wodonga where we would stay with Marg’s sister Jane for a few more days.

While here we visited some wineries around Rutherglen, namely Campbells and Andersons where we stocked up on some of our favourites. One being Andersons Sparkling Durif, a full bodied red, made by the champagne method.

It was soon time for us to continue, our next stop was Euroa, once the home of Marg’s family. Sister Judy and husband Geoff still live here. By coincidence our friends Bill and Rhos originally from Perth have retired from Melbourne and live here too.

We stayed with Bill and Rhossie  as Judy’s Christmas and New Year schedule was tight. We all enjoyed a very pleasant luncheon together in town.

Bill took us on an outing to Healesville to sample the products of a new gin distillery.  Four Pillars Gin Distillery is making a name for itself in Australia as the producer of a top quality product. Our camera decided to have a flat battery so we must thank Bill for the use of these pics.

Off again, and we next spent a few days in Melbourne.

We met up with some of Marg’s friends in the Botanical gardens. The four of them, Marg, Jeannie – from Casterton High, Janet and Anna - from nurse training days, spent time chatting. A pleasant afternoon.

One memorable evening was spent with Aunty Peg at Sally and Di’s home. We enjoyed a lovely meal after which Sal drove us home in her new Golf Convertible.

On then, by train to Ararat where we were met by Helen and stayed overnight with her. We all then went on to Liz and Paul’s property, Jallumba, outside Horsham.

We spent an enjoyable few days there and were joined by Jane and John, Marg relaxing with her sisters while Peter played at being a farmer under the critical eye of Paul.

On to Adelaide by bus and then a short flight to Perth - only 3 hours.

Once again we stayed with the Humms while we tidied up our house. It had been let and we were preparing to move back in. As usual, we ate extremely well. This meal of blue manna crabs was foraged from the Swan river by Dave and Janet earlier that day. Note the quality table cloth.

Another enjoyable gathering with our friends at the Humms and yet another beautiful meal.

Of course we spent time with our family, we went with Emma early one morning to her first swimming lesson in the ocean. Both she and Daniel swim in their small home pool, but the sea is quite different and they enjoy it.

On Robert’s suggestion we had brunch in Bassendean, the suburb where our boys grew up. He wanted Peter to see the restored WAGR passenger coach now a dining room at the Dome Café. This shopping centre is much changed since our time here.

Outside, the children amused themselves among these wobbly mirrors.

We had been out of France for almost two months, wandered around and have seen new ground as well as old. We met up with friends where we could but now realise that for various reasons, we missed seeing some. Sorry about that but there will be another time.

We are returning to Matilda, so we will keep in touch.

Until next time.