Life Without Television

Do you know what life would be like today without television and only limited occasional internet?  How about not being able to run to the market when you run out of something?  For me, no television is a dream come true.  Peace and quiet!  No awful tv shows blaring while I'm fixing dinner!  If we are very fortunate we are completely away from all the sounds of man for a night or two.  Instead we listen to the birds, frogs, the rain occasionally beating on our roof, sometimes thunder in the distance, the gentle splash of a fish, the wind gently rustling the leaves of the trees...it's heavenly.  What happens when our day is done, the locks are closed, the dishes are washed?  We read.  I finished James Michener's The Source.  It was long but informative and I recommend it.  Next I read The Hare with the Amber eyes:  A Family's Century of Art and Loss by Edmund de Waal.  A historical book which I struggled with in the beginning.  I thought I had a decent vocabulary but found myself looking up; many words (the advantage of reading on an iPad).  Still, it was very well done.

In 1856 the Auberive Abbey was turned into a woman's prison where they were fed 60 grams of protein on Sunday with not much else during the week.  You can tell who the new prisoners are.  They are definitely too well fed.  The Abbey had an art gallery with some of the worst art we have ever seen.

Before Stan and Gail left we did a little sight seeing.  We went to the Auberive Abbey of the XII century founded by Cistercian monks in 1135 and rebuilt in the XVIII century.  Tom found some art in the garden.

We explored the fortified town of Langres.  The Cathedrale St-Mammes has a beautiful Burgundian Romanesque style.  These ceilings have always fascinated me with their gracefulness.

Langres is an ancient city which was one of the three capitals of Burgundy under the Gauls.  The ramparts evolved from the Hundred Years War to the 19C and the views were spectacular.  To this day it is a great fortified city.  I dragged Tom all the way around the ramparts.

Do you wonder what some of the villages look like that we visit?  We spent a night in Heuilley-Cotton which I found to be one of the more charming villages we have seen.  I think that it was a mix of new and old, there were some flowers (which took away some of the drabness), and the homes had lovely gardens which helped make it more inviting.  We also saw people outside working in their gardens and children playing in the park.  Oftentimes we don't see a soul.

Tom and I wear Nike Fuel Bands.  I purchased them as a Valentine's day present because I was concerned that being on the boat we wouldn't be active enough.  I was mistaken.  For those who don't know about the bands, we set a goal as to how active we want to be, and attempt to reach that goal each day.  At home we met our goal the days we hiked.  That meant maybe 3-4 days a week our goal was reached.  Working out at a gym didn't do it.  Here on Rabelo I am on a 40 day streak!  Of course now I don't want to fail.  Poor Tom.  We have had some days that didn't include enough activity for me.  One evening at 10 PM I dragged him out walking.  Last night we went before dinner.  The sky was looking menacing in the distance but I was determined not to break my winning streak.  This is a tiny village so we walked up and down every street, visited the cemetery, the church the cows...I just wasn't getting close to my goal.  Then we started hearing thunder.  The sky got darker.  We continued walking along the canal.  They have those nasty horse flies that take chunks out of you!  I decided it was time to turn around.  Just as I commented that maybe the storm would pass us by, the skies opened up.  I had my camera in my pocket.  Laughing I ran back to the boat.  Since Tom was already soaked from the walk he followed along at a more leisurely pace.