A Day of Barging in France

I will occasionally write about what a day of barging is like.  No two days are alike.  We never know what we will find around the next bend.  This is the second installment of A Day of Barging.

We woke up early today because we had a lot planned.  Well, early for us while in France.  By 7 am we were doing email since we were fortunate to have an Internet connection.  After catching up on "business" we went for a walk.  It was a beautiful.  Along the way we found a park with placards that included pictures showing what logging was like from 1546 to 1923 in The Morvan.  Logging played an important part in the history of France.  We stopped at a boulangerie on the way back to the boat and then it was time to get moving.  Kevin checked the oil, warmed up the engine, pulled in the lines, and off we went.  It was 10 am.

While the guys steered and handled lines as we cruised through the Morvan area of France on the Nivernais canal, I made breakfast, did laundry, emptied the dishwasher and began preparing lunch.  Laundry is an on going process as we always need to manage our power.  That means either the washer OR the dryer is going, but neither will be on together without the generator running.

This was one of the first things we saw on our walk. The wagons were in front of a private home.

Another picturesque spot on our walk.

Logging was labor intensive.

A lot of wood came down the river on its way to Paris.  It was mainly burned for heat.

We passed by a beach.

We've discovered many towns  have "community" gardens.  Families have their own plot of land where they can grow fruits and vegetables.

We stopped in a lock for lunch at 12:15.  The lock keepers take off for their lunch from 12-1 pm so we are unable to move.

Lunch that day was a salads of lettuce, green beans, apricots, an egg yolk, two types of duck (BBQ and smoked), goat cheese, slow roasted tomatoes, onions, and of course a baguette.  I made the vinaigrette as well.  We drank iced tea.  No alcohol while the boat is moving.

We discovered peaches next to a lock house.  Tom and Kevin went picking for me.  The peach/raspberry crisp I made was delicious. 

They may not look as pretty as the ones we buy in the market, but they were sweet and juicy.

The Nivernais canal is very popular for bike riders.  The tow path is well maintained for everyone's use.

The Nivernais is considered one of the most beautiful canals in France.  So far we would agree with that assessment.

It is spectacular here.

I thought it would be fun to play on this but Tom wouldn't stop.

I did manage to buy post cards and ice cream bars at this little stand while Rabelo was going through a lock.

We had always been told that Rabelo wouldn't fit under the bridges of the Nevernais and we couldn't cruise here.  Kevin disagreed.  It was very tight but we did make it under the bridges.  We went very slowly!  The lock keepers were also wonderful and lowered the level of the canal for us when we encountered particularly low bridges.  The "W" is for barges to remove their wheel when going under the bridge as the wheel is the highest point on many barges.

Here Tom has lowered our pilot house and he has to duck down as well.  Kevin directs Tom  from outside.

I'm not into white water rafting.  There are places where the river crosses the canal.  It can make for exciting driving.  Other times we are on the river as the two merge.

We always have to be alert for obstacles in the water.  This log could do serious damage if we ran over it.

This was a fruitful day.  Peaches AND apples on the same stretch of canal.   I'll be busy baking this week.

This bridge was another close call.  Tom was checking to make sure our back didn't hit the bridge or edge of the canal.

At 4 pm we arrived in Mailley Valle after a harrowing, stressful and very long day.  We went for another walk to end the day and found a lovely park with a beach on the Yonne River.

To wind up the day I made dinner, we did dishes, watched a DVD, read a while and finally turned out lights around midnight.  It was a very good day!