A Day in the Life of Barging

Dandelions coating the canal.  They are like snow flurries flying everywhere as the breeze whirls them around and around.

Everyone thinks that all we do is float down tranquil canals, sipping champagne and admiring the lovely scenery.  We certainly do spend time cruising down beautiful canals.  Other times it might be fast flowing rivers, which can be anything but calm.  The sipping of champagne (or other alcoholic beverages must be reserved for after Rabelo is tied down for the evening.  It is much too dangerous to drive a 200-ton boat while under the influence (or any size boat for that matter).

Therefore I will occasionally describe what a day in the life of barging may consist of.  Today was certainly as typical as any day can be. 

At 9 am a technician/engineer arrived from a boat yard to change the oil on our new generator.  Once that task was completed Tom and I walked into Vitry-le-Francois to take care of a few matters before casting off with our new crew.  We had been eyeing a chocolate factory for days.  They are closed Monday-Wednesday morning while they make their tasty little treats.  It’s Thursday so we wandered over to see if the madam was now open.  She was open and offered us a “taste.”  While her chocolates were not necessarily to my taste, Tom was in heaven.  Of all the times to have forgotten a camera…she had beautiful chocolate pieces, more like sculptures, or works of art on display.  Chocolate wine bottles, chocolate shoes filled with goodies, all looking beautiful.  I hadn’t forgotten my wallet so Tom bought an assortment of chocolates.  I’m sure I will be sampling the milk chocolate pieces in the bag while he can indulge in the dark chocolate.  But we needed to get moving.  We went to the post office to mail some things and pick up more stamps.  Then it was imperative that we go to a boulangerie for fresh baguettes and a dessert to share after dinner.

This bridge is from 1882.  We lowered our wheelhouse to fit underneath it.

Once back on Rabelo I started the laundry.  The next few hours were spent cooking and preparing lunch.  I roasted peppers, zucchini, and eggplant, while sautéing onions and mushrooms. Fruit had to be cut up and an assortment of cheeses laid out.  I also made iced tea for the weather is warming up rapidly.  Meanwhile, since we are training a new crew, every time we entered a lock I dashed up on deck to supervise the handling of the front lines.

Lady captain at the helm (standing on a stool to see forward)

After lunch I had to clean up the lunch mess, do more laundry and then I could relax a little.  I need to do “paperwork” such as paying bills, but with no internet available business will need to wait a while.  So much for my relaxing.  While preparing lunch Alban had been handling the front lines.  Now it was Nathalie’s turn, so I went up to supervise her work.

Nathalie is doing a good job of handling the ropes.

Then it was time to begin dinner preparations and get more laundry done.  Tonight is a simple green salad, and mussels with roasted potatoes.

The locks are tight.