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Tuesday 3 December 2019

Catching Up

It's been a long time readers! What a delay in my blog posting; seven months is indecent. Now the reasons;

a broken wrist before departing France last spring
a busy summer at home in Canada
concentration on physiotherapy on a wrist that healed but a hand that did not and has not fully
returning to France and low water conditions on our return route to Paris
a 1500 km detour with much happening along the way
a dead MacBook Air that has finally been returned to me in working condition this week
John making 2 trips to Budapest to complete his dental work
Organizing for hopefully our last court date in Netherlands Dec 6
Planning around the huge general strike called for Dec 5 until ?
Arranging to go home for over a month and finding a trustworthy care giver for Oscar and the boat.

There are my excuses. So this blog will be as few words as possible and instead is a series of pictures depicting our last 2 months and 12 days. Arriving at the boat September 18 from Frankfurt Germany  until today December 3, 2019.
We are looking forward to Christmas this year at home, first in Toronto with family and friends, then to Delaware for Christmas and New Year with Michelle, Tyler and Ollie. We will stay until mid-January to give them some Ollie care help, then on to Ottawa to see Margie & Dick. We will be spending a few days at our beloved Skootamatta to enjoy home and maybe some cross country skiing, and finally back to Paris January 20.

So here are the pictures, but not all the stories. We will be happy to share some of them over a glass of wine some day

Early morning Departure September 17, Lake Skootamatta


Oscar Re-discovering The Boat

Beautiful Metz on the Mosel




Fountains Were Beneficial this Long Hot Summer in France


Still Dog Days


Cool Spray


Rowers at the Club Where Thierry & Corrine Took Care of Forty Roses III


A Reader


Traveling Down the Mosel toward Koblenz


Lush Vineyards


Well Groomed and Steep


Our Route from Metz to Koblenz



Soft Autumn Colours


We have Enjoyed This River


Every Bend Another Great View Lies Ahead


Many Little Hotels


Larger Hotel and Stunning Restaurant


Best Schnitzel ever with a lovely German trocken riesling


Note the steep vineyards


Signs Delineate the Grower/Producer


So Many Picturesque Buildings


Red Geraniums Along the Wall


Many Rowers & Rowing Clubs on the Mosel


Strange Building


The workers and grapes are pulled up these incredibly steep slopes in baskets and when the work is done grapes and workers are lowered in the same way. See the track on the left


Now on the Rhin. What a trip! As we are over 15m we must have a licensed Rhin captain for this section. Our good friend Ramone's cousin holds such papers so he and his wife joined us in Koblenz for the trip along the German section to the Dutch border, about 350km of extremely busy river traffic. Above is the magnificent cathedral of Köln.


Jerome & John consult the chart route

Jerome's wife at the wheel



Poured Rain the Entire 350 km Trip

Constant Barge Traffic. Many 300 metres long and some as wide as 30metres. We were thankful for the experienced Captain. Blue boarding is prolific because of the current so alert watch is necessary!



The Happy Crew after arriving in Cuijk, Netherlands

Celebrating



Jerome Introduced us to Clever's Ice Cream, Gelato & Frozen Yoghurt. . What a Treat!


Iconic Netherlands. 


Rain Has Stopped after first night on the Maas


Oscar Meets Ramone's Lapdog!


Tree Loaded with ripe Quince


OK Say It


Walking the Dike


Magnificent  Wall of Berries


Forty Roses III in the Background at Maasbommel


Hortensia the size of Dinner Plates


In a Window


Celebrating the 75th year of the Allies..Canadians. .  returning Netherlands to Dutch hands. 


Oscar No Longer a Kitten


A Local Beer . . .last bottle



Large Sluis


Joke & Hans with us from Maasbommel to Maastricht






Sculptures such as this are everywhere in Maastricht



Basiliek van Onze Lieve Vrouw Sterre der Zee



Patron of the Market and the Carnival

Entering Belgium on the Meuse accompanied by Pelting Rain. Near Liège October 8


Dutch Style carries over into Belgium


Early October Colour


Stunning Sculpture  called Searching for Utopia


Atop the Citadel in Namur October 10


Beautiful City of Namur, Wallonia, Belgium


Roman Bridge


Rested Here Several Days to Enjoy the Surroundings

Our Excellent Tie Up



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Annevoie Castle Gardens




Great Day for a Fall Hike

Portions of the Citadel  High Above


Water View

When Do We Reach Paris?



Portion of Our Route Through Belgium. The municipality of Charleroi straddles both banks of the river Sambre


No Problems with Low Water Here

Oscar Enjoys a Snooze


The Strépy-Thieu boat lift (French: L'ascenseur funiculaire de Strépy-Thieu) lies on a branch of the Canal du Centre in the municipality of Le Rœulx, Hainaut, Belgium. With a height difference of 73.15 metres (240.0 ft) between the upstream and downstream reaches, it was the tallest boat lift in the world upon its completion, and remained so until the Three Gorges Dam ship lift in China was completed in January 2016.


We are the only Boat Going Down


Look This Lift Up ;  it is Spectacular Engineering



Coming Out at the Bottom. We came Down 10 Stories


Oscar Entering Home Territory: France, near Denain on the L'Escaut



Canal du Nord October 17; one month from our Canadian Departure



La Somme near Péronne  is a commune of the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

It is close to where the 1916, first 1918 and second 1918 Battles of the Somme took place during the First World War.




Chestnuts Galore


Old Walls of Pèrrone


Cat At Large


Now Parkland



Another Excellent Tie Up  in Pérrone where we stayed several days


Along the Tow Path: These Jolly Dutch Fellows are heading to Marseille at the Invitation of France for a Festival of Antique Boats. No Rush They Say; Life is a Picnic



A Great Story: Man from Italy buys Boat in Netherlands to Take Home to Pisa. Many Adventures Follow


Selfie with our new  friend & Neighbour Graziano


Boat, as I write, is still not in Pisa. We encourage Graziano to write a book. He has lots of material!


Flowers of Compiégne


Their Mairie Gardens are Always Colourful


October 26


Colours Soft But Lovely


Tie up on the L'Oise at L'Isle Adam


Chateau Conti: First Built in 825 and Rebuilt many times


Rich Autumn Colour


Gentle offshoot of L'Oise river


Touring


Lace Curtains


Magnificent Houses as this has always been a Retreat from Paris




From the Bridge


Interesting Park Sculpture  October 29


Tucked into Our Paris L'Hivernage November 1

Sharing the Notre Dame Restoration Progress



Looking Glass of Marie Antoinette


Always A Gallery With Something Interesting. This one Feather Art

Thought



Oscar Eying the Fromage


The Père Lachaise cemetery takes its name from King Louis XIV's confessor, Father François d'Aix de La Chaise. It is the most prestigious and most visited necropolis in Paris. Situated in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, it extends 44 hectares and contains 70,000 burial plots.

On the green paths, visitors cross the burial places of famous men and women; Honoré de Balzac, Guillaume Apollinaire, Frédéric Chopin, Colette, Jean-François Champollion, Jean de La Fontaine, Molière, Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Jim Morrison, Alfred de Musset, Edith Piaf, Camille Pissarro and Oscar Wilde are just a few.



A Bite Of Pear


Autobianchi Bianchina Cabriolet-1960


Our Neighbour Built This


Always Great Street Art if One Looks



Work Continues At the Bastille. Massive Crane




So Merry Christmas & a Very Happy New Year as we are off to Canada on the 17th and will return to Paris January 20, 2020

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