L'Avenir - Cruising Europe's Inland Waterways

Once upon a time (or perhaps that should that be long, long ago) a young couple set off on the long journey from Scotland to South Africa. Never ones to do things the easy way and being of the view that the journey rather than the destination's the important bit they decided to go overland and chose, for reasons best known to themselves, to convert a London Taxi into the 'mobile home' necessary for the 6 month trip. En route from Glasgow to Cape Town. Our trusty London taxi That adventure is outside the scope of this blog but was one of many relived during the past few days over bottles of burgundy when we were joined by Richard and Corine. We lived with Richard for some time in Cape Town and he and Rob worked together on a salvage ship in often dangerous waters around the Cape. Whale catchers on tow (from Durban to Maputo) but one's about to sink (1976) Quick! Cut the tow wire! Too late! Gone... Considering the quite hair raising risks taken it is r...

One week tomorrow we will be off the boat and on a convoluted journey home. I've spent the last 2 days on the internet trying to organise trains and hotels. All are booked now - let's just hope that when we turn up at the station/hotel lobby everything goes smoothly. Things have not been made easier by the fact that Visa (CBA) cancelled our credit cards not long after we left home claiming that they had been 'compromised'. According to them 'someone' had tried to make a $1 dollar purchase over the internet using our cards, so hard luck to us. Who on earth would attempt a measly $1 puchase? I was particularly annoyed as I had made a point of personally visiting the bank before we left and had told them where we were going and for how long. Their emergency card replacement service (based in a call centre in a far off universe) was useless as they couldn't understand we were travelling on a boat, wouldn't deliver to a post office and if we wanted new cards ...

Today there was a general strike. There have been a couple over the summer but to be honest we haven't really noticed. It's a bit hard to come to grips with normal working French hours never mind when they are being 'difficult'. For instance, the entire country closes down and goes on holiday for the month of August. Want a restaurant? Sorry, 'Ferme'. Hungry foreign tourists wander through deserted towns across the country gazing forlornly at scrawled messages taped in dusty windows announcing the proprietors are off on their 'vacances' and see you in a month or so. Well, no you won't. We'll all have gone home by then. 'So what' shrugs the French proprietor - ah! the Gallic shrug. It's a pretty useful gesture. I've been practising. If it's not August and thus normal working hours then everything shuts down at mid day - on the dot (some places there's even a siren) - and everyone goes to lunch. Now, there's a bit of var...

One of the joys of travelling is the unexpected. Moret-sur -Loing had surprised me in the discovery that half timbered buildings are not the preserve of ye olde England. The towns of Sens, Joigny and Auxerre are full of narrow winding streets of ancient, sagging, leaning buildings. Part of their charm is that many are pretty shabby looking - not having been given the equivalent of botox and a face lift they look their age and in my opinion all the better for it. Most of these towns are dominated by wonderful Gothic churches set high on hills. The mean streets below seem to be full of hairdressers. Being August, everyone is on holiday the only people around being tourists roaming the streets looking in vain for an open restaurant. So far I have learned that between 12 and 4 each day and for the whole of the month of August, France is closed. Sens At the last lock before Joigny the lock keeper was at pains to tell us something. We weren't sure what though. Eventually he pointed t...