Simone Update 30 Aug

Yesterday we went to Le Puy en Velay and visited the cathedral.  I didn't walked up to the Statue of Mary as there must be over a hundred steps to get there.  She is situated on top of one of those ancient volcanic chimneys made of basalt.  They are all over the region.  Today will be a quieter day but the rest of the week will be more visiting relatives and getting ready for the party for Marcel on Sunday.  Some 80 people will be getting together here for that.

The house I am presently staying in has an interesting history.  It was built in the 1800's.  The route going by here towards Lyon was considered dangerous so it was decided by Napoleon Bonaparte to build a house for the "gendarmerie".  There were to be 5 gendarmes so there had to be six rooms, 5 had to have a fireplace for the men as they lived in it, and one to serve as an office for the commander.  On the main floor there were two trap doors with a holding area beneath each one to house those arrested.  There was a barn connected to the house for the horses which has since been demolished.    Since then the house has been divided into two residences noted by the two doors at the front.  Each residence has a downstairs and an upstairs.

- Simone 

Simone in France 2nd Update

Since the beginning of this week the weather has been brutally hot, in the mid thirties.  The forecast is for cooler weather next week.  I am enjoying my stay though but eating far too much pain et fromage.  Too much food.  Two big meals a day most days.  A few more days of this and my pants will no longer fit. 

View from Balcony - Castle in Middle of Picture
Luncheon Canopy in Foreground

It is almost 11 pm and we just got home from a dinner with my cousin's son and his wife and we left the dinner table less than an hour ago. 

I will look like a whale by the time I join you.  Oh well, it'll be a long fall and winter to shed the extra pounds.  I am moving to another location on the weekend and probably starting the whole thing over again.  

My Current Residence

First and last pictures are scenes from the balcony of the house where I am staying.  The building in the background with the tall black roof is an old castle. The canopy in the yard is where family gathers on nice days.  A large group of us had lunch there last Sunday and we left there to move inside for dinner.   The middle picture is the house where I am staying this week.  I will be moving to a new location on Saturday.

View from Balcony

Carolyn & Barry - Packing

Barry - Full Martini Glass

 Today Barry and I started our packing to prepare for the trip.  We each have a Canadian flag to fly from le bloat--oops, le boat (We will be bloated soon enough).  Barry called the office of our MP, Sukh Dhaliwal,  to request Canadian flag pins which we will give to helpful lock keepers.   We can pick them up tomorrow.  

Exhausted from these efforts, we retired to the patio to contemplate further preparation and to learn the French word for martini.

bon nuit, Carolyn

Carolyn with Drained Martini!

Update from Simone in France

France is as beautiful as always.  Traveling to and out of Paris posed no problems.  There does not appear to be extra security around although I have been told that some security is undercover so you are not necessarily aware of it.  Clearing customs was smooth and relatively quick.  In the country life goes on as usual even though people are very aware that they are now in a vulnerable situation.  However the wine, the cheese, and the baguettes are as good as ever.  So far the weather has been on the cool side but the forecast for the rest of the week is for hot days.  I am enjoying visiting with family sitting around the dinner table for hours and enjoying the food and wine.

Simone

Pre-Trip Prep

August 21 2016
     Prep for the trip is almost done! We have purchased our specialized lock handling gear (rubberized gardening gloves) and packed appropriate clothing for a 2 week self-guided cruise.  We have done this before on the Canal du Midi in 2012 and look forward this time to exploring the Burgundy Region and sampling some fabulous wines!
     Our on-board Chef and Translator (Simone) has already joined her family in France for a visit and Celebration of a special family birthday.  The remaining crew will depart on 28 August (Gerry, Bruce & Ray) and 01 Sept (Carolyn & Barry).  We will meet Simone in Nevers, Fr after spending a couple of days exploring Paris - Ray's first trip to Paris.  We will journey to Nevers by hired van then pick up the vessel in Decize a few km away on Sat 3 Sept.  We will meet Simone on Monday in Nevers.  Yes, that's 2 days without our world renowned Chef Extraordinaire - Simone!  (McDonalds anyone?).  Of course we all can cook - she just adds that special French touch!
     We will do a little touring in Nevers and report back in a later post.

The boat model is 'le Magnifique' and chartered from Le Boat. Take a tour and see how we will be living for the next 2 weeks on-board  :-)
http://www.leboat.ca/en/boats/magnifique


The co-captains are: Bruce and Ray.  Barry is the money man and the remaining crew: Gerry and Carolyn will look after the deck-swabbing and dish duty.  All will have a turn at handling the ropes in the ecluses (locks) and acting as sous-chefs.

Our plan is to cruise the Nivernais Canal from Decize to Etang de Baye then the Yonne River to  Migennes.  The first day we will 'back-track' on the Loire River to Nevers to pick up Simone.
 We will go through approx 150 locks total.  Including the return trip from Decize to Nevers then on to Migennes.  We will go from Decize at 624 ft above sea level (ASL) up 267 feet to Etang de Baye  (891 ft ASL) then down almost 600 ft to Migenne (292 ft. ASL).