A Bird in the Hand

It's been a busy week, to say the least, which is part of the reason why it's taken me so long to get another blog post out. But we do finally have a resolution to our dilemma of where we will be putting the boat for the winter. 

The port captain at Hautmont was unable to give us a definitive answer on the 21st regarding whether he'd have mooring space for us this winter, which for us was as good as a "no". Hautmont had a lovely port, but it's not particularly convenient to getting to other French canals, so getting a "yes" after we've already left the port would mean--at a minimum--retracing our cruise of the last week in order to get back to Hautmont, and then heading back downstream again in the spring. Not something we really wanted to consider, so we submitted applications to two marinas in the vicinity of Paris. From Cergy we got a "yes we have space, here is a contract to sign" and from Port aux Cerises we got "received your application, we'll get back to you as soon as possible." We had a slight preference for Cerises, but it was a good feeling to have "a bird in the hand" with Cergy. Yesterday, Port aux Cerises let us know that they would be full for our requested months. So, Port-Cergy it will be as of September 1. It feels good to have that issue settled and be able to be a little more deliberate about a cruising plan for the next month.

Tomorrow we will cover the last 3 kilometers on the Sambre à la Oise Canal, and pass onto the lower reaches of the St. Quentin Canal. Now that we know where we will be wintering, we have come up with a cruise plan for the next month. We will continue to work our way southwest (not too far) and turn north on the Canal du Nord as far as the Somme River. The Somme is said to be a beautiful waterway, so we are hoping to finally be able to take our time as we cruise. The Somme has particular significance in WWI history, and although we saw some of the sights a few years ago during land-based touring, we're hoping to be able do a bit more. After the Somme we'll head back south on the Canal du Nord, and then onto the Oise River, and try to time our arrival into the port at Cergy no earlier than September 1. That's the current thinking, but if our boating summers have taught us anything, it's that change is inevitable. 

In the meantime, Friday, July 22 was departure day for us from Hautmont, but what would life be without a little unwanted excitement? We settled our bill at the marina, did the pre-cruise checks, turned the key and--nothing. No engine, just a dreaded "click." Lon's troubleshooting pinpointed the issue as a battery problem. We were directed to a truck repair facility in the vicinity for a replacement battery, but not having a car to get there made for all kinds of "fun." We loaded up the old battery in our bike trailer, and Lon tested the capabilities of his e-bike to the max toting that heavy battery up the hills between the port and the repair shop.

Lon purchases a new battery and gets rid of the old: we're grateful
we were in a town that had the appropriate shopping options

 Better late than never, we were able to depart Hautmont in the early afternoon.

Our last look as we were leaving Hautmont. It would have been nice to have been able to 
snag one of those barge mooring spots. Oh, well

We've been on the move at least a little each day since we left Hautmont. Normally we'd try to stop for a non-cruise day at least every few days, but this waterway hasn't lent itself to that very well. Whether it was cruising the Sambre River (the first two days) or the Canal de la Sambre à l'Oise (the past five days), it hasn't been easy to find appropriate mooring facilities and/or towns that offered an array of services such as restaurants or grocery stores or can't-miss sights. 

On the plus side, the river landscape was beautifully green and curvy. There wasn't much other boat traffic, or the curves would have been more of a challenge.

"Flower people" would appreciate the landscaping in Berlaimont

Our mooring in Berlaimont--just a quay, no power, no water. And stay away from the 
basin by the weeping willow or risk going aground!

The bridges are too low and too numerous for us to
deploy the bimini, so we are at the mercy of the sun

Farm fields and birds . . .

. . . and a village church adjacent to a cow barn. An interesting zoning plan

Remembrances of the World Wars are everywhere. This
memorial commemorates several dozen French and Tunisian
soldiers killed in 1940 in defense of the village of 
Catillon-sur-Sambre during the German invasion

Catillon-sur-Sambre has an impressive "Grand Place", but it was a very quiet
village on a Sunday afternoon. We are now off the Sambre River and on the canal

Shortly after we left Catillon-sure-Sambre we went through the last "up" lock and cruised several kilometers at the high point, the summit, of the waterway. Still a pretty cruise, but it was a bit nerve-wracking as well. Keeping an appropriate water level at a summit is always a challenge, but even more so in a year as dry as this. The water level was noticeably low, and at times our hull bumped the bottom of the canal, but fortunately we were able to power through those areas. We were more than relieved to get to our mooring at Etreux.

It pays to be rested up for the "down" stage of this canal, because of how numerous the locks are. After the first lock, the following 8 locks are automated and need to be taken in one "go" because they are so close together (all within 4 km). The following 16 locks have to be operated from each lock's control booth by an "itinerant lock keeper", e.g., vnf employee moving along with the boater, so they had to be informed of our starting and stopping details each day. Oh, yes, you can throw several lifting or swing bridges into the mix as well. The locks became automated again at lock 25, so we got a new Telecommande device. Our first day we did 14 locks, the next day 6 (and 3 swing/lift bridges), then 7, and today 7 as well.

Two cute dogs came out to see us at one of the locks

Our interesting mooring in Etreux. To get off the boat we had to walk on the metal top of the
mooring wall--a mere 12 inches wide. Balance beam was never my forte. And the other boat in
the photo caused us all kinds of problems when we were trying to leave in the morning. It stuck out so far into the fairway that we had great difficulty maneuvering around it. We overused the bow
thruster--with adverse results--so Lon has been driving without for a few days and doing great!

Lots of "straight" on the canal leaves little guesswork for

where the next lock is

A bike ride away from the canal shows us hills and farm vistas

This might need an award for most decorated lock house on the canal.
Many of the former residences of lockkeepers have been derelict

Not to be taken literally, this is the Sambre canal equivalent of last year's
 "Ici" (here) sign. The telecommande device is quite simple,
but if you're going downhill (as we have been), you need to press
the green button

Lon is up very early each morning, so he is able to 
capture some beautiful sunrises. This is a Sissy
sunrise (the town, not the adjective)

Sunrise at Etreux

What counts for a traffic jam on the canals. After our 14-lock day, we moored in the same spot as the two New Zealand couples we'd met in Hautmont. They preceded us out of the mooring the next day, and all of us had to wait for a swing bridge to be opened. Generally, the Sambre and its associated canal have had very light boat traffic

Decision Time

We survived the intense heat of Monday and Tuesday, and are currently enjoying a much cooler, cloudy, showery day today.

We're now a few days into our stay at the Port de l'Abbaye in Hautmont and we are still not quite certain what the rest of our cruising season holds--or where we'll end up for the winter. If I understood his French correctly, the port captain said that he would let us know about the availability of winter space in this port before our week here is up on Friday. It would be nice to know sooner rather than later, but so far we are still waiting to hear. Responses from two ports just outside of Paris indicated that they each have space for a boat our size and invited us to send applications, but they are, by far, the most expensive options, so we are waiting to see whether this port is going to work or not. One additional inquiry resulted in "we don't know yet if there will be space", one responded that we are too big for their port, and we are still waiting for responses from two or three others. We'll need to take some kind of action by the 21st.

During our respite this past week, we've taken two interesting, short excursions to nearby towns. On Sunday the 17th, we cycled 14 km (about 8.5 miles) to the town of Bavay, population 3,500. Known as Bagacum in Roman times, the town was at the crossroads of 7 Roman roads, a strategic location that allowed it to become an important center for Belgian Gaul and the capitol of the Nerviens (a powerful Belgic tribe). Bavay contains the vestiges of the largest Roman forum discovered in France, in fact, it's one of the largest in the Roman Empire. (A Roman forum was a meeting place that brought together administrative, judicial, and religious interests.) It has been known since at least the 18th century that something Roman was under all the lumps and bumps and buildings in that part of town. Following a German bombardment in 1940 that destroyed many of the homes and businesses that had been build atop the forum site, it was decided not to rebuild over the forum and excavations kicked into high gear.

Exterior view of the site when approaching the entry point. The forum
was built in phases between the 1st and 3rd centuries. The exterior
shows fortification walls that were added in the 3rd century to meet
the barbarian threats that were increasing at that time 

The site is opposite the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
near the center of Bavay 

A model of the forum. Most of the largest remnants
are from the later fortification wall and from the subterranean
structures from all eras of construction

View from the eastern end toward the west. Exposed wall to the 
south (left in photo). The entire site is over 6 acres in size, and much
of the northern part of the forum is still underground awaiting
archeological investigation

A portion of the cryptoportico, a semi-subterranean gallery whose
arches supported the structures aboveground. The roof above the 
ruins was installed in May of this year to help prevent
further deterioration of the Roman structures

Pat walking along the south interior

Our second excursion was a re-visit to the town of Maubeuge, where we had stayed one night last week on a "sketchy" dock, but whose Vauban fortifications piqued our interest. Hot as yesterday promised to be (and it did ultimately reach 101 degrees), we decided that if we left early enough in the day we could spend a couple of hours in Maubeuge and make it back to the boat before it got too hot. An 8 a.m. departure and a mere 7 kms/25 minutes later found us walking on and amidst the ramparts. Vauban was the military genius of Louis XIV, and Louis gave him lots of projects in France and beyond. 

After the French gained control of Maubeuge in the late 1600's, Louis ordered Vauban to fortify the city. Vauban had the old medieval walls pulled down, and restructured the town's defensive structures. The initial work was finished in 1685. Various modifications were made in the 1700's and 1800's. 

The Porte de Mons, a large building in the front for troops and 
technical and administrative functions . . .

. . . a triumphal arch in the back, complete with drawbridge over
what we'll call Moat#1

And, following the cobbled path from the porte, we can see Moat#2

Walking to a high overlook allows us to see Moat#3

Lon tries to figure out how to breach the walls in Moat#2

A panoramic shot of the fortifications

Of course, this was the nice, clean, restored section of the fortifications. Amazingly, 2/3 of Vauban's walls survive, but much of it resides in what is now parkland and is slowly being taken over by Mother Nature, pending future reclamation projects. 

Waiting for the TLC that only lots of euros can provide

The current layout of the Vauban fortifications. The "fully"
restored sections lie between the zoo and the "vous etes ici." The
other sections (green) have some restored sections, but most are
awaiting work. The other 1/3 of the fortifications were torn down
decades ago, to allow for town growth across the river

The town of Hautmont where we are currently staying is also rather old, dating back to the 7th century. One of the most famous abbeys of the region was built here. In the 19th century, the industrial revolution came to town, and for a while Hautmont was referred to as "the city of 1000 chimneys." Not much of that particular legacy still exists.

The Hautmont Abbey has seen better days, but apparently there are options being discussed for its repair and use. Most of the existing building is 18th century and managed to escape destruction after the French Revolution

Sunrise view of Hautmont from CARIB. The port is part of the
town's urban redevelopment

Being stationary for a few days has given us the opportunity to meet some of the boaters who are passing through this part of France. 

We enjoyed conversation with New Zealanders John and Margaret,
who are also "refugees" of the canal closures to the east and south

A bit of a disturbing event today. There is a nasty, oily sheen on the river. The fire brigades came out in force, as seen below. I'd hoped they'd find the source quickly and deal with it, but even several hours later there is still oil or fuel floating downriver past us, and I worry about the birds that use the waterway. So far, they seem to be smart enough to stay out of the water, but they can't do that forever. 

Unbelievable

It's been an eventful few days, to say the least. Our Saturday in Beez was spent pondering the pros and cons of our various cruising options in light of the recent closure of the Canal de la Meuse , and the port captain there gave us a helpful perspective. In the end, we decided that it was safest to take the Sambre route. Decision made, we did a little last-minute exploration of the area around Beez.

The white cross--and the letter "A" formed from
shrubbery-- marks the spot where Belgian King Albert I died
 in 1934 while rock climbing in an area of
cliffs known as "Marche-les-Dames." At the time, conspiracy
theorists postulated that he had been killed elsewhere and his
body planted at the site. In 2016, DNA testing of bloody
leaves that had been taken from the site lent support to the
official version of the king's death

One of our concerns about cruising the Sambre was the amount of commercial barges that we had observed in Namur on Friday entering and leaving the Sambre. It's a narrower river than the Meuse, and we were uncertain about what commercial traffic might mean for us in terms of delays at locks. As it turned out, cruising on a Sunday was probably the best thing we could have done, as it seemed that all of the commercial bargees must have been taking the day off. We had the waterway nearly to ourselves; we saw no commercial traffic and very little pleasure boat traffic.

Turning onto the Sambre River in Namur, we cruised under
the cable cars making their way to and from the Citadel

It's a small world--and a nearly unbelievable coincidence that of
the few boats we saw, we again encountered fellow Americans
 Dave & Becky on Wanderlust. (They were moored next to us when we were at
 Port Royal in Auxonne, and we met them in Void, France
 during 2021's cruise.) It's very strange the way our cruises keep coinciding,
 but like last year, we were headed in opposite directions

We had thought that the landscape between Namur and the next large city "down the road", Charleroi, would be heavily industrial. Although there was some industry noted on this first day, for the most part it was a pleasant and pretty cruise.

We almost stopped for the evening in Floreffe, under the watchful
eye of the former Abbey of Premontres (founded 1121 and rebuilt
in the 17th and 18th centuries), now a seminary. However,
mindful of our Schengen deadline, we moved on a bit further

Our cruise on Monday gave us some of the "grit" that we'd been expecting earlier. The closer we got to the city of Charleroi (literally "King Charles," after the 17th century's Charles II, King of Spain and the Netherlands), an industrial center trying to make its way back after a period of decline, the more "unlovely" landscape we saw. The cruise through Charleroi and its numerous abandoned industrial buildings felt a lot like a portion of our Great Loop cruise in 2014, when the "Cal-Seg" took us through the industrial areas south of Chicago. Very dismal. Getting to the other side of Charleroi and back into more natural surroundings put me in mind of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy steps out of black and white Kansas into colorful Oz.

The Charleroi waterfront felt very bleak

Ahhhh . . . back into more restful surroundings

Monday evening found us on a quay with a view of the ruins of  l'Abbye d'Aulnes. Originally founded in the 7th century, the buildings fell victim to destruction by post-Revolutionary French in 1794. We weren't really in a town in the usual sense, but there were several restaurants in the area, and it was humming with people

The Abbey was imposing, even in its decrepit state. Adjacent to the 
ruins was a fancy wedding and events center

We were a curiosity for this group of youngsters 

A short 2-hour cruise on Tuesday brought us to the lovely little town of Thuin. The elevation of the upper town was a good test for our e-bikes. As it turned out, the elevation wasn't a problem, but the cobbles were a killer.

Coming into Thuin. The belfry tower (1640) in the upper town is 
all that remains of the collegiate church that was destroyed in 1811

Here we are in Bird Song Park overlooking the old ramparts
and terraced gardens

An unobstructed view of the "suspended gardens" and ramparts of the medieval town. The terracing was part of the defensive structures

Lon descends a passageway through the city wall
to get to a pathway amidst the terraced gardens

Narrow streets and old buildings of medieval Thuin.

Someone really liked bird decorations--how
very Alfred Hitchcock

After we left Charleroi, the locks on the Sambre shrank to the "Freycinet" gauge that we encounter on many of the French canals. The largest commercial barges that can pass through these locks cannot exceed 38 meters in length. The locks were manually operated, which meant telephoning the locks to request passage (always a joy with my limited grasp of French.) Fortunately, I only had to phone the first lock of the day, and that lock keeper would notify the other locks that we would be needing passage.

Pat assisting the lock keeper at one of the manual Belgian locks

On Wednesday the 13th we passed from Belgium into France, beating our 90-day Schengen area deadline by 4 days. Not that anyone checks at the border, but still. Whew! The French have automated their locks, so we collected a remote-control device from the first lock we went through in France.

Not a "Telecommande for Dummies"--this
baby does it all

It was a rather warm day, and so we were happy to be able to stop shortly after noon in the town of Jeumont, about 3 km beyond the border. It was a great town quay, complete with electricity and water, and all for no cost. We had lunch, were winding down, and then came the knock on the door. So sorry, you can't stay here, there are fireworks this evening in this area. (Bastille Day is the 14th, but some towns have their celebrations early.) Not happy, because there aren't a lot of mooring options in this part of the Sambre. But we had no choice except to start cruising and see what we could find. A town dock in Boussois just 4 km away was totally decrepit and couldn't be used, so 2 hours after we started, we finally ended up at a rather "sketchy" mooring in the town of Maubeuge.

The proverbial "port in a storm", because we wouldn't
have picked this place were we not so hot, tired, and
without other close options  

  

About 90% of the center of Maubeuge was destroyed in WWII, so 
the town lacks many historical buildings. However, it had retained
 extensive fortifications dating back to Vauban in the late 17th century
(and later modifications). They're spread out over a large area and 
would be interesting to explore with more time

The Bastille Day celebrations in Maubeuge included live music in the town square

Our July 14th didn't go quite as planned. We thought that about 45 minutes of cruising would get us to the marina in Hautmont, but we didn't count on the lock that was impassable because it was shut down for the Bastille Day holiday. 

A Bastille Day parade in Hautmont--and the lock we
couldn't use

It was an easy day--a walk to check out the port and the town, relaxation, and dinner on the boat--and then came the knock at the door by local law enforcement. So sorry, you can't stay here, there are fireworks here this evening. Unbelievable--again? It was our very own version of Groundhog Day. Fortunately, we didn't have to move far; we were told we could stay on the wall just prior to the lock gates. And we did have the consolation of a front row seat for what turned out to be rather decent fireworks for a small town. The lock should be working again tomorrow, and we'll be at the marina before we know it.

As it has turned out, our decision to take the "Sambre option" was the correct one. A notice came out from the VNF announcing the closure of a portion of the Canal de la Marne au Rhin Ouest, which means that we now have no alternate way to cruise to Toul and must find a different winter mooring site. We'll be inquiring here in Hautmont, and hope they will be able to solve that particular problem for us. We're going to stay here for a few days anyway to give us time, if needed, to investigate what other marina options might be out there and avoid cruising during a brief heat wave early next week. Hopefully we can get where we need to go before all of the canals are closed!

No rain in sight and 100 degrees is forecast for Tuesday.