Champagne, Again!

Week 49 — July 19th - August 8th (Tony).

No doubt about it, this is the life! But to share it with friends and family makes it even more special. So it was a thrill to have Gillian and Matt (No 7) aboard for a week as we returned to spend more time in our favourite spots in the Champagne region.

After leaving Verdun, which is one of the loveliest towns we've visited, we continued down the Meuse in search of cultural stimulation. We found it at Mouzon, another typically gorgeous small town steeped in history, where quite by accident we found the town centre in the midst of hosting a motorbike rally. There were more bikies and motorbikes than I've ever seen since our visit (also quite by accident) to a remote small town in USA where Harley Davidsons were made and it was their 100th anniversary or something! Mouzon's town square was literally throbbing with more than a thousand motorbikes and leather-clad bikies, plus many stalls selling every kind of motorbike gear imagineable, not to mention the beer tents galore. And... there was simultaneously, a line dancing contest in the adjoining street with dozens of contesting teams, each decked out in their own version of country and western uniform complete with six-shooters that they regularly twirled and fired into the air. It was all hilarious and great fun to watch. And... before either of the above events had finished there began an organ recital in the adjacent church. Having missed  most of the line dancing, Sally and I opted to attend the concert. The organist was a young professor of music (she looked to be no more than sixteen), a specialist in mediaeval organ music. The organ was absolutely splendid, and exquisitely restored, no doubt at considerable expense. It was all-in-all a unique outing. It is amazing how often our arrival at a place has coincided with their special annual event. We have seen more festivals, parades and fêtes than we ever knew existed.

We continued down the Meuse — it truly is a beautiful waterway — bypassing Sedan, and turned off once again into the Canal des Ardennes. We stopped at Pont au Bar to fuel up, draining the station's diesel tank. My guilt trip about our environmental footprint evaporated when I calculated that we are using less fuel here than we did in our cars in Australia. In five months since we left Roanne in March we have travelled more than 2,000 kms — and consumed less than 1l/km. Not bad for a 46 tonne home afloat!

Five weeks later the verdant countryside is just as beautiful — same scene, different scenery! Fields of wheat and barley, previously olive green, some turning brown, now mostly harvested, the stubble a burnished gold in stark contrast to the flourishing crops of sugar beet. Meanwhile lucerne is lush green awaiting the mower and baler, while corn now high as an elephant's eye is flowering. Acres of sunflowers nod in unison towards the sun, as in a Van Gogh painting. If I had to be a farmer, let it be here! And all around, the hills are spread with row upon row of heavenly vines, the bunches of grapes swelling daily as the countdown to harvest time draws ever closer. We have been fortunate to experience one of the best summers, apparently, France has had in years.

And so, full circle, back to Champagne. We simply had to come back. Our supplies of the golden nectar were precariously low — so we'll make sure that doesn't happen again. Hence we've been making quite a few stops for tastings and restocking. Some of the smaller, boutique vignerons produce Champagne at 12€ a bottle that is every bit as delicious as the top brands (30€). It's hard to resist buying a back-pack full at those prices. The other reason to return was, of course, to pick up Gillian and Matt in Reims. Now Gill can almost match her mother in downing a glass or three of Champagne so what better place to take them cruising than down the Marne past Champagne's finest vineyards, to Epernay. The motor bikes got a good workout as we took turns exploring the vineyards. There is something quite magic about getting above the canal and up into the heights. To sit surrounded by vines in every direction is very special. Matt had an interesting experience exploring an 1870's fort with his Grandmother. They decided to take the shortcut to the fort, which meant driving the motorbikes through a forest full of shell holes from the 1914 -18 war. Matt, an experienced motorcross rider made short work of it; Mumma had a few nervous moments, envisaging herself jettisoned at the bottom of one of the craters, or worse, setting off an unexploded ordinance! They have now left us to explore Paris and then Amsterdam and beyond but it was great to have them with us for a week and to let them see that we haven't entirely squandered their inheritance. I think Sable's value has just appreciated a teeny bit. Reluctantly we will have to start heading back to Chalons en Champagne, Vitry le Francois, again, and then down the Saone in order to get back to Roanne before mid-October in time to prepare Sable for the winter.

We were enthralled by the Tour de France even though the coverage at Roanne was rather disappointing, and that Cadel Evans didn't win. Next year... Today, a heavy shower of rain just on lunchtime as we berthed at a comfortable quay, with electricity, at Damery, seemed a perfect excuse to spend the afternoon in front of TV watching the opening of the Olympic Games. I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, cheering the Aussies.

La Marne

Week 44 — June 21st - July 4th (Tony).

If you watched the first stage of the Tour de France, as we did, live, you would have noticed the gorgeous scenery along the route. Unfortunately we can't take our boat to Bretagne; nor can we get anywhere within cooee of the Tour (the very year it goes through Roanne!) but hereabouts the scenery is just as picturesque, the villages similarly quaint and adorable. We are presently in slow-mode, watching paint dry, literally. The summer weather has been gloriously hot, clear sunny skies for days, which ultimately provoked a mighty electrical storm the other night that reminded us of home. We have enjoyed stopping for several days or more at a number of places and doing a bit of painting as well as exploring the nearby towns and villages. Sable now boasts a new livery with the walkways painted blue/grey — much easier on the eyes than the stark white, and easier to keep clean too.

Rotarian friend, Pauline Armstrong, joined us at Epernay and after a three day stopover there, which of course included a mandatory tour of the House of Moët, the caves and samples of their product, we set off down the Marne through vineyards exclusively growing grapes for champagne. More attractive scenery would be difficult to find anywhere. Now in lush full growth the vines stretch row on row over thousands of hectares. Imagine the colours in early autumn as the leaves on the vines and the trees turn russet and gold. We turned about at Dormans, just at the limit of the Champagne terroir, after hiking up to the French National Memorial Chapelle built by Maréchal Foch to commemorate the two victorious Battles of the Marne (1914 and 1918). We were unable to get inside the beautiful chapel but the grounds and gardens were lovely. Another pause at Chatillon sur Marne prompted a bike ride up to the top of the hill above the town to take in the magnificent vista of the region from the imposing statue of Pope Urban II whose silly idea it was to start the Crusades. On the pretext that we would need three bikes, Sally got a new one as an early birthday present but that was about the only occasion the three of us went for a ride. However, she loves her new bike and now uses it daily, up and down the tow path and forays into villages, essentially for supplies of fresh cheese and/or patisseries. However, the cheese and pastries have taken a back seat to the fresh fruit which is literally flooding the markets — apricots, peaches, nectarines and cherries like we used to get before supermarkets decided how and what we should eat. There are still lovely punnets of strawberries and raspberries as well. It's hard to choose between them all.

Bypassing Epernay on the return journey, we continued to Vraux on the Canal Lateral à la Marne to visit a very special museum. On the day after I was born an RAF Lancaster bomber crashed in a field about forty kilometres from here. The entire crew bailed out and parachuted to safety, albeit behind German lines, except the pilot who was trapped and badly injured but survived. All were sheltered by the French locals and repatriated to Britain before they could be captured by German soldiers. The navigator was an Australian and Rotarian friend, Keith Robson, then twenty one who was keen for us to see this museum and arranged the relevant introductions.

In 1939 an RAF Squadron was based at an aerodrome just north of Vraux from where they flew regular sorties over France to Belgium and German borders. Most of the airmen were billeted in the town and nearby farms. On 11 May, 1940 sixteen Blenheim bombers were neatly lined up, engines running ready for take off when a German raid suddenly flew over and destroyed the lot. Some were replaced but a few days later the order was given to evacuate all RAF bases back to Britain. The airfield was then used by the Germans and later by the Americans so it had a varied history. After the war it reverted to farmland. A small group of aviation enthusiasts has developed a most amazing museum in Vraux full of memorabilia of all kinds, French, British, American and German including pieces of aircraft dug up in fields nearby, much of it in unrestored condition. And there is a display, with photos, story and parts from Keith's crash; and presentations made during his visit to the museum just a few years ago. It was so special to be able to visit this wonderful little museum and we were all made to feel very welcome by aviation enthusiast extraordinaire and museum custodian, Gérard Faux.

Chalons en Champagne was not only a gorgeous town but beside the mooring was a delightful area of lawn shaded under big plane trees. We spent three nights there. The girls explored the town and I took the motorbike and shopped for champagne and some outdoor carpet for the top deck. This looks great, protects the surface and makes the top deck area safer and more useable. In recent days it has been used constantly. Hey, it's summer over here!

We arrived at the tiny village of Pogny on a Saturday afternoon in time to find ourselves the intrigued spectators of not one but two weddings. The first bridal party, comprising bride and five or six bridesmaids, trailing family and Mother of the Bride walked, presumably from their home outside the village, to the church — no small distance and in considerable heat. What would they have done had it rained? Farther back someone was walking a couple of donkeys, though we're not sure if they were connected to the festivity or not. The other bride rode in a black post-war Citroën, and like the car, immaculately restored. Guests were turning up to the church, many more than fifteen minutes late and desperately looking for places to park.

So enamoured by Vitry le Francois were we, we stayed for four days. Another top town. Tick... In full sun I got a lot of painting done. Three canals intersect at Vitry and it took us three days to decide which direction to head next. We eventually decided to follow the Canal Marne au Rhin, at least up to Bar le Duc. From there we hope to skip across to Verdun by bus (we'll take Sable there another year) to visit the war history sites that are especially featured this July. Since leaving Vitry we have meandered oh so slowly, stopping for a night or three every few kilometres. The countryside is so pretty and tranquil, who would want to rush through it?