As we were navigating upstream I was initially concerned about the current that would flow against us as we navigated upstream. But this concern was misplaced, as our speed only dropped by about 1 km per hour. We navigated from the Marne which joins the Seine a bit to the south of Paris, to the Yonne heading in a south easily direction, a distance of 96kms and 8 locks.

First port of call was Port de Cerise, which was quite a tight fit. The port was adjacent to a children’s fun park, so while Peter gathered his strength James, Julie, Colin and I took a ride on an old WW1 train around the park.

54kms south of Paris lies the city of Melun. Like her big sister, Paris, Melun was built in Roman times around an island in the middle of the river. In the 10th century the defensive characteristics of the island was reinforced with the construction of a royal chateau. The surrounding ramparts originally built at the end of the 4th century were renovated in the 12th century to protect the medieval town, at which time a number of religious buildings were also constructed. In the early Middle Ages the physical layout of Melun resembled the I’isle de Cite. The Royal chateau was occupied by princely widows, but fell into disuse in the 15th century and was dismantled in 1696.