Karen’s Travel Blog

Journeys on water and land

france

  • Heading South From Paris and its Hot, Hot, Hot

    So it was time to take Elisabeth for a trip up the Seine towards the Yonne. This was a major routine to the capital for nearly 2,000 years incorporating Roman trade, medieval tolls, floating timbers and Napoleonic battles. We were truely following in history’s footsteps. Although the Yonne is designated as a tributary of the… Read more

  • Paris June 8th -17th

    Entering Port de L’Arsenal our home for the next 9 nights. Can you see the Bastille monument at the end of the port? We farewelled Tony and Sally and decided to stay in Paris until our next visitor arrived. It was not a great trial, after all who doesn’t want to stay in Paris for… Read more

  • River L’Oise, Villages, Chateaus, Van Gogh and Absinthe (2nd -9th June)

    Unfortunately Tony and Sally didn’t get to experience the pleasures of Compiegne, as we loaded them on board and headed down the river. Having travelled on this route in 2023, I knew the unmissable sights. The first one was a visit to Chateau Chantilly which can be accessed by car from Creil, a town 40kms… Read more

  • To the Oise

    Our last overnight stop on the Sambre was at the small town of Beautor, which was ideal for shopping, with a large supermarket, two boulangeries, and a butcher. And the weather had changed. We were now at the start of a heat wave that would continue for the next week. Our new battery system allowed… Read more

  • The River Sambre, the backdoor from Belgium into France

    The river flows north from France into Belgium, eventually joining the Meuse at Namur. Since we were travelling south, we turned right at Charleroi and spent our first night moored at Marchienne. The next day we tackled our first lock (of the 57 locks we would need to navigate to the Canal St. Quentin.) Lock… Read more

  • Our First steps southward

    30th April it was time to cast off our lines and take a much traveled route from Brugge to Ghent, with our final destination, somewhere in France. Before we set sail, we met up with James and Tony, who had paused just long enough to move Tony’s boat, Archangel, out of the port. The harbour… Read more

  • 2024 seasonal summary

    After being on the move for 6 months, we arrived back at our winter port in Brugge on 29th September. With still a month until we would depart for Melbourne, we decide to catch the train to Paris for a few days. Paris Sojourn Travelling with our friends Ann and Julie we stayed in a… Read more

  • Canal Marne de la Rhin to Nancy and Finally the Moselle

    Having made it back up the Saar to the Canal Marne de la Rhin, we were only 3 days from Nancy. Day 1 to 3, Pont de Houllion to Lagarde, to Einville au Jard to Nancy 21 locks 64kms We were now retracing our steps back to Nancy. The stops along the way were just… Read more

  • Homeward Bound (well in that general direction)

    Leaving Strasbourg on the 7th July we turned around to head back westward. Day 1 Strasbourg to Waltersheim sur Zorn 8 locks, 1 lifting bridge, 24 kms A symbol of Alsace is the white stork. On the way to Strasbourg we had noticed them forging in the swampy fields along the canal, but in coming… Read more

  • Outward bound Journey Done and Dusted, we arrive in Strasbourg

    Day 11, Souffelweyersheim (try to say that 3 times fast!)to Strasbourg 2 locks, 8kms There were many times during the past 2 1/2 months that we have questioned the wisdom of this trip to Strasbourg, but finally on the 1st July we arrived in the port. Do we deserve a medal YES! The last push… Read more