I mentioned it appears to be obligatory to have a dog or cat. If you have neither, you will be adopted – by the swans who can sense a sympathetic bargee.
At mealtime, they will appear. If they don’t see you, they will bang against the hull to get your attention. They recognize the barges – and always head straight for the one which offers the best meal.
It starts with one…
…which soon becomes three…
…and turns into an invasion. They won’t leave until you feed them.
Here are three, in single file, on their way to knock on the hull of a barge – and demand to be fed. That’s Aleau at the far end – stern sticking out at right angles to the other barges.
Watching them take to the air is an amazing sight. They fly, inches above the water – their giant wings sometimes striking it – for hundreds of metres – before, finally, getting airborne. Both the sight and the sound are breathtaking.