Yet another example of just how close to a restaurant we were able to moor.
The sign on the photo above says ‘Base Nautique’ and the sign in front of the restaurant says ‘La Capitainerie.’
Naturally, when I asked (in French) ‘Is this the Capitainerie,? I was told ‘yes.’ For boaters, Capitainerie means the marina office – where one pays for a mooring. All I got was a blank stare when I said I wanted to pay for two nights. It turns out (and our server had no idea) that one pays at a borne at the top of the pontoon just a few metres away.
This device provided us with a bit of entertainment as we watched non-boaters walk by. Some of them assumed it was an ATM and would insert their bank-card – and then be perplexed when no money came out. Others would, unsuccessfully, try to figure out just what it was. And then walk away scratching their head. Kind of like the monolith in the movie 2001.
Even though we couldn’t pay for a mooring at the Capitainerie, we were able to eat.
And eat well.
Well nourished, we set off to explore Château-Thierry.
The Marne bisects the town. You can see it, and a moored barge, in the exact centre of the photo below.
At the top of the hill, another magnificent playground.
And parents content to sit there and chat (or look at their phone) as their children played far above them.
As it is called Château-Thierry, there must be a château. We searched. More climbing. It’s right at the top of the hill. But worth the climb.
What goes up, must go down. And that meant us, too.
After a long walk, we were back on Aleau – admiring the swans that had made Château-Thierry their home.
They quickly spotted us – saying “Food Please.” We obliged. We do not feed them bread. We have a nutritious blend in a container which Jeannie has labeled “Swan Food.”
And then it was back to “La Capitainerie” to feed ourselves – starting with the quintessential French drink, a pastis – this time a “51” made by Pernod. (The other major brand is Ricard.)
And then, something to go with it.
Aleau is 19.8 or 19.9 metres long. (Depending on the temperature that day.) I mention that to anyone thinking of buying a barge and enjoying this wonderful lifestyle. Many pontoons don’t allow anything longer than 20-metres in length. Château-Thierry has made sure bargees can’t say they were unaware of the rule.
