We made it to Compiegne. Barely. We needed to get there to buy fuel. There would be nowhere else to get it on our way back to Paris. And not even in Paris. If we didn’t get it in Compiegne, we’d have to go all the way to Nogent-sur-Marne. On the Marne, well past Paris, after passing through one tunnel and two locks. And we needed to be back in Paris on October 1. That one-week stay in Isle-l’Adam had ruined our schedule. One more day stuck there and we wouldn’t have been able to get fuel – or make it to Paris by the first. We had invited friends, fellow bargees, to stay with us on Aleau so they could catch their early-morning flight to the U.S. Arriving in Arsenal, suitcases in tow, and finding an empty spot where we said Aleau would be moored would have been much more than disappointing. But things worked out. As they usually do – although often preceded by much anxiety and hand-wringing.
Aleau is too big to moor at the marina in Compiegne – something that is all too familiar. Fortunately, we found a nice spot on the Oise. No water. No electricity. Not even bollards. We had to tie up to the concrete railings along the walkway. Of course, all those “no” meant “no mooring fee.” There’s a bright side to everything.
Serendipity. We were moored directly across from the fuel depot. We were told to come by the next morning, raft against the large yellow barge, and someone would fill our tanks. Insert ‘Sense of Relief’ emoji here.
We had the best seats in the house for a competition taking place on the Oise. I say ‘competition’ as I think the word ‘race’ would have been a bit of an exaggeration.
At one point, we thought we might get hit. After all, how do you steer when you’re using shovels as paddles?
The ‘race’ attracted quite a crowd.
I’m not sure what they’re using as paddles. I never saw anything at the end of their poles.
That’s better – real paddles. But they’re well behind the ‘boats’ that had shovels – or maybe just poles as paddles. Ours is not to reason why.
I’m not sure if a winner was ever declared. When it was over, the boats that were still afloat were towed back to the start. (Again, ours is not to reason why.)
We have been told that Compiegne is a place where you must spend a few days to explore and take in all it has to offer. We couldn’t. We absolutely had to be underway the next morning. But we still had to have dinner. We found a lovely spot.
We started with Crème de Brocolis-Mousse de Chèvre-Crumble Parmesan.
And then the plats.
No dessert. Just a short walk back to Aleau. Gotta love a restaurant that, when the sidewalk is full, moves its tables out onto the street.
