It took a long time. We were scheduled to leave Paris on March 18. We’d have a leisurely cruise to the Netherlands. We’d be on rivers and canals we hadn’t seen before – stopping in interesting towns in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands as we progressed.
But it was not to be.
First, our burner died. (It’s the part that shoots a giant blue flame into the boiler so we’ll have hot water for showers and for the radiators that heat Aleau.) We ordered a new one and paid for “Overnight Shipping” from England. Weeks later, it still hadn’t arrived. We insisted the company that sold it to us send us another one – using a different shipping company. Thankfully, they immediately sent us another one. It arrived within in 48 hours. Not 24, but quicker than the weeks it took for the first one not to arrive.
Then – as you can tell by the photos in Chapter 249 – came the flood. The water on the Seine was moving way too quickly for it to be safe to be on it. We waited some more.
On April 23, more than five weeks after our scheduled departure date, the water was calm enough for us to leave and pull out of the Arsenal lock and onto the Seine. Jeannie was at the bow – letting me know there was no downstream traffic and it was safe to proceed. (I can’t see much from where I’m standing on the aft-deck.)
Our mooring spot didn’t stay empty for long.
Just after we left, a police boat moved in. Were they looking for us?
We were amazed to see how quickly the water levels on the Seine had gone down. From this:
To this:
The lower water levels meant we could make it under bridges that would have been too low just a short while ago.
Yes, I’m bundled up. Late April and the morning temperature was three degrees. It felt more like Canada than France.
Passing under all those bridges is one of the joys of barging through Paris.
As soon as we pass under a bridge, we turn to admire what pops into view.
Many of the sights are best seen from the water.
Using the channel on the other side of Île de la Cité would have given us a better view – but we did get to see the new spire on top of Notre Dame Cathedral. Originally completed in 1230, it was destroyed during the fire of 2019. Framed by construction cranes still working on the cathedral’s restoration, it was nice to see it standing again.
No trip on the Seine is complete without seeing Pont Alexandre III and the Eiffel Tower.
On the outskirts of Paris, we passed by La Défense – which always reminds me more of New York than Paris.
We were fortunate to have a friend near La Défense as we passed by. He grabbed a shot of Aleau leaving town.
At La Défense, I’m still steering from outside on the aft-deck. (If the above were a video and not a still, you’d see me shivering.) I eventually gave up and used the controls in the wheelhouse. While I was warm, you can see Jeannie is wearing her toque (What a warm, knitted hat is called in Canada) as she waits for me to get Aleau alongside a bollard in the lock.
Our first day on the water was a long one. We went from Paris to Cergy – 80 kilometres in eight hours. Non-stop. Doing that by car (Eight hours, not 80 km.) would be arduous. By barge, it was a delight. On the Seine, we were going downstream – averaging about 14 km/h. Occasionally, hitting 17 km/h. When we turned onto the Oise, we were going upstream. Our speed dropped to 7 km/h – with the same engine RPMs. Unfortunately, the rest of our voyage is going to be upstream. At least the folks who sell us our diesel will be happy.
We spent our first night on the water in Cergy.
The next day, it was a short, three-hour cruise. We certainly could have traveled farther. But we wanted to spend as much of the day as possible in Isle l’Adam. It is one of the nicest towns in France we have seen. We moored at the pontoon (€20/night with water and electricity) in the centre of town. Once again, we were a stone’s throw from a variety of restaurants.
It might have been convenient – but it was still too cold to eat outside. So we walked an extra couple of metres and ate inside at Purple.
I keep reading that portion sizes are smaller in France than in North America. I think that’s a myth. Proof is the burger I had.
It was filled, not just with a large meat patty, but with a potato patty of the same size – with a fried egg on top. No dessert was necessary.
Isle l’Adam not only has perhaps the most number of restaurants per capita than anywhere else we’ve been, it also has my favourite store – Lilybulle.
It has the most eclectic collection of items to choose from. At the front of the store, there’s paint.
At the rear of the store, there’s a tiny snack bar and coffee shop – with a selection of wine by the glass. (Does a little bit of alcohol encourage customers to spend more?)
In between the paint and the wine is just about anything else you might want. From row upon row of magazines…
…to clothing
…to greeting cards.
Jeannie and I have never left Lilybulle without buying something. No wine was necessary.
With our purchases under our arm, we walked and enjoyed how lovely Isle l’Adam is.
Isle l’Adam has a magnificent water park. It was too early in the season for there to be any water in the pools – but the changing rooms were ready.
We had one more stop to make before we embarked on a new adventure. We would spend two nights in Compèigne before beginning Part II of our trip to the Netherlands. Along the way, we admired some of the houses along the Oise.
Our first stop in Compèigne was the fuel dock. Fuel is not always easy to find when cruising. Which is why we carry more than 3,000 litres of diesel with us. And why we top up when we can.
That yellow barge is the fuel dock – a large tank filled with diesel. We moor alongside and a worker brings the nozzle to us. We were lucky. The spot was empty. It usually isn’t. After filling up, we moved to the other side of the river and watched as commercial after commercial came to buy fuel.
Occasionally, the fuel dock was so busy one commercial would raft against the other while waiting its turn at the pump.
For some,, fuel was of no concern.
We tied up directly across from the fuel dock. No electricity, no water, no mooring fee.
It was a dreary day as we strolled through Compèigne. Everyone was bundled up.
To combat the cold, we took on some extra calories – some delicious sugared orange-peel dipped in chocolate. Minutes later, we saw chocolate pastries with a macaron on top. Now that’s decadence.
Throughout Compèigne, there were buildings that caught our eye.
We made it to the Château de Compèigne which had enough gold to make Trump jealous.
These days he may have liked the protective moat even more.
We walked through a very small part of the massive gardens behind the Château. Massive is an understatement. It’s hard to tell in this shot from Google Earth where the gardens end and the forest begins.
They are stunning.
As we roamed the gardens, it started to pour.
We hadn’t worn raincoats. And then we saw a couple who needed them far more than we did.
By the time they reached us, they were drenched. The wedding gown looked more like a sponge.
They may have been wet – but they left in style. We watched as they got into a Maybach – roughly $300,000 Canadian.
As we walked back to Aleau, we saw two women doing their best to stay dry. The one on the left was actually standing like the one on the right – but when I asked if I could take a photo, she immediately got back to work. I think it looked better when they were both sheltering in the window. Maybe she thought the boss would see the photo.
Not wanting to venture out and get soaked again, we had dinner on Aleau. And then stepped outside to admire the view – at the stern – and then at the bow.
We did this route – from Paris to Compèigne and back – last summer. Starting tomorrow, it will be all new.