Toul, and back to Schweich with Emma & Ash, and the end of our season..

Due to low water levels and the closure of canals, we couldn’t get to Epinal by boat, so picked the girls up by car, returning to Toul.

Toul Cathedral again. We like this place, and saw the light show again with the girls, and not in the rain this time.  The weather just fluctuates between really hot one day, to thunderstorms and rain the next… so the next day, we leave Toul in the rain ( the French fishermen are hardy sorts) and head up towards Metz, back in our favourite spot. !!!!.

Janine & Hayden, two friends of Emma & Ash from NZ joined us for 2 nights on the boat.

As we leave Metz we meet a sight that feels normal.. sail boats.  Then we arrive in Thionville and it was juts too hot not to swim in the river.

The girls decided to get some exercise and cycle for a while and catch us up later,,, but they managed to stop at a cafe for a drink and then got conned into a very nice expensive lunch..After which Emma lost Ash in France, who then cycled around Luxembourg and eventually found Emma again in Germany.!!  !Can't work out how this would have worked with all the old boarder controls.

Quick visit into Trier, Germany, and a beer and ice-cream stop.

Then on the last night, the biggest tragedy of all happened………..Ash’s iphone jumped off the table, bounced down the steps and plopped into the water…… Max tried fishing for it, but it was lost forever.

 

Gone, Gone, Gone, and Ash was very brave about it….

The girls leave us in Trier on their way back to NZ, via Paris & London, ….. its been a lovely week, and this year we have been so lucky to have had both Claire and Emma stay with us.

The weather is definitely cooler now, suddenly it really feels like summer has ended. The weather flicking from being so hot we have to swim in the river one day to having the heaters on the next!!   

So we are again in Schweich, and will spend the next few days cleaning and packing up the boat. Schweich is nothing like coming home to St Jean at the end of the season as we have no play mates here!!!!  Not sure we would say this but we miss St Jean de Losne.

Kiwirose is booked to come out, and we will then put her winter tent on and leave her in the capable hands of the Germans…..they will take the engine out over the winter and sort out a few things.  Probably just in time as recently the engine has been taking more turnovers to start than ever before.

They did a full winterizing on her while we were there.( They were very thorough as the temp drops to  –15 degrees most winters.

The good condition of the belly of Kiwirose,  after 3 years of us banging and bumping things was surprising good, considering we last had her out 3 years ago when we spent a week sanding and anit-fouling her.

 

Goodbye KIWROSE for 2015.

Toul for a week.

We no sooner say goodbye to Marie, our neighbour from Riddell Rd, when our old neighbours from Sierra St turn up. John & Pam were holidaying in France with Julian, Ruth & Eva.  Can’t escape Kiwi’s.!!!!

 

We also say goodbye to Barrett & Joyce who we have been shadowing since we first met in Strasburg, who were doing the same trip as us, and who we have shared a few drinks with.

And there are always new people to meet, and Kent & Heather were moored just a few down the pontoon. They are a lovely couple from USA who are at present ski instructors in Beaver Creek during the winter, and roaming boaties, here & abroad in the summer. We had a lovely evening starting with a quick drink,,,, to end at 11.45pm!!!  We saw them off the next day, only to catch up with them again later in the week. ((don’t you just love that name,,)           The French understand Après Ski to be the little fluffy boots you put on after skiing,,,BUT WE KNOW BETTER!!!!!

Jan & Bill arrive back to their boat after a brief visit to UK, and the card games are on!!!, But one night, a little toooo much wine and Jan is pole-dancing off the boat.

Had a lovely day out to La Garde, with Jan & Bill, who needed to talk to a mechanic, and book their boat in for some repairs. Had a lovely lunch and caught up again with Kent & Heather.

We took a trip back to St Jean de Losne by train to pick up our car.. It was quite nostalgic as we met many people who we regard as friends from both England , NZ , (Trish/Glen, Barry/Annette,)  and Canada/Wales (Georges) and then some nomads, (Tex/Anthea), Missed a few , Mike/June, and Carol/Frank but we heard all the GOSSIP!!!.  It made me realise how quickly you can make good friends and have support, and unfortunately we won’t be back in St Jean de Losne now until winter 2017, We shall miss all the commradery you develop in a marina/village like atmosphere like St Jean.

Toul is quite spooky at night when the crows start to fly around ready to roost just in the trees by the marina. Maybe 1000 at least… Tried to catch in photo but doesn’t show it quite like Hitchcock would have liked.

Saw Jan & Bill off the next day in a frantic rush for the first Saturday lock…

And we had a quick trip to IKEA and so Max has a building job to do… New cabinet for the top deck…

Metz, and through to Toul.

TRIER  (left this off last blog)

Leaving Trier we pass the red cliffs of Konz and continue up the Mosel. Passing the oldest still standing useable Roman bridge north of the Alps..                               

As we move away from the German/Luxembourg area into France the scenery really changes. We loose the lovely vine covered slopes to become wooded and into the flat cereal fields.

Thionville, and the Boys off shopping for liquid supplies..

Marie Molloy arrives at METZ railway station from London to visit us for 5 days before heading back home to Kevin in NZ. 

Moored in Metz, with a fantastic view next to the Old Church, which some people will recognise, and drinks again with this KIWI boat we keep bumping into…another great night.!!

Metz Cathedral at night, and the girls out for a meal. We bought some lovely cakes from a cake shop for desert but when we went to eat them, they had collapsed and melted!!  They tasted ok but didn’t look nearly as pretty.

Kids having fun on dads boat during school hols.

Different scenery again as we head into Toul.

Weather again very hot and humid so we had to finally succumb to the fresh water hose on the marina,,,, and proof that the crew works!!!

TOUL, and finally we get to see the light show at the Cathedral, sitting under a big golfing umbrella in the rain……lovely but not nearly as dramatic as Reims. ( please excuse the dirty finger print on the lens)

Marie left us here in Toul for London and we are going to potter around, go and pick up our car from St Jean de Losne and watch the water levels in the canals. And maybe visit an Ikea if we pass one  !!!

The French are very good at closing off bits of canals for a week or so if they aren’t happy with the water levels..   Emma and a girl friend from NZ are meant to be arriving into Epinal on the 26th August to spend a week with us. On the 16th August the branch to Epinal is meant to be re-opening,   so watch this space.

Not sure why we are worrying when you can repaint your boat in any colour!!

You never know what you may have to do. This is a picture of June Hall ( fellow boaties from NZ) and another as they try to rescue une brebis that had been stuck in the canal for a few days. ( photo curtsy of the Halls.)

                        Knew there was a reason to carry life-buoys on the canals,, ( look how deep the water is !!)  Well done June.

And thank-you people for your nice comments about our blog.. glad you enjoy it. ( and it saves us doing all those photo albums when we get back.) (heh heh)