Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip (each photo is a thumbnail linked to a higher quality picture.):
53) After a week apart, we all joined together in Epinal to start the second week of our trip. This is where we started our canal trip on Barge Nilaya hosted by Kevin and Isabelle. Epinal is in the Lorraine region of northeast France and is where the Canal de l'Est branches off from the Moselle river in order to connect it to the Saone. We started our canal trip with a colorful sunset walk along the Moselle.
54) Cruising down the Canal de l'Est on Barge Nilaya. This was the typical scenery every day while moving at 3-6k per hour.
55) Because the barge moved slowly and stopped often to tranverse the numerous locks you could walk or ride a bike down the path that runs along side (and was once a towpath where horses or mules pulled early barges) without falling behind.
56) Another option was to hang out in the lounge chairs on the deck enjoying the scenery (or reading a book).
57) The barge generally stopped for the day a little after lunch, giving us the afternoon to explore the area around where we were moored. Alan and Jonna frequently took off on the bicycles. On the first afternoon we had a terrific ride through a thick forest to the village of Bouzey.
58) After exploring the town of Bouzey we rode to nearby Lac de Bouzey (or the Lake of Bouzey for us non-French speakers). This is apparently a popular vacation spot in the summer so it was nice to (attempt to) blend in with the locals: drinkin a soda, soaking in some sunshine on the beach and enjoying a little people watching.
59) Beef bourguignon as made by our captain and gourmand Kevin for the 5 meat eaters. The leaf on one plate was for Alan the vegetarian. (Fortunately, a more substantial veggie option was brought out after everyone had a good laugh.)
60) Jonna riding a bike along the Canal de l'Est. It was all very green and wild irises were in bloom.
61) When the canals were first built lock keepers were responsible for manually opening and closing the lock gates. These lock keepers lived in houses located at each lock. These houses were generally abandoned when automated lock systems were introduced in the 1970. Some of these old houses are still inhabited but the majority are in various states of collapse. We took every opportunity to look inside the empty ones to get glimpses of all the old decorations like these hammered metal siding panels.
62) Lunch for our second day on the canal was a visit to a local agritourisme farm where guests can stay (and eat) on a local farm. We had excellent meals, all made with ingredients local either directly to the farm or to the area directly around the village of Melomenil. There was a large flock of nervous chickens in the yard thanks to coq au vin being on the menu.
63) The reason that a barge trip in the Vosges region appealed to us was because nearly half of this department of France is rural and most of that area is still wild forest. This made the Canal de l'Est a particularly natural and peaceful waterway to travel. There are numerous hiking paths in this area, like the one shown here, though we didn't have time to explore more than a few yards down any of them.
64) One of the few breaks from the idyllic countryside the canal passed through was the 18th century industrial village of Thunimont. There was a forge in the village but just a kilometer further down the way was this old factory which made baby diapers during the height of the French industrial revolution. The name of the company was "Etablissements Jules Dorget" and it was apparently a booming business throughout the 1800s.
65) Managing a canal means controlling water, so in addition to a nice wide canal for the boats there is also a stream running alongside which either drains or fills the canal, as needed. Much of the time, the towpath is raised up on narrow ledge between the two waterways with a constant cascade of little waterfalls providing a soothing soundtrack.
66) Another industrial site, just another few kilometers further down the canal, was La Manufacture Royal just outside the village of Bains-les-Bains. This cluster of workshops was built in the mid-1700s to forge tin but closed after 200 years in operation and is now being restored to become a museum. It was a sleepy little site with not much to see but the 300 years old architecture made this place an interesting time capsule to visit.
67) Jonna tried to add domestic air travel to her itinerary while on the canal trip but it turned out that this replica trebuchet at Fontenoy de la Chateau was disabled.
68) Wild Strawberries could be found along the path of the canal especially in the old, wild garden patches alongside the abandoned lock houses. Tiny but sweet.
69) Barge Nilaya moored at Fontenoy de la Chateau. The town was devoid of people but full off signs with inspirational quotes in French and English.
70) Jonna, Alan, Brenda and Harvey on the deck of the Barge Nilaya while moored at our final stop in Selles.
71) While in Selles, we took a short side trip to visit the Cristallerie at nearby La Rochere. La Rochece makes artistic glassware and architectural decorations for both the residential and commercial markets. However, the reason for our visit was to see the workshop where local artisans use traditional glass blowing techniques to make beautiful crystal glassware.
72) After the fantastic week spent lounging on Barge Nalaya, we returned to Paris well fed and relaxed but with enough energy for an afternoon of frantic sightseeing. The first stop was for Harvey and Alan to see the famed Eiffel Tower...you can't say you've been to Paris is you haven't seen the city's most iconic monument.
73) Jonna and Alan ended our last day in France walking along the Seine which included a visit to another Paris landmark: Notre Dame Cathedral.
74) Reykjavik: Jonna in the cool air of Iceland with Hallgrimskirkja in the background. We spent much of our layover day in this town drinking warm beverages at cafes and shopping for sweaters.
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