Canal archive

If anyone is interested at all in self drive hire barges/boats in Europe read a book entitled ‘Narrow Dog to Carcassonne’. Okay it’s a Narrowboat and the dog is definitely narrow as it’s a whippet but at one point during their journey they actually venture out into the Med well actually a nip out and back. On our hire boat cruise on the Nivernais we met quite a few like minded Americans to a certain extent at first it was a bit of a surprise but on reflection actually not some of you North Americans are pretty used to small boat, boating aren’t you. There is a follow up book ‘Narrow Dog to Indian River’ enjoy.

pontac I I know you disliked your Scenic cruise and if you’d had the longer trip maybe you would have got to enjoy the one restaurant - two names for the same restaurant, in different countries. It has ten course tasting menus with paired wines. Yes it is for Diamond deck and Junior suite guests only on a ten or more day cruise. A menu like this is not for everyone but I’ve been lucky enough to indulge in it. All the other eating areas are open to all.

Notamermaid there have been some re-enactments of the wood transport from the Canal du Nivernais to the Seine and to Paris.

Ohhhhh didn’t realise there was a hierarchy on Viking or actually on any river cruise vessel. My best memory of anything like that was on Scenic when a quite large group were chatting one evening when it turned out one couple a lower deck Aquarium/Swan/Submarine cabin their first cruise so all of us never having seen one trooped down for a sneaky peak. Where we had a small party keeping their lovely Butler very busy. I still would not book one of these cabins but don’t mind either other decks. Noise from the upper sun deck is a possibility but also on the second deck from the top deck passengers cabins, swings and roundabouts.

I quite agree but I believe the USA has one of the lowest holders of passports per capita. I’m not knocking that but for instance getting my DH to wait until our Grandson could really enjoy Disney full on was quite a task. As Paris has nothing on Florida, and here we go how to start an inter states contra taunt, has nothing on California, I know Florida is bigger but there’s just something about California. Age is a thing that many consider when holidaying, for years I worked with youngsters through the Guide & Scout Association these kids are sponges. For a river cruise from young teens upwards unless it’s specifically aimed at younger but then that’s my humble opinion.

It’s seriously uncool to be seen enjoying yourself with your parents but then I had the most wonderful parents. My first trip to Europe I was just 14 (1962) a school trip, my mother had then only been to the Isle of Wight. I went the next year a bit further to Austria another school trip. The next year was the first big one myself my best friend(still) on our scooters down to Spain. I will forever be so grateful that my parents said yes you can go. I know these days (it’s horrible to have to say this) you’ll feel safer having them with you but you’ll build up memories that will last for years. Our family trip to the States just pre covid was a repeat of trips we took the girls on but this time for our grandson and son in laws. Take them and enjoy but please make sure there of an age that ensures it means something.

My new to senior school grandson is still trying to make his case to learn German instead of French so has asked his Grandad for a new German word every week during their FaceTime chats. At least DH says it’s making him relearn his German.

Okay hers another two Doo rou or Do row. The Douro was a notoriously dangerous river as were several in France that although not used by river cruise companies are by barge companies now. They were used for moving wood as in fire wood from inland to Paris. These rivers until canalised were also extremely dangerous. When you really get to the nitty gritty for the lock size reason it’s cash, how cheaply/inexpensively can we complete this project? Then the vessels are built to fit. Apart from most probably the canalised Main it had to fit vessels from either end.

Have you ever heard Welsh spoken? It’s wonderfully interspersed with English words, although Wales is in the process of changing everything it can to Welsh, could be interesting.

Ohh wow what a can of worms. Language is so so important why oh why do some have to be so precious about it we need - especially these days to understand each other more and more. Mind you my most interesting times have been listening to groups of Girl Guides and Boy Scouts from around the world attempting to converse with each other what absolute fun!

Sorry Notamermaid, the Main was built to enable shipping comfortably between countries and rivers so the locks can accommodate the same size ships as can use the Rhine and Danube. The Douro and the Seine use different length locks this is how it was built. I’ve never been aware that the cost of the Douro per company is any more than other per person or metre, out with the calculator. Regardless a Douro cruise is worth every penny if only for the wonderful people of Portugal.

We were moored up one evening and then we were joined by a hotel barge those on board a mixture of United States Americans and Germans. It actually turned out to be a very friendly evening as we would say in the U.K. a towpath party. The guy in charge thanked us profusely for our collaboration- we did absolutely nothing apart from join in. Non of the guests on the barge had ever participated in river cruise only the barges and had never even thought of hiring one themselves, yes full tour given on our oh so much smaller vessel but it did appear to be appreciated.

And Hmmmmmmmm now what was that other thing they were reputed to do? Gnome12 it is our pronunciation when we all use the same and theirs when we do not. Note the i in theirs denoting belonging to them it is one of so called rules I do remember. At least we don’t have as the French do a specific body to keep our languages pure, the Academie Francaise. In the U.K. The Oxford English dictionary’s lists the most used new words of the previous year and adds them to the dictionary, I must admit (tongue in cheek) nanny state or what but it is useful for Scrabble, not a game we play DH hates it with a passion, non reader more a spoken word listener type of guy.

Got caught out again by predictive hitch-hiked definitely not hitch-nicked.

Okay if your there for two days but Mont San Michel is a long way from Rouen.

Barge Colibri exiting a lock on the Canal du Nivernais. We hired a boat on the Canal du Nivernais and this is one of several barges we encountered over our two weeks holiday. Most only have room for 12 persons, wonderful for a laid back relaxed holiday.

I learnt Spanish from a really yummy young man when I was in my teens my mum and myself went to classes. This young man told us that before he learnt Spanish he hitch-nicked through France to the Spanish border where he was offered a lift by a priest luckily they were both heading for Madrid but one spoke Spanish and one spoke English but luckily they both spoke what is now considered a dead language - Latin, this is how the conversed from the Spanish border to Madrid (by the way a one of the most beautiful of European cities.

Jsn sounds good.

Okay this wonderful discussion is about English in its multitude of forms I really wish I was multilingual I bet the Latin and Germanic tongues have similar examples, I’m beginning to feel really sorry for anyone who has English as a second language.

According to many the only rule that has to be observed in the English language is the comma significantly the - I think the Oxford. You want to start a discussion go for it!

Go Canada!

Thems that do and thems that don’t. I see no reason for not mixing but is it a nationality challenge. As I’m pretty sure if it was Brit Kids of that age that would certainly mix and match.

The worst was when the phone rang, you picked up and it was from a faxxxxxx machine, ohhhhhh B. Been there done that!

My eldest daughters best friends father was, believe it or not, considering he was as English as they come a Professor of Ancient French at an English University. He was regularly consulted by the French about their language. The French are super cool about the quality of their language. On the other hand we as a nation absorb words from across the world it’s wonderful, why not, bungalow from India for example. The list is endless it adds colour to our language and why not every year the dictionary is extended, onwards and upwards I say.

The challenge comes when you leave Amsterdam during an April when the canals were only just unfreezing and arrived in Budapest in early May where shorts and t’shirts would be really comfortable.