Chateau Landon

We didn't stay in Moret very long as we had to move on to meet David's friends, Pete and Ava, but it's definitely on the list for a re-visit. Pete and Ava came in their camper van and were our first official (sorry, Pete) visitors. We enjoyed seeing them and I'd like to tell you more about it but we both got very drunk!

We have been here for a week now and will be moving on towards Montargis tomorrow.

Moret-sur-Loing

We've now left the Seine and are just on the Canal de Loing at Moret. This is the most reliable, accessible internet connection we've had in France. Moret is lovely, reminiscent of Stratford-upon-Avon. Don't know what I've done to the formatting on the other posts, but never mind. Haven't heard from anyone for a while so if you feel like emailing or commenting, please do. Would love to hear all the school and local news and gossip!

Hericy & Fontainebleau

15th September

This part of the Seine is rather lovely. There are some enormous, stunning houses next to the river – we’re still within easy commuting distance of Paris and there are clearly some very wealthy people around here! The architecture is very varied – we’ve seen a few typical 30s, deco houses and some real gothic piles. Hericy is a small, sleepy town on the right bank, just a few km from Fontainebleau. Our mooring is very tranquil with a view of tree-lined banks, interspersed with the occasional house.

The château of Fontainebleau is a true visual feast. First of all, it’s enormous, as are the grounds, and it’s impeccably kept. The interior is a tribute to excess, highly decorated and gilded from floor to ceiling. Where monarchs have been responsible for the decoration of specific rooms, their initials and symbols of power are interwoven around the frescos and decoration. I particularly enjoyed the salamanders in the François I gallery. There has been a lot of restoration so you can see everything in all its vivid glory.

Plessis Chênet

12th September

Journey from Lagny was lovely. This part of the Marne was a big attraction at the time of the impressionists and is where many of the waterside cafes they painted are located. The banks are lined with posh houses, rowing clubs and lidos. Spent last night at Maisons-Alfort on a small pontoon next to a park. Local map at the mooring showed an old fort which we thought looked interesting. The walk was a lot further than it looked on the map and we got to the fort only to discover that it is still in use by the military and not open to the public. Hey ho.

We’re now near Plessis Chênet just below a lock, hoping to get to Melun tomorrow.

Lagny

10th September

Interesting journey to Lagny! We were cruising along quite happily in the sunshine, looking out for the aqueduct marked on the map, wondering if we’d notice we were on it and get a good view. Saw the sign to say the channel was narrowing and the no overtaking sign when what should come round the corner towards us – not one, but 2 big commercials. Needless to say, David took the wheel but we didn’t really know what to do; we couldn’t stop and it didn’t look as if there was room for us to pass. Somehow, we missed each other. My French slang clearly isn’t all it could be as I’m not sure what the bargees shouted but I’m fairly certain that it wasn’t very polite!

Meaux

After Dormans, we had a short stop in Château-Thierry and then onto Meaux where we’ve been since last Saturday. Château-Thierry was another nice town with the remains of a medieval fortress above it. I visited a museum which used to be the home of Jean de la Fontaine, the fable writer. The house was full of editions of his books in many languages and a variety of items depicting images relating to the fables – paintings, screens, tapestries, games, ornaments, crockery, etc… Had I been coming back to school, I’d have bought a colouring book in the gift shop!

Meaux is a great place to stop. It’s a pretty town with a safe, free mooring including power and water – and it’s only 30 minutes on the train to Paris. We took the train and looked at the Paris moorings and decided to stay here instead. I went in again on Wednesday to Galeries Lafayette and then Musée d’Orsay. It’s not so much fun shopping on your own so I’m really looking forward to meeting my sister at the end of the month.

Lack of wifi

Hi everyone. I have been writing lots of blog on our laptop but am still unable to pick up wifi on the boat. It's easy to take the ipod out and pick up emails - all news gratefully received. We are currently in the library in Melun on a PC with nowhere to insert a memory stick and a non-qwerty keyboard! Still having a lovely time especially as the weather is getting warmer as we're heading South.