And so to France!

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Well, here we are in France, boating on a canal that we didn't intend to travel on, but when we arrived we were informed that we would need to take 3 weeks to do what we intended to do. Funny that, as their brochure said that it was a 2 week trip. Anyway, so what, we are here and we are now traveling the canal and having a lot of fun, drinks ,food and, in general enjoying the slow pace of living this life style. We have talked to so many people who offer advice and information about what we should do, about what we shouldn't do and what we must see. So far we have seen a lot of cloud, some rain, a huge amount of canal water, and lots of other canal boats. We have meet French, Dutch, German, Aussies and some others we were not sure off. Also a few Kiwis. A lot of people we have talked to are on the canals for a life style which they do every summer for 6 months. Some even stay right through winter and travel the whole of Europe. It is not overly crowded but there are still a number of boats we have to wait on through locks etc but really not bad as it is only the start of the season. We started off on the Loire-Nivernais canal for the first 3 days with the intention of continuing on the Loire canal, but as this takes 3 weeks, we have now reverted to the Nivernais canal which I think is the one Butch Marianne, Ray, Rennie, Viv and Charlie did a few years ago. So far we are enjoying it although the weather was not great for the first few days but now after 3 days of intense heat, the sunburn and tanning is progressing well. Some great sights, some beautiful scenery and just a hell of a lot of fun.So far I have over a thousand photos so here are a few to keep the blog going and, I hope of interest, to you all. As long as I can get on line I will publish more. When you go into the blog you should probably look at the previous one just to check that you see all. Catch you. Pip/Rod

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Photos

Home
Our home for the next 2 weeks.

All set to go.
Warwick takes control with Pam and Di looking on.

Bikes.
But will we use the bloody things. It remains to be seen.

Yay!! A NZ flag
Raising the flag over A French Canal.

Discussions.
Warwick and I discuss protocol and how we are going to survive the next 2 weeks of Pam and Di's instructions. Easy, turn the hearing aids off.

Whos that?
Thats Captain Warwick, thats who that is.

Pull that Rope
Pull that rope, soon to become, Pull that bloody rope again. And again. And again. And a bloody gain.

Dinner.
The first night dinner. Meat balls and Spaghetti. A very french meal. Yeh Right!

Hey Hey. Bikes in use.
Yes, we are using the bikes to go and get b'fast and just to look around. Makes life easy.

A Patisserie
Yes, we look for one of these every morning to replenish our baguette and croissant stock. B'fast time.

The way to go.
Warwick and I enjoy a wine while we navigate the wild seas of the French Canals