From Meaux to Chateau-Thierry and Dormans - May 21 - May 24, 2017 - Into the Champagne Region

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We left Meaux on a beautiful sunny day and only had to go through 3 locks before we stopped for the evening in La-Ferte-sous-Jouarre. We stopped in Mary-sur-Marne just before lunchtime on our way – we normally wouldn’t do this, but on weekends in this section the locks close between 12:30-1:30PM so figured a quick tie up would kill some time. It is much easier to waste time tied up rather than staying in neutral on the river. It also gave us a chance to stretch our legs; however, we have found that on Sunday’s the small villages are very quiet with everything closed. There were two restaurants open but they were having their large Sunday roast dinner so bypassed it as didn’t want to take that much time for our stop (or get that full before moving again). Our stop in La Ferte-sous-Jouarre was on a side canal off the main river making it a quiet place to stay. We were surprised to find that we were able to get free electricity and water – always a nice bonus and help with the budget. We didn’t even bother going into town as we knew we were moving again the next morning.

One of the surprises we have had on the River Marne was to find that there are sections marked off as “skiing areas” and got a chance to see that indeed they are used as there are various boat launching areas that people are able to put in their boats. There were also a few people kayaking which was great to see as we hadn’t seen many people on the river before this. It helped that it was a weekend.

On Monday we got a chance to try out the remote control we were given at one of the locks yesterday as there are 6 locks that we operate ourselves this way. In fact we found that the remote only operates the opening of the gate to let you into the lock. Once you have tied off inside, you then push up on a bar (be sure to push up only on the blue bar as the red bar is for emergencies) to close the gate behind you and start the process of filling the lock.

Today we only had 4 locks to pass through and only went 24 miles to Chateau-Thierry. The remote control that we received is excellent in that it shows what the traffic lights indicate ahead telling when the lock is ready to enter. This is especially good as many locks are located around the next bend or the shrubs near the lights are overgrown so you can’t see them. The lockkeeper set up our remote to be in English as it has a small window that states “HI” when it has been engaged so you know for sure it was understood. We had to chuckle however as it states” “Bon Voyage” when you leave the lock which is considered English here (and definitely understood)!

We have entered the Champagne region of the country. The land bordering the river has now become hilly with as much as possible of it covered in grapevines. We will definitely be sure to visit some of the champagne houses while we are in this area.

Wherever you go in this area there is always a reminder of the impact of World War I. This can be seen by the numerous memorials to those that have died – the losses on both the French and American side. They also have clearly indicated their appreciation for the assistance of the Allies in the numerous monuments that are seen here. Just across the road from where we are docked in Chateau-Thierry there is a memorial for the 3^rd Division Infantry as they are the ones that helped liberate this town. The interesting thing to learn here was that this same Division fought here in both WWI and WWII. There are also other statutes that were designed to indicate where the front line was during the Battle of the Marne. As it clearly went through here, the impact of the war and the memorializing of all of the lives that were lost is clearly seen throughout this area.

After checking in with the tourist information center we decided to climb the stairs behind the Town Hall (Hotel de Ville) to one of the oldest medieval fortresses still in existence (at least what remains of it). Mention of it was first recorded in 923 AD. In the 12^th C. 11 towers were added and underground chambers were created when limestone was taken from here for use as building stone. The chambers were used as the Lord’s cellar and arches were built in the 12^th and 13^th C. Various princes enjoyed living in the Chateau here protected by the fortress in the 14^th & 15^th C. It was originally built to house an adolescent king by the name of Thierry which gives this town its name. When you leave the fortified area through one of the remaining gates, you cross the road and enter a medieval inspired garden complete with numerous herbs and plants used for medicinal purposes. The whole top of the hill had been the fortress area and fortunately they showed a short movie giving more of the history of it and pictures of what it would have looked like back in its heyday.

Chateau-Thierry is in the Champagne region so we made reservations for a tour in English of the Pannier Champagne house and caves. We were the only ones on the tour so we were able to ask plenty of questions. The tour ended with a tasting of three of their champagne offerings (which of course ended in our purchasing some!)

The caves that they have at Pannier are small in length compared to others that we have heard of – they only have 2 km. (approx. 1 ¼ mi) but are in the process of digging out more. The caves are critical to the champagne process here as they do 3 things – they maintain the perfect level of humidity, temperature and amount of darkness. They showed us how the bottles need to be turned regularly. This is done when they are held at an angle in wooden racks. We found that they put a white mark on the bottom of the bottle to let the person that turns the bottle how much it has been turned already. Can’t imagine having that job! Fortunately they have mechanized this process in some areas, but they still do it by hand here. This champagne house produces 4 million bottles of champagne per year!

When we got back into town it was lunch time so found a Moroccan restaurant we decided to try. What an excellent choice! We enjoyed our meal as well as the entertainment provided by the owner dressing up 2 other patrons in traditional dress and teaching them how to pour the traditional Moroccan mint tea. They were enjoying their time doing it and we enjoyed watching the process. It made for an excellent dining experience! It also makes us all the more determined that we want to visit Morocco in the future.

After our two nights in Chateau-Thierry we moved on to the village of Dormans. It has been a very peaceful meander through wonderful hillsides covered in vineyards. We will be in the champagne region of France for a little while so look forward to more days like this. It has been nice as well with very little boat traffic. As we came around a bend near to Dormans we saw a building quite high on a hill so took a few photos of it as figured out we would find out what it was later. Indeed we did as we found that it was Le Memorial de Dormans which they started construction of in 1921 and completed in 1931. It was built on a site chosen by Marshal Foch with the intention of commemorating the two Battles of the Marne as well as those that died during WWI. There is a chapel located here as well, but it was not open to see inside. The location is a beautiful one with excellent views of the River Marne Valley.

We are definitely enjoying the start of our trip through the interior of France. Definitely quite a different experience for an ocean going sailboat, but a very pleasant one. We have quite a long way to go so will be updating you as often as we can. With moving so often it is hard to keep up with sorting through the photos and writing up the narrative – sorry the updates are so out of date, but will keep working on getting more posted.

Just a quick note – it is now June 30^th, over a month has passed since we were in the towns talked about in this blog entry – if you check on a map we are currently in Toul – we have completed our travels on the River Marne and have been on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin. Next we are on the Moselle for a short distance and then on the Canal des Vosges.

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Photos

We Took A Photo thinking it would help us figure it out
but still not sure of what its function is - any ideas?

We Never thought We'd See Water Skiing Here
but there are numerous sections where it is allowed

The Various Colors of Brick Make Interesting Patterns
in the houses here

We Stopped Around Lunch Time at Mary-Sur-Marne
walked around the village before continuing that day

Mary-sur-Marne is a sleepy village on a Sunday
as most villages here in France are

First Time We have Seen a Jacuzzi on this size boat!
and yes, it is not just a small pool for the kids

A Nice Quiet Place to Stop on a side channel
off the Marne River in La Ferte-sous-Jouarre

One of the Many Locks We Are Going Through
much smaller than on the Erie Canal!