Moret-sur-Loing, Melun, Évry, Paris, Chatou 16-23 September 2022 When we returned to the boat in Moret-sur-Loing we found that, to our surprise, the Briare Canal to our original winter mooring had reopened. But as we had given up our spot and it was no longer available we were committed to going to Cergy for the winter. We therefore had to retrace our steps back along the Seine. After a couple of days off we started again on the Friday. As we are going downstream with the current, we were able to go further on each hop. So our first day was back to Melun. The next day we set off to Evry and moored at the ecluse. Even though the weather was definitely cooler, there were people out rowing. We moored next to another Aussie couple and invited them over for pre-dinner drinks. We had a lovely time with Tony and Julia from Dilli GAF. The next morning was a little foggy before we set off to Paris. Lot's of watersports on the river in the morning, including a group of people swimming with the aid of small flotation devices. We had booked a mooring at the Arsenal in Paris for 3 nights, and when we arrived the sent us down to moor in "130" at the far end of the port. But when we got there it was way too small for us. After a quick chat to the capitaine, we ended up doing a U turn and coming back to moor next to the lock. Later we found that they had assumed we were a different "Moondance" that was only 3.3m wide and about 14m long (we are 4.5m wide and 21m long). So I guess that we were lucky that they did have a spot for us at all. It was Patrimone Day in Paris, where many buildings are open to the public or are free to visit. After a look through the program we decided to go to the Sorbonne, the famous University in Paris. We rode there, but found the queue to enter went up the hill, so we were about to give up, until we realised that was just the fast moving queue for the security check, so we locked up the bikes and were inside in about 5 minutes. It was a great visit, and included a mini-concert by a woodwind quartet including flute, clarinet, basoon and oboe. The next morning we cycled to Galleries Lafayeffe Haussman, the famous Parisien department store. It was over 5kms away and, although there were quite good bike lanes there were a lot of bikes. On the way home we stopped for a nice lunch. In the evening we cycled to the Trocadero, which is opposite the Eiffel Tower, for some sunset photos. However the Trocadero is having major renovations so I ended up choosing a spot down on the banks of the Seine. I waited for the lights to come on on the Tower, but by about 40 minutes after sunset, all the street lights were on but no sign of the tower lights. I looked up google who said they only come on for 5 minutes on the hour, so I decided to pack up. Of course, as soon as I was packed and about to set off home, they came on, and stayed on, so I had plenty of time for some shots. On our last full day at the Arsenal we decided to go to a small museum and chose the Petit Palais. This is a lovely building built for the 1900 exhibition, which is just opposite the Grand Palais, and houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts. It was a great choice. Unfortunately I couldn't do it all as my foot was too sore, but we should have time to come back another time. Our last night we took a couple of night shots of the boat and marina. The next morning we made an early start as we had a long cruise to Rueil-Malmaison - over 6 hours. But it was a beautiful sunny day and we had excellent views on our way through Paris. And even though we had done the route before, you see things differently when you go the other way (especially when you go on the other side of an island). Our next day was a quiet one, moored at Île de Chatou opposite to Rueil Malmaison where we had moored before. We went out to the restaurant near the mooring, where one of Renoir's paintings had been set. In fact we ended up sitting in almost the exact same spot. Friday was the final day of retracing our steps. We headed off in the morning for Andresy which is just past the juntion of the Seine and Oise where our new trip on the Seine Maritime would start. Here are a few photos from our cruise.
1 Comment
Johanna
26/9/2022 10:56:29 am
Great photos
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWe are sharing stories about and travels on our barge Moondance. Archives
August 2023
|