Xouaxange (we can't pronounce it either)

SUNDAY 8 MAY

Peacefully moored above écluse 16 for a couple of days

We went on a circular walk before setting off on Sunday, starting along the canal and then cutting across country, returning via Crévic, the village where we’d moored overnight.  By all accounts the village was devastated in WWI and all the old pictures I could find all showed the majority of houses as empty shells.  Strangely the village still looked old, so we assumed many of the houses were rebuilt using the walls that were still standing.  We did find a small lavoir and as it had water in the basin Buddy was able to get a drink to cool down.

Washing stones just the right height

There was obviously some sort of historic trail that looked like it was aimed at the schoolchildren judging by the text used on the information boards.  Each board had text on one half and a picture on the other half.  It was really strange as the text didn’t seem to reference the picture.  Maybe there was an accompanying leaflet that explained it all. 

One of the posters on the trail

The text in the poster above was all about the coming of running water to the village in 1948 and also how prior to that, ordinary folk had to use water fountains which were a place where people would congregate for village gossip.  Interestingly it didn’t seem to say that gossip was purely for the women which is what is usually said about lavoirs.  The text seems to have nothing to do with the picture of the leach-like creatures

Soon after casting off we saw a hire boat coming towards us and it turned out to be the first of four we saw during the day.  Add that to the four private boats we also saw then our comment the other day that it was probably going to be busy on the way to Strasbourg was becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Mizar heading for Nancy

It really was a strange feeling not having waterways to ourselves, especially after the impact of covid on the previous two years when very few boats were on the move because many people weren’t able to travel to them.  I know it’s a selfish feeling as the waterways need to be used in order that they are kept open and it really is a wonderful experience that should be shared whether holidaying for a long weekend, cruising for a few months or living on a boat permanently.

Sunday’s cruise reminded us of being on the UK canals

During the journey we went past a really serious looking fishing competition but at least the anglers were friendly and acknowledged us passing.  A little further on was a sight we love to see: several generations making a day of it by fishing and socialising at the same time.

This happy family had a barbecue set up as well as a table and chairs for the older ones

The only appreciable place we passed in terms of size was Einville-au-Jard which had grown up around a salt works.  It looked like some of the wooden structures of the older works had been preserved alongside the new.

Salt works at Einville-au-Jard

The journey took us through some wonderful open countryside which was occasionally hidden from view when we were in a cutting, or the banks were lined with tall trees.  

We stopped for lunch above a lock and then carried on a short way afterwards so we could have a relaxing afternoon.

Lunch at écluse 17

We ended up mooring for the day above the next lock in a similar position to that of our lunchtime stop.

Sunday night mooring at écluse 16

As soon as we tied up, we could hear a cuckoo calling incessantly.  We have heard a lot of cuckoos on this canal and had begun to wonder if there was really just one and it was following us.  Funnily enough it stopped as soon as a green woodpecker flew overhead making its distinctive laugh.  Although the cuckoo did start up again later, it was drowned out once more as the crickets started up for the evening. 

On Sunday we cruised 15 km up four locks.

MONDAY 9 May 2022

We were really happy moored above écluse 16 as it was so peaceful that we decided to have a day off from cruising on Monday.  I would say quiet too, but it seemed that birds sang all through the night even though the crickets had stopped by the time we went to bed.  Frogs joined in with the birds in the morning - we always enjoy laying in bed listening to frogs mating.  

Karen wanted to check out the next mooring along the canal at Parroy so we devised a circular walk taking in the village.  The hotel boat Nilaya was coming up the lock as we left, and we chatted to the crew and a couple of the American guests as they rose up.  The boat was 100 years old and has been doing the same route for guests for the last 20 years.  Its itinerary was Nancy to Saverne or the reverse taking six nights, a journey that’s taking us two to three weeks.  The boat was quite a bit smaller than the normal hotel boats we see and was also a proper old barge so it must be quite an experience being a guest. 

Nilaya rising up in our lock

It was quite fortuitous as the walk along the canal was practically in the shade the whole way, so we still felt quite fresh when we turned off to head for Parroy.  Mind you, Karen had already run down the same route before breakfast so she would have been excused if she hadn’t felt fresh.

On the edge of Parroy we thought we could see a small open air lavoir but as we neared it, we realised it was a water trough or abreuvoir.  Buddy made good use of the water in it while we read the one and only information board we found in the village. 

Karen reading, Buddy drinking

The board explained how traditional Lorraine houses were laid out when animals, produce and humans all shared the same building.  I must admit that I thought many houses around the world were built along the same lines, but the low sloping roofs seemed a little different to others we’ve come across before.

Parroy consisted of a large central open area with a war memorial as its centrepiece.:

The mairie and church

Leaving the village, we made our way back to the canal to find the mooring Karen wanted to investigate.  It was next to a camp site which we thought would have been an ideal place to spend a night or two if we were camping.  There was a €6 charge for mooring and water and electricity were a further €3 each.  There was plenty of space on the 100-metre-long quay that had a couple of cruisers tied up that looked like they’d been there a while. We tend to avoid moorings where there’s a charge and were pleased we’d stopped and moored above the lock rather than continuing down to Parroy, especially as we didn’t need water.

Next was the lake where we decided to walk along one side only because we didn’t really fancy a further seven km on top of what we were already doing as it was approaching the hottest part of the day.

Étang de Parroy

We were glad we walked along the side we did as there were plenty of butterflies around and we saw our first wall brown, clouded yellow, common blue and brown argus of the year. 

Buddy splashing but still not brave enough to swim

Leaving the lake, we came across one of the 118 granite pillars that were sculpted in the 1920s and placed five to ten km apart from Mulhouse near Basel up to Dunkerque.  They marked the line to which the Germans had been repelled to by the end of WWI.

While on the world wars we saw a sign at the lake that explained that the largest catch in the lake was made in the drought of 1976 when on 8^th September a German tank was removed from the exposed bed having been lost in 1944.

Like humans, Buddy takes time to adjust to the heat when it first arrives, so we felt it best to stay around the boat during the afternoon where there was a large tree he could rest under when he needed some shade.

It was a much quieter day boat-wise and, other than the hotel boat in the morning we only saw two other boats, a hire boat and a day boat.

TUESDAY 10 MAY

We’d taken all our mosquito nets back to the UK when we returned over the new year as after three years of use, they were in need of being repaired or replaced.  We’d soon given up the idea of making any repairs and ended up making new ones using the old ones as patterns.  Not only do they keep the insects out they are used in place of windows thus allowing a cooling draught through the boat at night, ideal for the current weather.  Of course, if rain is due, we have to be wary as they won’t keep the rain out like glass does and we’ve been known to madly rush around the boat in the early hours putting windows back when an unexpected storm has arrived.

While off the subject of cruising I’m going to admit something that I never thought I would tell.  I was cleaning my beard trimmer at the side of the cut yesterday when the cutter dropped out and into the water.  The admission is that this has now happened three times over the years.  Previously our trusty magnet has found the cutters fairly swiftly, but it wasn’t to be yesterday.  The depth of the water was approaching three metres so I suspected being partly plastic they wouldn’t have gone straight down but would have drifted some way away from the bank.  Anyway, before we left on Tuesday, I had another go with the magnet and on the very first dunk I struck lucky.  Hopefully I've now learnt to keep away from the water in future.

When we left we weren’t sure how far we were going to go as it was the hottest day so far even though there was quite a bit of cloud cover.  After a few km we pulled in at the mooring at Parroy because we’d noticed on our walk yesterday that they had a recycling bin.  This area of Lorraine seems to be like some other areas of France where we have found the only public recycling is for bottles and paper, everything else is expected to be recycled at home.

Pulling into the halte nautique at Parroy to drop off our cardboard, tins and plastic

After a couple of locks, we passed the departmental border which, as recently as 1914 was the French-German border.

We went past two hire boat bases which really were in the middle of nowhere, but Karen did point out that is often the case in the UK too.  What was surprising was that there were so many boats not out on hire, there must have been over 50 boats moored up.  Maybe it gets absolutely packed along here from June to September. 

Hire boat base at Lagarde

We stopped at Lagarde for lunch as the village was described as a typical Lorraine village and from our limited experience we supposed it was, as many of the houses were still agricultural and had low pitched roofs.  Walking into the village we saw our first Michelin sign for a few weeks, this one was signposting a French war cemetery:

Looking at the picture now I realise that the sign with the black crosses would have been a signpost to a German war cemetery. We’ve noticed many of the village names are quite Germanic and we are also getting used to information boards etc. being in German as well as French.

Multilingual sign about the three hire boat bases along this stretch of the canal

The only sign of life was some movement in a restaurant at the hire boat base.  Here are a few pictures from our wander around the village:

                                                               

The mairie

We carried on cruising a bit further after we got back to the boat and after a couple more locks moored near a collection of farms called Le Moulin de Xirxange.

Tuesday night’s mooring

On Tuesday we cruised 15 km up six locks and saw three boats, all hire boats.

WEDNESDAY 11 May 2022

Before I get into Wednesday’s antics, I want to share some family news.  Cee, who is Chris’s partner is expecting our fourth grandchild in October bringing the total to four in the last three years.  This is wonderful news and we’re very happy for them both.  We look forward to welcoming the latest addition to Dexter, Ellis and Olyvia in the autumn.

We were due to go up France’s deepest canal lock on Wednesday and as it was going to be a hot day, it reached 30 degrees in the afternoon, we set out early at 9.00am.  Repair works were going on at the first lock we went up complete with a couple of divers but at least the lock wasn’t out of action.

Fag break

As soon as we started crossing the large expanse of water at Réchicourt we knew we weren’t far from the deep lock.

The entrance to the lock was at the far end of the lake and it rather looked like we were heading for a tunnel.

Our deepest lock prior to this one was at Châlons-sur-Saône at 11 metres deep, but this was 15,40 metres so on a different scale altogether.  For comparison, the deepest river lock in France is on the Rhône at 23 metres and the canal locks are usually between 2,50 and 3,50 metres.

Going in

Water entered through holes along the length of the bottom of the lock meaning the ascent was very gentle as water came up evenly along the length of the lock rather then rushing in at one end.  Floating bollards and sliding poles were also supplied making the ascent very easy for us with Karen looping a line on at the front and me with one at the back.  The lock was opened in 1965 replacing six locks on a flight that is no longer used.  The information board at the top said it takes 30 minutes to get through compared with six hours for the original flight in 1837.  They weren’t really comparing like with like as barges were horse powered in those days, but it still must have taken three or four hours for a fully laden commercial in the 1960s.  Also, the 30 minutes was a bit suspect as it took us 14 minutes from going in until the gates at the top were opening.

This was Karen's view from the front, she was relieved that she didn't have to climb up that ladder to the right!

Not a cill that you would want to catch a boat on

Arriving at the top we were on the 33 km summit of the canal de la Marne au Rhin Est and once over the summit we would be heading downhill to Strasbourg.  We asked the éclusier on duty if we could moor in the lock waiting area for an hour or so while we went for a walk down and up the old flight and he readily said we could.  It made a really pleasant walk in the dappled shade along the old towpath for a couple of kms each way:

We found all the locks as they had been left in the ‘60s complete with their little huts for éclusiers.  We only saw two lock cottages, both of which were now abandoned.

One of the locks

It was interesting to note that in those days there weren’t ladders in the sides of the locks and, of course, the gates and paddles were manual.  Nowadays, apart from a few strings of locks we came across on the canals in Burgundy, they are usually automatic in France as they’re operated electronically.

Winding gear for the lock gates

Lock gates were a lot thinner than they are today

Back on the boat we set off again, heading for Xouaxange, with a bit of a welcome breeze getting up.  In fact by the time we were passing the large lakes around Gondrexange it had become quite gusty so we had to take down the parasol in case it blew away.  As we neared the junction with the canal de la Sarre which heads north to join the river Sarre in Germany we saw a hotel boat coming towards us.  We recognised it as Princess that operates between Nancy and Strasbourg.  When we left Nancy, it hadn’t started out on its next trip but had obviously made it all the way to Strasbourg and was on its way back when we met it.

Coming up to the junction we could see the Vosges mountains in the distance.  The Rhine runs the other side of the mountains, and we would be joining it in a few weeks, well that’s the current plan anyway.

Canal de la Sarre joining from the left

The wind was still quite strong when we moored up in Xouaxange and as it was forecast to continue until nightfall, we took the plants off the roof to give them some protection.  The weather is meant to start getting cooler and be in the low to mid 20s for a week or so which will be just as we like it and ideal for cruising.

Moored at Xouaxange

On Wednesday we cruised 21 km up four locks, and apart from the hotel boat we saw eight hirers and one private boat.