You'll
join Barge Nilaya at around 4pm on a Saturday in the City of Verdun. It's a
place forever synonymous with the loss of about 1,000,000 lives in just
one year during the carnage, tragedy and bloodbath that was the first
world war. But today, as European city of peace, it's a cosmopolitan
place with riverside bars, restaurants and throughout the summer months, a
superb series of concerts right on the main quay. It's possible to visit
all the main war monuments and memorials from Verdun, such as the trench
of Bayonets, Ossuary at Douaumont, Citadel and villages that were simply
never rebuilt after the war. Some 90 years on, it is still unsafe to stray
from the well marked paths in the old battle area. While here I'll walk
you to an amazing Rodin statue close to our mooring. I personally I find
it extremely haunting but nevertheless very moving and impressive.
The
tourist information office have a guided tour that operates by bus, but
during Barge Nilaya's last three visits, the commentary was only available in
French. The tour has to be booked 24 hours in advance and leaves from
central Verdun at 2pm until 6pm. If you'd like to take this 25-30 Euro per
person tour and are arriving in Verdun in time, I can organise the
reservation for you when Barge Nilaya arrives on Friday morning. You can drop
your bags into Barge Nilaya, grab a quick shower then head off on the tour.
The opportunities to dine out in Verdun are so good, its definitely your
best course of action tonight.
Another boat owner raved about a
restaurant he'd been to called 'Le Forum', just outside the centre of
town. I'll postpone your
welcome dinner until tomorrow or Tuesday's wild mooring.
Our
cruising begins on Sunday morning. Just before we reach Consenvoye, we
descend through a lock at Samogneux. This ecluse is the only remains of a
once thriving village utterly destroyed in 1916. Heading on through
wonderful rural canal scenery, tonight we'll enjoy an evening moored at
either Consenvoye with its chance to self cater and visit a thought
provoking first world war German cemetery set just above the village or
head on a little further to the pleasant village of Vilosnes offering the
opportunity to dine out at 'Au Vieux Moulin'. Last summer, I spotted some
villagers swimming in the nearby river here, if that should take your
fancy.
On
Monday we cruise through Dun-sur-Meuse and on to
the village of Stenay. It was from here that the Germans coordinated their
attacks on Verdun but now finds itself home to the European Beer museum. A
most enjoyable place to visit! The small town also has a park laid out
with places to play Petanque. Maybe we'll give that a go too.
Tuesday
has us cruising to a wonderful 'wild' mooring in the middle of nowhere.
It's one of my favourite spots and assuming we get there before any other
boats, we'll tie up for
the day. If the weather's good, there really is no better spot for a walk
followed by a leisurely barbeque. Dining out is NOT an option. Maybe
tonight I'll cook your welcome dinner and we'll consume it alfresco.
The
City of Sedan with its immense castle is Wednesday's destination. In fact
it's the largest fortress in the whole of Europe and well worth the tour!
In some places the walls are twenty metres thick. If it can be arranged,
we'll try to arrange one of the after dark visits. Torch
light adds a whole new dimension! There are some great dining
opportunities in the town, or you can choose to self cater aboard.
Thursday sees our final
destination on this weeks cruise. Charleville-Mezieres is a pleasant town
laid out in the 17th century around the Place Ducale, one of the most
beautiful Louis XIII style squares in France. It's home to a museum
celebrating the life and works of French poet Arthur Rimbaud as well as
the International Marionette institute. The institute's building has an
hourly automaton that recites the local legend of the Four Aymon brothers
or Quatre Fils Aymon as it is known locally. It's well worth seeing.
Charleville offers some excellent dining opportunities plus has a great
bar in the hold of a cavernous French Freycinet (Barge). If you fancy
something light with a glass of beer or wine, why not try the
'tarte-flambe'. It's a bit like a pizza with cheese, onion and bacon. Very
tasty! You'll be leaving Barge Nilaya after breakfast on Friday morning. Trains
from Charleville-Mezieres to Paris take about 90 minutes and Paris to
Verdun in the region of two and a half hours.
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IMPORTANT
NOTE: Unforeseen circumstances sometimes affect our cruising schedule.
These can include, but are not limited to: illness, floods, weather, canal
closures, canal maintenance, lack of moorings, bureaucracy, strikes, civil disturbance, acts
of god, the engine, and whims and fancies of both skipper, guests and
crew. All of these things might cause last minute changes to the
above and cruise routes. Although rare, we reserve the right to alter any and all
routes accordingly. Flexibility is the name of the game and any such changes
cannot be considered grounds for cancellation of the cruise.
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