Politics … from a distant perspective
OK. Can’t resist. Against better judgment and in the certain knowledge that some people will be offended, here is a …
Author Archives: La Belle Fleur
Plan B for the Winter
Time for an update on our watery wanderings. We’ve been up and down the canals and rivers, round and about, …
Six months in France, a year half full or half empty?
We’re approaching the six-month point in our two-and-a-half year French exodus. Some things have become automatic: Harvey doesn’t attempt to …
Culture clash
For reasons that will soon become obvious, there will only be one photo with this posting. We’re writing about some …
Dijon – yes, we can spare some Grey Poupon
We’re in Dijon, a city of about 250,000. What Pittsburgh is (or once was) to steel, what Boston is to …
Lunch … and a million sunflowers
Its all downhill from here, more or less. We’ve been climbing since Paris, meaning that on rivers we’ve been traveling …
Its about time
We’re deep into Burgundy countryside (Bourgogne, as it is called for real). The Canal de Bourgogne was built 200 years …
Masters of our own fete
Brace yourself. Overly Vast Generalization Alert. Out it comes: “The French know how to enjoy themselves and generally have a …
On vacation … or not
The dividing line between a long vacation and a lifestyle change is far from clear, as with so many dividing …
We’ll always have Paris
Paris. We’re finally in Paris. We arrived Wednesday, May 28 at Bassin la Villette for the Dutch Barge Association (DBA) …
Keeping a close watch on the market
We’ve learned that in this time of financial instability, living in retirement and getting by on what we’ve squirreled away …
European economic secrets
The economy. It is in the news and dominating politics. The U.S. economy. The European economy. Greece. Spain. France. Germany. …
Stars and Stripes
Today was a good day to fly the American flag on Hoop Doet Leven. We’d wondered what flag to fly. …
Floating through Champagne
We’ve spent the past week floating through Champagne, leaving the rural Ardennes, home of dairy farms, forests and villages so …
It isn’t all bordeaux and croissants
Lest this whole affair sound a tad too idyllic, we’ll tell you about today’s yachting adventures, which are not yet …
Locks … without bagels
So, we’ve been asked, just what is all this about canals and locks. Do they have to lock up the …
Feeding our addiction
At home in Massachusetts our dealer provides high quality product to feed our addiction. A year ago, the state government …
The wild mooring
Most nights we stop in a town. Most towns have a place to tie up, either a formal halte fluvial …
On language immersion, or drowning in silent letters
A word on the French language is in order. A word is about all I can manage. Not always the …
Disaster … and recovery
Catastrophe (in French with a silent “e”). Morning in Pagny-sur-Meuse, a tiny ville with only the barest essentials: a pharmacy, …
Under way at last
Today we finally left Toul and started the long meander to Paris. Our first day on the canals involved climbing from …
Ready to launch
We’re still in Toul, waiting to set off on the canals toward Paris. D-Day is now April 3 (or 3 …
Even the bad times are good times
Not yet a dull moment. Yesterday’s goal was to drive 20 minutes to the neighboring big city, Nancy, where Harvey …
The audacity of Hoop
Three nights on Hoop Doet Leven in Toul and we feel as if our bargee chops are surfacing. The transition …
Life in three piles
Two weeks and a few days until take-off and our lives have been sorted into three piles: Pile Number One …
On a barge in France 