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Well. Here we are in Briare for the winter. Briare is on the
River Loire and railway line about 100 km south of Paris. The canal
crosses the Loire on a magnificent aqueduct - at over 600m in length the
longest canal aqueduct in Europe (at present. They are building
one over the Elbe, I think, and perhaps that will be longer)
The basin is in the middle of town. It used to be on the canal main
line, but got bypassed when a new canal was built (in the 1800's), so
it is now on a backwater. However, the surroundings of the basin
are very much suburban rather than country - sports centre, houses, shops
etc. It is all 'built environment', but it looks quite pretty.
The production of this prettiness gives rise to noise - Monday was the
grass cutters, Tuesday the drain cleaners, Wednesday was the police looking
for a cartridge case (see later), Thursday (today) was the leaf blowers.
Each leaf blower had, strapped to his back, a small petrol motor that
blew air to sweep up leaves. I assume that a UK canally person has
replaced the blower with a small genny? Live-aboard boaters can
now sit in their cabins with a small genny strapped to their back giving
them electricity to power their TVs. Although Briare is a small
town, it has nearly all the conveniences a canally chap could ask for -
a decent mooring in a flood free basin, with electricity and water to
hand, and a hot shower a few paces away. The cost of this is £60
per month!! Diesel and bottled gas are available close by.
The town has a supermarket, hardware stores, bakery, bars, restaurants,
estate agents, accountants and a big knicker shop (the word 'big' to be
more associated with the size of the shop rather than the size of the
knick-nacks on sale), a weekly market and a Post Office. The two
things lacking are a cyber café and a red light district -
so I guess I'll have to make my own amusement. The nearest cyber
caff is 10km down the road. There are a couple of small hotels (for
potential visitors who baulk at the idea of Rosy's bucket - though there
is a proper, flushing 'His and Hers' loo in the (very close by) shower
block).
There are a couple of other live-aboards here. I had a drink with
a Brit last night. He quoted Himmler at me!!! (That people
are only really happy if they have discipline and strong armed forces
(or some such rubbish)). I was going to suggest cooking him a meal,
when he mentioned that he had stocked up for the weekend, including half
a pig's head that he was going to bake.
The mooring comes complete with some exotic birds - three black swans.
They have red eyes and red beaks, each beak being tipped by a white lance-corporal's
chevron. The eat the weed on Rosy's bottom, and then tap on the
window for some bread. Their wing feathers have been clipped.
They are not mute. Each can squeak, and each bird squeaks only one
note, but each of the three notes is different. One of them can
also produce a very quiet, throat 'honk'.
Excitement in the 'wee small hours' other day, when someone popped a bullet
through the window of the local crêperie. The boaty Americans
suggested that all the youths of Middle East origins in town should be
rounded up. What are we coming to?
Toodle pip!!
Bill
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