Another foray into France

This last week, we took another foray into France back to the glorious Haute Marne which has become the other place we most like to be; or, more specifically to the Marne valley south of Joinville. Before we went, however, we were having some very cold, but rather beautiful mornings here in the flatlands. The photo below was the magical view I saw from the window early one morning. Isn't it just so ethereally beautiful?

We drove down on Thursday, and as usual, we headed for the waterside when we arrived. Below is a photo of the lock at Villiers-sur-Marne, a village we intend to spend more time in and around. It has everything we like: a lovely mooring, ideal for the Hennie H (not permanent, unfortunately), locks, bridges, a railway with a level crossing and, of course, the beautiful rush of the Marne river which divides itself into different courses several times along this stretch. 

The canal was exceptionally full with the water topping the upper gates and tumbling into the supposedly empty lock, which then has to release the excess into the next stretch below.

On the way into the village, we spotted this old contraption. It says it's le Cable Pompe. I honestly don't know what it was used for as it's nowhere near a pumping station or a fire service point, but it looks pretty old and must have been in use for something important at one time. It sits right beside the road, so if anyone has an idea, do let me know.

Le Cable Pompe wasn't all too far from the building below, which is a lovely old water mill, so maybe there's a connection there. Koos took a much more artistic photo of the mill, but I was lazy because of the cold and took mine from the comfort of the car.

On Friday, we spent some time in the charming town of Joinville. I confess I didn't take any photos, but enjoyed walking around the local market and through its winding ancient streets. The sun was shining, which made all the difference. Here's a photo I took in October 2023 of the canal as it passes through the town. 

We actually spent the two nights we were there at an airbnb apartment in the village of Donjeux. As you enter Donjeux, you have to cross the canal and two separate branches of the river. And then you climb. The hill up to the church and beyond where we were staying was very steep, so absolutely no risk of flooding there. Unfortunately for us, the road was being repaired, which included the stretch where our accommodation was, so we had to park in a small square and haul our bags, provisions, dog and ourselves (possibly the most difficult part) a couple of hundred metres over a very uneven surface. 

The place itself was perfect, so no complaints there. We were very comfortable and had plenty of room. Zoe and I took a couple of nice long walks along the river, which showed signs of having been very turbulent recently. In fact, there were heaps of debris piled up along the banks, as you can see if you click on the photo below. The river's current was also running very fast and I shuddered a little to think of anything or anyone falling in.

The water mill in the photo below was pumping like mad, and it occurred to me that the houses close to the water must have to get used to the noise it made. I'm not sure I'd like it so much, though. If you can imagine listening to a constant, regular and noisy washing machine, you'd pretty much know what I mean. 

Back at the top of the village, I was captivated by this roofscape. I do like seeing all the different angles and shapes of these old village houses, and the church tower added the perfect punctuation to the scene. It's a pity about all the cables that disturb the view. Rural France's electricity and phone lines still seem to be largely above ground, unlike our flatlands where they are mostly buried in the sand on which the streets are built. On the other hand, the cables do give the scenery a certain old-fashioned character.

Of course, we are back home now, and glad of it too. The weather has turned extremely cold again and we even had flurries of snow today, but we have a plan to go back again next month. I'll explain why then, as there have been some exciting new developments, but I'll just keep you all in suspense for now. Is that mean? I don't intend to be, but I also don't want to jump the gun. 😊

For now, enjoy the rest of your week, allemaal, and keep warm or cool whichever suits!