August 1 2007 - Return up the Briare and Loing Canals.

Canal de Briare

Rogny Les Sept Ecluses

On our return journey back to Paris we called into Rogny Les Sept Ecluses again for a few days. We met several English couples on boats, Chris and Carol, Verona and Alan, David and Janet, John and Pat. We had a good time socialising, it is good to be able to talk and be understood straight away, also, we got some news of what is happening in the world. We were very fortunate to be there when there was an evening spectacle at the Chateau de Saint Fargeau about 20 k away and David offered us a lift in a car to see it. The town, St Fargeau is very historic and the streets below the chateau are very interesting.





We arrived about 9pm and had drinks and nibbles on the lawn alongside a huge lake in front of the Chateau.

The evening started at 10.30 when it was dark and in 2 hours the most significant events for each century was told with acts using 600 costume changes and 60 horses along with spectacular use of lighting. The history includes the arrival of Jeanne d'Arc, the storming of the Chateau by the Duke of Burgundy, the exile of Anne Marie Louise d'Orleans, cousin of Louis 14th, the Revolution and the passage of the American troups liberating St Fargeau along with the resistance fighters. It was a great night and a beautiful setting.

Canal du Loing

Moret sur Loing

On our return we stayed here for a few days as we had not been able to find a mooring there on the way up. It is another very pretty town with many buildings and bridges seen in the impressionist painter Sisley's paintings .


The original tower gates are at each end of the town.


We had dinner in the creperie on the right hand side of the tower, the building is recognisable from Alfred Sisley's painting of Le Pont de Moret painted in 1888. This year we have discovered the Breton type of crepe which is called a Gallette, it is made of whole wheat and filled with food like bacon, egg, leek, cheese, potatoes and many other food in different combinations and folded over like a parcel. A great meal accompanied by cider. In Moret we met Carla and Paul from Holland, Glen and Trish and Bruce and Sally from New Zealand. We all left to go up the Seine, the New Zealanders to Paris, Carla and Paul and us to the Marne.