Moving on to Nancy.....

Friday 11/05/2012 - This morning it was time to say Au Revoir to Paris as we were moving on to meet Marg and Peter in Nancy.  Here we were join them on their barge, Matilda, for a couple of weeks exploring the French Canals.  We packed and after a last look at our wonderful view, checked out and caught a cab to Gare D'Est where we had to catch our train.  

We arrived at Nancy at 1.44 and found Marg and Peter waiting right where our carriage stopped.  It was so good to see them again and we were very excited to be beginning the next part of our holiday.  We caught a tram around to the port and turned the corner and saw Matilda for the first time in real life.  What a wonderful vessel she is.  As we had seen many photo's of her along the way it was like finally meeting an old friend.  And she along with Marg and Peter made us feel very welcome.

We were spending our first night in the little forward cabin as Pete's Sister Pam and her husband, Geoffrey were on board already and leaving the next day.  It was very exciting climbing through the hatch and down the ladder that night and we slept like babes once our heads hit the pillow.  But before that we spent many hours catching up, eating a delicious dinner cooked by Marg and of course marking our reunion with a drink or two.  We had a wonderful night.

Saturday 12/05/2102 -  Nancy - A tale of three towns

The next morning we woke up to a beautiful day and once breakfast was over Bill and I left the others to their packing and walked into town to explore.  Nancy is a large town comprising an 'old town and a new town' .  The old town dates back to the 11th century and has been destroyed and subsequently rebuilt.

The new town grew throughout the 16th century to accommodate a growing population and the 18th century town was built to link the two existing towns and the historic city centre.  Nancy has a lovely Cathedral in the new town and a bit further round the corner an equally lovely basilica, La Basilica Saint Epvre, in the old town.  

The most spectacular spot was Stanislan Square, considered one of the most beautiful places in Europe, the 18th century square consists of The City Hall, the theatre and Opera house and the fine arts museum.  Fenced in gold embossed fencing and beautiful fountains we marveled at the workmanship here. 

As we wandered further we came across a Military expo and watched some displays of fighting and dog handling, before continuing on through to the old town where we stopped and had a coffee in the square, which was was once the site of the Saint Nicholas postern gate.  Coming back to the main street we found a market and wandered through here both inside and outside salivating over the many different cheeses on sale but didn't buy any.

 Once back at home we all had lunch together before Pam and Geoffrey said goodbye and Peter took them to the station to continue on their trip to Paris and London.  I'm sure they will enjoy the next few weeks.  We moved into the guest cabin and then wandered back into town to buy a hat at the market and a bit later on went to a wonderful old secondhand bric a brac shop with Marg.  If only there was no weight limits on suitcases!

That night we had some more visitors come to stay but prior to that we were invited to drinks on our neighbors barge.  Ann and Rod from the UK have been traveling for a long time and we had a such great time over drinks and nibbles that when it was time to go they came with us, along with the potato dish she was cooking and with that and Marg's veal we had a wonderful meal and a great night that went on until quite late.  So much for an early night.   Our new visitors, Bob and Nairee, enjoyed themselves as well and it was their turn to sleep in the little forward cabin.  Like us the night before they slept very well.  

We too had a good sleep in our new bed and look forward to continuing our adventure tomorrow.  

Sunday 13/05/2012 - The streets of Nancy.

Blue sky and sunshine lulled us into thinking summer had arrived and on our walk this morning we definitely needed another layer on but still managed to wander the streets and see Nancy come to life.  We walked back to the square and through to the old town to check out the flea market there.  Lots of stalls and lots of wonderful things for sale but again no room in the suitcase so we weren't tempted to buy.  

Today we walked through many different streets of the old town and discovered many different old buildings and lots of interesting corners.Back on the main street we caught the tram to the garden suburb of Saurupt Park where there are many examples of  the Art Nouveau  buildings Nancy is famous for.

 From there we returned to the canal to have a look at a bridge a little further on from us.  This is a road bridge that actually lifts the whole section of the road straight up sliding on four poles.  With boom gates either end to stop the cars the road slides up until the barges pass through, slides down again and the cars then continue on.  We watched it operate from Matilda last night as a barge came down the canal and we were keen to have a closer look.  No boats passed while we were there but an interesting structure.  As we made out our way there we found a lovely garden, Jardin Godron, which was the original botanic gardens and is now a nursery of sorts growing plants for other municipal gardens.  A lovely tranquil spot for the locals to rest and take timeout.

Once home everyone settled in for some quite time/nana naps before the evening meal.  We had a surprise visitor, this time a young French man, Thomas, who has helped Marg and Peter with some translation items in the past.  He dropped in say hello and practice his English and we all had a wonderful time learning more about the local area and general life in Nancy.  We were all enjoying his company so much Marg invited him for dinner which he accepted and our multicultural evening continued with us all having a wonderful time.  After Thomas had gone we all retired for the night as we had a big day ahead, we were leaving Nancy to begin life on the canal.

So will see you then from somewhere along the canal......