The Fall

The Fall:

I must admit I worried about a bike mishap on this trip. In fact there have been no close calls, the drivers are very polite and respectful.

Yesterday I awoke with atrial tachycardia, I am on medication and fortunately my fast heart rate is controlled with beta blockers. It is generally self-limited but for some reason it persisted.

It was about 3 pm and Craig and the Butlers had just returned from a solid session of fast riding, I had just completed the last two blogs. I remember deciding I should get into the shower before the rest of the group got back.

Next I saw Scott’s concerned face asking me what day it was. Craig was applying pressure to a large cut on the back of my skull. Evidently I had fallen backwards going up the stairs, my fall was broken by my shoulders but I struck the bottom part of the stairs. I was wearing my heart monitor and although not at the usual 65 beats per minute it was in the 80’s.

The crew on this boat are very good. Scott has just completed a first aid course and he quickly swung into action, Martin brought his car around, towels controlled my bleeding, Deborah comforted me as we sped to the local clinic, normally a half hour away which we covered in 20 mins.

The hospital was clean; there was a single booking clerk and 4 patients ahead of me. I took a seat on a wheel chair and was quite a sight, towel blood stained and my white shirt out of a horror movie. They let us go in front of the que as I appeared to be the most distressed.

She introduced herself as: “Dr. Casanova, and that’s no joke.” She was mid 30’s fluent in English and her history was efficient and appropriate. The lesion was closed with 10 staples.

I harkened back to my old hockey days. Then, sutures were a badge of battle and honor. This was no exception as my scalp was clipped together without local anesthetic.

Of course the reason for my fall could only be speculated, the cardiogram did not show unexpected changes, my blood work showed no signs of heart damage. There were suggestions that I stay overnight which I resisted.

We returned to the boat in time for dinner.

I was able to share with the group the Dr. Casanova had assured me that the cut was deep but she did not see any brains!

Butler piped in that I had yet again used one of my lives.

McGuire complained that my fall and the ensuing ruckus had delayed him getting his beer for an hour!

Carol chuckled as Brian lent me his hat after dinner to cover my bandages. It is one of his prized possessions and of course I devalue it by saying he reminds me of Henry Fonda’s fishing hat in “On Golden Pond”. Unfortunately someone commented that I looked like Mr. MaGoo wearing it.

Things are returning to normal, I imagine security at the airport will be alarmed with my metallic content.

I am not riding today although I feel fine.

“ And so it goes”.Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughter House Five.

The Locks

The Locks:

Today I did not ride. We are on a bike barge trip and I opted for the barge.

The barge is 38.5 meters long, it has 140 cm of hull below the water line, the canals are generally 180 cm deep. Going into locks there is about 22.5 cm allowance on each side. Driving a barge of this length with such narrow passages is a demanding task and requires tremendous expertise. I was fortunate enough to spend time in the wheelhouse and experience the force required to turn the wheel. There is no rudder on this boat, rather the rear engine turns 360 degrees so propulsion direction provides directional forces. There is a simple little metal pointer which rotates and gives the same bearing. There are left and right bow thrusters to provide bow direction and control.

In the olden days barge masters were renown for having lots of children , 14 was not an unusual number and they were put to work young, donning harnesses to pull barges through the water from the shore. More wealthy captains could afford donkeys for this work.

 Our route today took us from Briare to Rogny. Although the distance is not that far we traversed a total of 12 locks, rising 90 feet and descending the same distance. This barge is the maximum size that can fit these locks yet Martin was able to pull in each time with minimal contact with the sides.

The canal system is a marvel, built 400 years ago by hand with 12,000. Workers! Just in our area there is an estimated 450 km of canals.On two occasions on this trips we have gone on “overpasses”, the longest one 670 meters approximately 40 meters over a lower river!! Quite a sensation to look down on a river while floating in a barge. Yesterdays overpass was built in 1820, over a 4 year period in a metallic design reminiscent of the Eiffel tower. It is said that Eiffel bid for the contract but was overpriced perhaps resting on the laurels of his World’s Fair masterpiece. The barge will cruise approximately 100 km. this week.

I ask myself, given the decays of overpasses built in the 50’s in North America what do we construct today that will have similar longevity. This year the weather has been dry, this has necessitated the pumping of water from the Loire at Briare up to the resevoir lakes . These lakes are critical to ensure that there is adequate water in the locks and of course pumping such large volumes of water is expensive.

At each lock there is a lock house where historically lived the lock keeper. In the summer when the canals are much busier there is an attendant at each lock , this time of the year one man drives between 3 or 4 locks as traffic is much less. Interestingly, today we moved without significant waits and only encountered one barge going in the opposite direction. In fact Martin and his partner Marjorie rent such a house, we drove by it and he told me of the extensive negotiations to rent it as he is not a lock keeper. It had fallen into disrepair and he told me how much work he had to put into it to make it livable. It is a perfect location for him as it is quite central to his cruising rout which is generally between Nevers and Rogny.

A Typical Morning

A typical morning:

The group with which we are traveling are very compatible, friendly and interesting. As a team we must do our best to stay together, leave together, and eat together. There are 16 passengers and essentially 5 crew, human behavior at times does come into play.

Each evening one of the crew gives a short dissortation on the next day’s activities, it generally is a reminder that we will be leaving at 8:59, initially I though this was due to moorage fees but in fact the skipper wants to make sure he is through the major locks before noon, as everyone in this country takes off at least an hour until 1 pm. If he misses a lock he will be delayed by at least 1 hour.

This morning, breakfast at 0800 as usual, all those cycling were ready to go by 8:40.

The skipper backed out of the mooring at 8:57, Gary Reeves came out of the can at 8:58. We pulled gently back into port and were off.

A few moments later there was an anxious inquiry from shore, yes indeed a saddle bag was still on board. Brian’s bag safely tucked next to Carol’s chair. Some quick thinking by Scott who rode a bike along the shore an received a perfect throw from Marjorie, the time was 9:02, we were now ready to go !

Mcguire does have forgetful moments, the reader may remember the sunglasses affair when playing at pumpkin Ridge he became quite concerned as he could not find his glasses and assume he had dropped or left them somewhere. His usual Cheshire grin turned sheepish when he was informed that he was wearing them!

Earlier this week, he insisted that sunglasses he was wearing were his, not Butlers as Peter was claiming. Only after Peter identified Brian’s glasses and presented them to him was he able to extract his glasses from Brian !! Fortunately our bikes have unique numbers to be easily identified without controversy.

The Snakes

The Snakes:

The group was in a bar and on a dare started to tell snake stories.

Martin: “ I was one of 4 passengers, on Safari and sitting in the back seat. We were racing through the jungle with the windows open. Branches were sweeping in and out when all of a sudden I felt a snake on  my lap. I threw it in the air, screamed and jumped into the front seat. At my insistence we stopped at the next clearing . We completed unloaded the Landrover, and I mean everything including the mats. My fellow passengers continued to mock me as more and more stuff was unloaded without any sign of reptile. We decided to stop for a while and I attached my hammock to the hitch on the vehicle as it was tightening my hammock line out of the vehicle slithered an 8 foot highly poisonous snake. I caught it on video to silence the naysayers. To this day I have no idea where it was hiding! I am so happy to be alive.”

John: I was playing golf in the Okanagan, and as usual had hit it into the rough. It was a hot summers day and all of a sudden the ground was uneven under my feet. Looking down was the unmistakable coloring of a rattler. I jumped farther back than my award winning high school standing long jump, the snake did the same, coiling, rattling and lifting it’s head into attack mode. Fortunately it takes a few moments for a rattler to mobilize it’s venom, meanwhile I was a distant observer. The snake was easily satisfied that no attack was possible and slithered away. I dropped another ball onto the middle of the fairway and made a one putt triple!”

Peter : You can never believe anything Butler says. Especially when he starts the story with, “this happened to one of my friends”

“ This lady bought a fur coat from the Bay. It was made from beaver fur but had an exotic lining. When she got it home she was startled by a prickly feeling on her neck. She shed the coat quickly and to her shock out slithered a 3 foot snake out of neck lining. Thankfully the bite was not poisonous.

Sharron Commins: “ Two years ago I was kidnapped while doing aid work in Dafur. I was into my fourth month of capativity.”

Collectively jaws dropped around the table, I have not seen so many open mouths since we shared anatomy classes with the dentists!

“ The rebels had me in a compound, it was 50 C and I was lying down on the ground, I had a wash clothe on my face and there was an aluminum basin with water into which I would periodically dip the clothe to keep it moist. Despite being under a tree, the heat was unrelenting.

“I felt a cool sensation moving along my neck. I did not move, I thought it was one of the rebels messing with me. Suddenly there was commotion. The movement across my neck became heavier and heavier. I looked down to see the unmistakable pattern of snake skin, it was big! The rebels got it off me, what a relief. The scariest part came next, they started shooting. Despite their automatic weapons and proximity their bullets came closer to me that the frigging snake that got away! My hopes for escape became buoyed.”

The Rabbits

Cycling the first days:

We have just completed the first three days of  cycling. Each day we have been on the bikes for about 3.5 hours and have traveled on average 30 miles. The breaks are well planned and and we are generally back at the barge by 5 pm. Meals are home cooked, tasty and certainly varied. Wine is just fine and we are happy not to be paying Paris prices!

Each group, like a sports team has a character as a group and then there are individual role players.

The Rabbits:

Early on the Butlers established themselves as the rabbits. They are both well conditioned runners with well recognized amateur careers. Peter still has the second fastest marathon time ever in Canada.

From day one they have led the group and in order to get an adequate work out , have often been ahead of the guide. This of course led to the Butler bet, devised by Maclachlan ; he ,Mcguire and I wagered as to when Peter would get lost.( we all knew it would only be a matter of time). Agreement on definitions and timing took the good part of an afternoon to negotiate! The stakes, 5 Euro.

I had chosen day 3 as the projected time of their disappearance. Day one and two passed without them being lost, although there were a few close calls. Our tour guide knew of the bet and in fact discussed with him a “controlled loss”, where we would guide them off the route and find them ( of course that would be day 3). He did confide in me that he could be fired if he lost anyone in the group, thus I sensed some reluctance for him to cooperate in the end.

We had just finished lunch and were on a 25 km ride to finish the afternoon. The Butlers as usual were well out in front, today they had company, as Craig, a very avid and fit cyclist was competing with Peter. They were covering distances very quickly but waiting at the appointed rendez-vous spots.

The afternoon brought some  calamity, Glenda lost a pedal and Mcguire had experienced sustained tachycardia. I took up the rear to be with Brian to ensure his heart rate stayed low. Juan took Glenda’s bike and when we had the whole group together the problems were to be solved. Martin( the boat captain) was called and would drive to our location to repair the bike, Brian and I would cycle 7 km to the barge, the rest of the group would take a circuitous rout back to the barge at Beaulieu. It was easy to see Peter was ready to go, the wait had been too long. Once the plan was devised, he and the lead group was to cycle to the next town, Brian and I were to take the short cut.

It is necessary to reflect on the first day.There had been mischief with Craig’s wife, Jan.  She had bypassed our town and required a search party to find her. In the confusion her husband Craig had in fact taken off in the wrong direction to find her. The calamity was eventually successfully concluded although Jan was very embarrassed by the ordeal. Craig, a quiet chap hid his dismay admirably.

Brian and I were first back to the boat. Jan had taken the day off as had Maureen Maclachlan. We were greeted with a warm hello and Jan was particularly pleased to report that her husband Craig, along with Butler was officially lost! They had just phoned from an adjacent town 20 km away! In her mind the score between she and her husband was now tied at one.

 I was elated as I would be collecting the 5 Euro from Mcguire and Maclaclan. Both part with money very reluctantly!

Last Day In Paris

Last day in Paris

The morning was not wasted as we were able to track down a red bus and tour. The bus was stopping frequently so I had to debark and make my way to the hotel and check out. We took the public transit to Gare Nord and from there bus to our new home, The barge.

Organizing a group of six has it’s challenges. The night before our departure we discussed transport to the train station. The hotel guy wanted to bill the taxi through the room and charge 20 Euro a person! We and the Butler’s were content to take the #42 for 1.70 Euro each. In the end the Mcguires and the Maclachans took the taxi and we the bus. The bus trip was pleasant , there was room to pud our luggage in the handicap area and to get seats. The bus had audio and signage to announce the stops, the maps on the bus were clear, we always knew where we were. On one turn my bag went flying and Butler kindly heaved it back into it’s spot. Unfortunately there was a baby in the adjacent location with a tiny little foot sticking out. It was not clear that my heavy bag made contact but shortly thereafter there was plaintiff cry, the family hustled him off at the next stop. Butler did his best Nixon imitation of deny…deny.. deny. The possibility of another paralympian is a real possibility.

We arrived at Gare Nord , sat down for a quick lunch and I walked down the street and ran into Mcguires and Maclachlans. As we got off the bus Butler was quoted as saying “ best 1.70 Euro I have ever spent!”. I met John his comment was that our folly had saved 4.00 Euro a piece. We arrived at the same time, I did not see his point.

We started to try to find our tour guide and walked across the street and waited in front of the station. Randomly we approached likely people and actually met the majority of our crew. There was a Mother and daughter, Jennifer and Corryn from Australia, Sharron from Ireland, Inge from Belgium, Graig and Jan from Tasmania. A young man introduced himself as Jaun, the guide. We did a head count and were one short, we still had no bus , finally a man with a sign showed up and we were relieved that we were to finally get on the bus. The final participant , Gary Reeves, another Ausie was ushered onto the bus to applause.

 On the way to the barge we were apprehensive about our driver. About an hour into the drive I became a little concerned as the driver was yawning and opening and closing the window. I noticed usual sleep deprivation behavour. Mcguire was very proactive and chatted the driver and thankfully we stopped for coffee 20 mins later without incident.

We arrived at the barge a little later than planned. The trip was picturesque, rolling French countryside with the occasional villa in the distance. It was made shorter with Maclachlan sharing his scotch with anyone who was interested. I drew the line with any offerings to the driver!!

As soon as the bus was parked the crew helped move the bags from the bus to the barge, the a short do’s and don’ts of what to do on board. Next cabin assignments.

Deb and I were first called. Our cabin is just off the sun deck, shower and bathroom with a narrow upper bunk and a wider lower bunk. I describe the experience of having 2 people in the cabin as a Trudeau experience. The only way to get by one another is to do a pirouette!

The dinner which followed was very practical, pasta , salad and wine that was only $10. We retired to the sun deck to view the stars and enjoy the moment. Tomorrow we will start cycling !

In Paris

We are in Paris

Catherine has been tucked in to the University of Hull. I must say the organizers at the University were superb and she has already made some friends, I think she will do just fine.

Train travel has been excellent. We did leave 20 minutes late from Hull but made up some time and our connection to the Paris train was  very simple, with time for a nice lunch in the station. The 2 hour 17 min trip was smooth and comfortable, different from the other trains was a lack of internet connection. My trusty ipad filled the gap, I have finished the Dick Cheney book filled with his versions of history and the importance of his influence. Kind of written like a Churchill memoir without the substance or writing ability. What is clear from the book was how much George Bush consulted and how much Cheney was a piece of work undermining and second guessing his Secretary of state, Colin Powell, Don Rumstead his  minister of defence , and Condi Rice a later Secretary of State.

More light reading with the Shania Twain story, having lived in the Timmins area for three years her description of the winters and the life brought make distant memories.

On our first night we used up unspent  energy as we walked to the monument. We then walked across the river , the Eiffel Tour was spectacular in the lights we also came upon a photographic display of world photographers, really well done and magical to see 2 Canadian trained photographers so prominent.

On our first full day there was more walking and touring. We easily made our way to the champs elysees, trekked toward the oblisk ant the concorde, throught the Tuileries Gardens and finally to the Louvre. The new entrance way is one that you love or hate, I did not like it, however once in the museum it did not disappoint. Of course it takes days to do it justice, we concentrated on an Egyptian, Greek, Italian theme and were impressed with the skill and detail depicted by 300-400 BC statues.

We made our way to the Centre Pompidou for lunch on the top of the building at the restaurant Georges. The building itself is an eyesore, worse is the so called security, lack of signage, lack of any plan re moving from place to place. The lunch was tasty, the service spotty, the view excellent.

Next stop was Notre Dame Cathedral, 850 years old and with an excellent audio tour. I am constantly amazed at the building expertise and longevity of these structures. We walked home from there and were enjoying a relaxing beer at the corner beside our hotel. Deborah was asking if I had any anxieties re the upcoming bike trip and spending so much time together. Right on cue Brian  Mcguire popped around the corner , he and Carol had just arrived! I never finished my answer to Deborah.

The Butlers arrived just before 9 and we all went out for an Asian fusion meal. The fare was quite decent, the waitress unable to keep proper balance because of a huge chip on her shoulder! We did not let her spoil the meal or the company and she certainly did not spoil us.

Today was more walking and touring. We bought our bike helments and then took the metro frome St. Madelaine Cathedral to the corner of Mountparnase and Raspil to lunch at one of Brians old favorites. Afetr lunch a leisurely walk to Musee D’Orsay, a psectacular reno of the old train station with a wonderful exhibit.

Dinner tonight with the whole crew as the Maclachlans have arrived, tomorrw we start the bike tour in the late afternoon. Blogging will be time and internet dependent.