From Void, we continued to the pleasant town of Pagny sur Meuse. Apart from having that all important shop- a Boulangerie- it also had a train station so that we could travel for the day to Nancy in order to attend a previously made appointment. There was also a Baguette making machine by the side of the road!
Waiting for the train to Nancy
Pagny has some pleasant sculptures and plenty of healthy garden allotments. It also has a Millenium Garden which contains sculptures such as shown here.
This stretch of canal contains the start of the Meuse canal and both canals get their water from the same place, the River Meuse. Because the water level was already well below normal in the canal we were navigating, this meant that there was a scarcity of water for the Meuse Canal (which is one of the principal Eastern routes to Belgium). So, it is not surprising that the Meuse Canal has been closed for most of the last six weeks. This is a pity for us as we had been looking forward to revisiting the beautiful Ardennes Region. It is more of a problem for the Dutch and Belgians seeking to return home via that route.
The prominent Toul Cathedral from afar
We continued through the Foug tunnel, which is merely 866metres long, towards Toul. On that section, we passed a commercial barge, half laden, travelling the other way. We thought it might be depth challenged on the sections we had just travelled and so it came to pass. They ran aground the next day, blocking the Mauvages Tunnel and all the locks either side of it. The VNF had to build up the water level at the summit in order to get the barge afloat and on its way again. We were pleased to have missed the excitement and the delays.
Toul is a very pleasant town which was heavily fortified by the brilliant military architect, Vauban. It has substantial walls and a moat right around. Nowadays, sheep and goats graze in the moat.
Vauban's defences
We spent the Fete Nationale (Bastille Day to English speakers) in Toul.
Virtual storyteller recounting the history of Toul
They had an excellent "son et lumiere" (sound and light) show using lasers on the Town Hall. Penelope and Will attended the evening parade and the awarding of medals to people. We erected Anja's mast in order to celebrate the day and a number of other boats decorated their vessels with flags.
Anja celebrating the Fete Nationale
Toul Cathedral
Toul Cathedral
Best Regards,
Dave and Penelope