Unexcused Absences

No, I do not know what this means!

“Parking allowed until July 8th at 11:45 am,” stated the sign along the village of Wasserbillig’s boat mooring quay. As I read the sign, a felt a tension release I didn’t know my body held. Of course, what the sign actually said was, “Parking jusqu’à 8 Julliet à 11:45 am.” My anxiety evaporated because I was no longer illiterate — I was in Luxembourg. They speak French in Luxembourg!

After five summers in France, my brain continuously performs a low-level scan and strains to understand the unfamiliar language around me. It’s become a habit, and back in the US I find myself eavesdropping on African immigrants shopping at the Bailey’s Crossroads Trader Joe’s or the Quebecois skiers at Beaver Creek. Thanks to this habit, I now understand some very basic French and feel quite comfortable navigating every-day tasks in France.

But then, we traveled to Germany. Although excited to see the lovely Mosel Valley and cruise the famous ‘chou cru route‘ (French for the ‘cabbage route’), I was anxious because, honestly, I hardly knew two words of German. From the moment we crossed the border, I couldn’t read street signs, follow instructions, or communicate with those around me. Germans proved to be kind, patient and helpful, but it really was an alien landscape. I managed to do laundry – in German (and pantomime)! I bought groceries (slowly) – in German!

I think I understand what this is – dino Müsli!

But faced with an unknown language on all sides and constantly attempting to decipher the situation stressed me a bit, like a little hum in the background you don’t notice. But suddenly, the hum ceased. The Luxembourg village posted mooring instructions in French, waitresses and shop-keepers spoke French, and we easily made the acquaintance of a lovely restauranteur and his crew over a delicious meal at La Frègate. We could communicate once again!

German seems like a pretty interesting language — where else can you make an entire sentence into a single word? Nonetheless, I’ll continue to focus on improving my French going forward, although I will certainly have more to say next time I visit Germany.

Several readers have asked to see interior photos of the good ship, Après Ski. As she is quite compact inside, it takes special photographic effort by the captain and his GoPro to capture the interior. The GoPro’s extremely wide-angle lens makes it look much bigger than it actually is!

The salon and galley. We have a four-burner gas stove, grill and oven.

The master cabin -> lots of shelves and hooks make up for a small closet.

Guest cabin

Guest bath (note the tiny vegetable sprayer that doubles as the shower)

Proudly displaying the village’s sister-city

For two countries who fought two major wars in the last century and three wars within one hundred years, the French and the Germans display remarkably little hostility to one another today. We’ve noticed many German tourists here in France, and the French seem to treat them with courtesy, just as they do all other tourists. Even in towns once destroyed and occupied by Germans, the French don’t seem to harbor any special animosity toward Germans. I’ve asked French acquaintances if there are lingering feelings of hatred, and the answer is no. A lot of effort has gone into creating this good will over the years.

After the Second World War tore Europe apart less than 25 years after the First World War did the same, a populist movement began to repair the emotional wounds and to allay the hatred and resentment from the Wars, seeking to heal rather than to punish. The mayor of Montbéliard (where we visited last summer), a French resistance fighter who had been taken to Buchenwald concentration camp as a prisoner of war, pioneered the modern concept of sister cities. He worked to pair his city with Ludwigsburg, Germany. In French, this relationship is known as jumelage. 

French and German flags fly over the port of Le Chesne — A city twice overrun by German troops in the 20th century.

Jumelage with multiple, international cities

Jumelage encompasses cultural and educational events, business relationships and even childhood pen pals. In 1963, these social and cultural pairings were formalized by French President Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, with the signing of the Elysée Treaty. According to rumor, Konrad Adenauer turned to Charles de Gaulle at the formal signing ceremony and said, “Never again.”

There are now over 2,500 French/German sister cities as well as thousands of other sister-city pairs between EU communities. At our friend Marianne’s invitation, we attended Dijon’s celebration of jumelage with the German city of Mainz during our first week here in France. Her long-time German friends, Albert and Manuela, teachers from Mainz, have been coming to Dijon regularly for nearly 20 years. Thanks to jumelage, the two families fostered long-term bonds of friendship across borders.

Now, Europe functions as a cohesive economic unit rather than a location where tribes of white people continually fight each other — thanks in part to the simple yet powerful concept of jumelage and people who worked so hard to forgive and move forward.

Travelers often speak of their attempts to seek an “authentic” experience when they travel, trying to avoid “touristy” things. Fortunately, this extremely easy for visitors in France.

Photo courtesy of Gîtes de France

The French equivalent of a B&B is called a Chambres d’Hôtes, literally, rooms from hosts. Unlike many American B&B’s which tend to be grand homes and host 6 or more guests, many Chambres d’Hôtes are a single room in a French family home. Guests receive breakfast along with a room for the night. In a Table d’Hôtes, guests eat dinner along with the host family for a flat fee, becoming extended family members during their stay.

Photo courtesy of Gîtes de France

Europeans have a long tradition of offering space in homes to travelers going back over a thousand years. In the 19th-century, the city-dwelling middle class began to imitate wealthy families which migrated to country resorts during the summers. Farmers offered room and board to these vacationers seeking relaxation in the countryside. The 1960’s saw more and more visitors to the countryside with a corresponding growth in Chambres d’Hôtes. While there are many more rural and sea-side Chambres d’Hôtes than urban properties, it is now possible to find a Chambres d’Hôtes nearly any place in France. There is no standard formula a host must follow, which leads to a charming variety of experiences for guests from a simple room on a rustic French farm to a luxurious suite in a château. No matter where you stay, expect to find a welcoming host and local cuisine.

The patio at Marianne and Jean-Pierre’s “La Chambre Perchée”

Now that their last child has left home (congratulations on the new job, Clémence!), our friends Marianne and Jean-Pierre have opened a Chambres d’Hôtes called La Chambre Perchée (the perched room) in their home in Plombiers-les-Dijon. They chose to open their home to strangers because they are outgoing, enjoy meeting new people, and want to run a small business. If you are in Dijon, I can’t think of a more welcoming place to stay than La Chambre Perchée! 

Photo courtesy of Gîtes de France

If you stay in a Chambres d’Hôtes, you will automatically meet an outgoing, friendly local. Who better to point out the best spots in their city, stay on top of local events, and let you in on a few local secrets?  Gîtes de France offers both Chambres d’Hôtes and Table d’Hôtes along with vacation rentals (called Gîtes).

So before you book a hotel or rent an apartment in France, consider joining a French family (temporarily) and booking a Chambres d’Hôtes instead!

The marina in Dole, France

First, a big thank you to our readers, friends and family who have enthusiastically greeted the recent publication of A Practical Guide for European Canal Boat Charters, recommending it to friends and helping spread the word about the book! Its publication has put me in touch with lots of old friends, and I just loved the flood of emails from all parts of the globe that allowed me to catch up with folks. All the talk of the book highlighted some interesting connections between people we know and made me realize just how interconnected our world actually is.

While not a marina, the Coyote Cafe, Beaver Creek, CO is definitely a watering spot!

Our friends Audre and Dimitri, who have been traveling continuously since 1995, live in Vail, Colorado during the winter. As members of the local French club (which meets at the lovely La Tour restaurant once a week), they were practicing their French while at a local ski shop. A gentleman approached them (also speaking French), and introduced himself, explaining he had done some canal boating in France. When Audre recommended my book to him, he laughed and said ironically, he’d downloaded it that morning! It turns out we met Peter on Excargot (don’t you love that name?) in Nevers when we docked next to his lovely boat! It’s a small world ….

The marina at Staniel Cay, Bahamas

Later in the week, I heard from my star volunteer editor, Laura, whom we met in Staniel Cay. She and her husband, Bruce, recently reconnected with some old friends, French canal boaters Pete and Lilian along with John and Karen, and discovered that they all know us. Prior to our purchase of Après Ski, John and Karen encouraged us to buy a canal boat, inviting us aboard Château Deux and sharing their cruising wisdom with us. And we met Pete and Lilian and reconnected with John and Karen in St. Jean-de-Losne a couple summers ago. How ironic that they have old ties to one of the book’s editors!

We are delighted to hear that the book has helped our friends around the world connect and reconnect. It’s wonderful to know that nice folks are always able to find one another!