Port Napoleon 4 April

Holed up on Lellebelle the whole day yesterday because of never ending rain,

Spent the day reading and making up stories of the other visitors on the pontoon. 

The first boat is O'Mally from Inverness..

...and the next one Catherine D from TL (Toulouse?). Both these boats were here last year and we have not seen a soul or movement on board, but they look well looked after. Having not seen any people we have not made up any stories for them.

Our pontoon, G, with a blue camper from Monaco parked at the entrance. It contains a bearded man with two big dogs. They seem to have the first boat on the right on the pontoon, but they live in the van. He is very rarely seen and we think he is a hiding something in the van, hence the two big dogs. Wonder what it smells like in the van?

A boring photo, but just to show the rest of the pontoon. The yacht with the red stripe belongs to the sneaky dog owner from Monaco. Next to him is a catamaran. We have been eyeing the small, red haired man with a big fuzzy pony tail for a few days. He plays music in the evenings  and goes out for numerous smokes on deck. A lady arrived on Friday evening and before we saw that there was a baby we thought, aha! Here we might have a story! Met them in the Supermarche today and he told us that he is the captain of the catamaran which has been in Florida but has been brought to Port Napoleon to be sold. Met the sweet baby.

Next to us is a yacht with a very large blonde woman on board and sometimes a smaller man. They sailed out of the marina on Saturday, in the rain and wind, and did not come back till Sunday afternoon. We were getting worried about them. We do not know where they could have gone for the weekend. It was blowing like crazy and they did not have the sails up. I will not relate Carl's version of what they were up to. The large blonde women is French, we think, or maybe Austrian, but she looks very much like a Valkyrie. She does not talk to us, although she chats to the others on the pontoon.

The next boat, a German flag breezed in on Friday with a really elderly couple and a little ( about 4 years old) boy. They had taken down the mast so we presumed they were also going up the Rhone. But they left on Saturday in the wind and rain, much to our consternation. (Untill today when we saw them tied up in th Marina at Port St Louis). Carl had ideas about child smuggling.......

At the end of the plontoon is a big old fashioned wooden yacht where a worried looking elderly gentlemen seems to live permanently. 

Starting on the other side is a middle aged couple in a yacht with a dog, a Spaniel. Did not have much contact with them untill they found us walking to the village on Saturday, and today found us walking back, and gave us a lift both days. Silence in the car because the communication French/English does not work so well. But we did manage to understand that they bought the boat in November and they are planning to sail to Crete in July. This is their first boat and I wish them luck! Apparently he is the sailing type and this will be the first time for her. Sort of like it always is!

The next boat is the motor  sailboat  which the previously mentioned Kurt is taking to Landskrona, but because of the delay due to repair of the lock, they went off to Greece. Kurt has the most amazing stories to tell of his life on the high seas.

A youngish couple had been working very hard  on the next boat for a few days but packed up and left by car the next day. Reminded me of Dan and Margaret because the woman was sent climbing up to the top of the mast to fix or adjust something. Margaret has described in detail how Dan sent her up the mast of their boat last year. Now I can picture it. 

And then we have a Jeanneau,  Dutch, middle aged couple. The woman for some reason awakes Carl's fantasy of what happens on that boat. They seem to have a problem with finding the right balance for the boat and this has been a continual worry for us. Has he noticed how lopsided his boat is? Should we tell him? ( this just shows how little we have to do!)

Next to the The Jeaneau a friendly French family, mom dad and three children have arrived. The man told me, in English, that they were planning to go to Corsica, but because of the bad weather, they will make a shorter trip eastwards.

A few more boats have come in today, but because it has stopped raining and the sun is trying to come out, we have other things to do than decide other people's lives!

Port Napoleon 31 March - 2 April

A week in Port Napoleon, St Louis

Our brave friends from Sweden (on the boat they fetched in Greece ) tried to enter the Rhone via another canal, but were turned back. Back at Port Napoleon, Svenne decided to fly back to Sweden rather than wait here a week, and Kurt and Ann-Britt flew off to Greece for a week. But before they left they gave us this bag of the most wonderful lemons, straight from a friends garden in Grece. They smell and taste like Greece!

My seasick / motionsick bands back in use! Forgot about them because I have managed with only a little queasiness for the last two seasons. But was hit by a real seasickness IN THE MARINA at Port Napoleon! How did that happen? Found the bands and the " Calma" chewing gum and staring to feel better.

This is the reason for us being stuck here for a week, the lock leading out to the Rhone is being repaired, or rather the bridge on one side of the lock.

Here is the lock. Seems like there is hardly any difference in the level of the water. Good, we can get back into lock training slowly.

Carl looking out at the Rhone, check the baguette!

Carl considering the exit from the lock, or entrance from the Rhone. Exit for us. Check the baguette!

Port Napoleon is in the Parc Naturel Regional de Camargue. Baguette!

Could these be our first horses of the Camargue?

They are in an enclosure and a bit mangy. The area around here reminds us a bit of the area round theDanube delta. Looks like a place where gypsies live. They use the word "gypsy" here and say that they are very nice, helpful and friendly. They have a festival every spring at a nearby seaside town with wonderful music, according to the owner of Josephine, the restaurant here. Apparently the group, The Gipsey Kings" are from that village.

Port Napoleon has no shops, only Josephine, an excellent restaurant. We have to take a 30 minute walk to Port St Louis to the shops. St Louis does not have very much to offer. Even the personal at the marina says there is nothing to do here! We have seen a sign to a beach about 4 km away, and if it will stop raining, we will explore this beach tomorrow. It is right at the Rhone Delta, a really wild delta, we have heard

But, they have oysters! Carl hoping for oysters for dinner. Moi? No way, still recovering from seasickness and can only eat rice.

Port Napoleon 30 March

Last night on land. 

We met the most amazing people last night, Kurt and Ann-Britt from Uddevalla and Svenne from Ludvika and Arvidsjuar. 

They had taken a boat Nauticat 38 from Greece to Port Napoleon. They are taking the boat back to Sweden for a customer, via the canals. I feel like a real wimp listening to these +70 and + 80 year old youngsters and their trip from Greece to France with only two or three stops and I am trying to convince Carl not to take a 1,5 hour trip in a sheltered bay to Port st Louis because of the wind.

Turns out the only lock by which we can enter the Rhone is under repair and will not be open untill 8 April! We certainly did start off too early. So we find something to do for the week and get used to living on the boat again.

Lellebelle will be launched today.

At 09:00 the truck with haul wagon came to fetch LB. Same procedure as

Last year but in reverse.

Here we go.

It's about 300 m to the launching place.

At the launching place.

On its way into the water. Leslie in horror. 

Everything went well. LB stayed afloat and the motor started at first try. 

Things can't be better. Mooring went well and Leslie hopped ashore and tied up like it was yesterday. 

Marseille to Port Napoleon 29 March

Enjoyed the luxury of a hotel for the second last time at the Ibis Airport Hotel, Marseille.

Sunshine in Marseille looks promising. Back to normal, looking for the bus stop and hopefully finding it. We took bus number 38 to Martique, bus number 2 to Port St Louis and were told to take bus number 3 to Port Napoleon. When it finally arrived we were told that we had to call to reserve a bus because there were so few people taking a bus to Napoleon at this time of year (we are maybe out a bit early!) Carl found a cafe where the owner found someone to drive us. Turns out that he is Spanish. I thought I could get by in Spanish, but after the past few months of trying to learn French, the Spanish is gone! Carl however is sprouting Spanish!

And here we are, back on board. Lellebelle is shining in the sunlight. Everything works.

Bordeaux and Boutenac-Touvent 24-28 March

First stop Boutenac-Touvent, a village close to Bordeaux, where we celebrated Gunilla R's 60th.

Managed a quick visit to the city of Bordeaux before flying to Marseille.

Bordeaux, the wine capital of the world! We were happy to spend a day, Easter Monday, walking around this lovely old town. This is an enormous statue on the square " Quionqoun" or King Kong as Carl translated it.

Outside the theatre this wonderful work of art. It rained in the morning so we spent a lot of time in Grand Cafe. Sun came out in the afternoon but there was not enough time to learn about the history. Definitely a place to return to. Denise and Anders returned to Sweden and we fly to Marseilles.

Visiting our favourite Boulangerie in Brie, village next to Boutenac Touvent. We got to practice our 10 words in French with the owners Lionel and Laurette.

A visit to Mortagne sur Gironde where a hermit lives in the caves in the background. He is open to visitors but not today!

LelleBelle travel map

Planned trip for 2016 travel. Starting date in Port Napoleon around 31th of March.

 

The map below shows the 2014 and 2015 travels fairly accurately. 

We´ll see if we manage to stick to the planned route for 2016.

Here we go again

On 24 March at 04:50 in the morning we are ready to leave Hollviken for another season with Lellebelle.

Lots of expectations for the final leg of the "round Europe trip". But departure at this early time of the day sucks. We'll only see LB in Port Napoleon on 29 April. 

First we visit  Herman and Gunilla in Boutenac-Touvent to celebrate G's 60th birthday. We travel with Anders and Denise.