BargeBlog

Homeport at last

We arrived in homeport October 13, inauspiciously a Friday the Thirteenth. We'd closed the loop we'd started seven years ago on our training cruise and our maiden voyage from Holland, begun in the middle of July this year. Now, almost exactly 3 months later, Imagine circled the lock to our homeport like a duck circling the nest. I recalled our attempt to enter this tricky lock on our maiden voyage. Paul had this approach nailed now...didn't he? I sat at my post on the bow with my boat hook in hand, ready to enter the deep entrance to the Canal Rhone au Rhin. I imagined a triumphant entry, a welcoming lockkeeper, our friends alerted to our arrival, lining the side of the lock or waving from their boats. It didn't happen that way. Instead, I watched as Imagine's bow lined up with the entrance, waited…and felt us sideslip toward the wall. There was much more current in the Saône than we'd thought. No, no no. That's not right, I thought. I glanced back at Paul, cast a quizzical look, and hoped he read my concern. But over 80 feet away, I didn't have a hope of reading his expression. He surely couldn't read mine either. Maybe he'd see my face turned toward him. I breathed a sigh of relief as I first heard, then felt, Paul shift into reverse, back up, and try the entry over again. This time, he did nail the entrance and we were home. And so, we finished our Centennial Cruise. The highlights of the trip will stay with us always. And, American that I am, I can't help but rank them. And so (pretend there's a drum roll) the highlights were:

Number five

The Aqueduct at Briare. This was something we'd always wanted to do, an historic water bridge over the River Loire. The photo is of me and our guest, Bill, taken by his wife Diane, who stayed with us for three weeks!

Number four

Moret sur Loing. We'd been in this town on our training trip, and it was as gorgeous as we remembered.

Number three

Seeing the village of Sancerre. We likened this lovely town to Beaune on a hilltop, with a view of the vineyards. No only was the town exquisite, but the abundance of Sancerre wine and the Pouilly Fume from across the valley taught me to appreciate these wines.

Number two!

Champagne on the River Marne, during the Vendage, the wine harvest. If you've wanted to cruise by miles of vineyards, this is the place. There's nothing like it anywhere else we've traveled on Imagine. The people were wonderful, the countless Champagne tastings and restaurants made this a superb experience.

And Number one!

Mooring beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris. No question for either of us – this was the top experience of our trip. For three glorious days, we toured Paris. We sat every evening as hourly the lights raced up and down the Tower and reflected in our wine glasses as we enjoyed the show. The bateaux Mouche did roar by and moved us slightly with their wakes but even they could be forgiven when one of them passed, a well-dressed crowd applauded, and we saw a bride and groom kiss as they said, "I do." How much more romantic can you get than to be married on a boat with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop?

Returning to homeport, continued.

And how much better could a season be? Not any.