Ferte to Meaux then Langry sur Marne

Yesterday was an absolute scorcher, it reached 42degs and was still 39degs at 9:30 in the evening. In the morning, from our lovely quiet mooring on the halte behind the tiny island, we walked to the market at Ferte sous Juarre and bought some delicious raspberries and strawberries before setting off. Oh yes the previous evening we had also wandered into town and chose to have a drink at the bar frequented by the local in the process of changing genders from male to female, it seems he had just had Botox in his lips. We had a good day on the river meandering backwards and forwards through every compass bearing. We stopped for lunch by a lock and tried to visit the pumping station museum next door that moves water from the Marne to the Canal d’Ourcq but it was closed. However it was unbearably hot, we were sweating standing still so after struggling for a few more kilometers we followed the locals example and had a quick dip in the river, it was surprisingly refreshing. We couldn’t stay in for long as we had left the boat drifting and it was getting close to the bank. Our initial plan was to stop at Poincy but there was no space so we continued to Meaux. It’s not a tourist town and when we first arrived to add insult to injury, we couldn’t get the electricity and water to work, but the technician arrived to fix it, at 17:00 on a Friday, we were surprised. The next morning it was thankfully a lot cooler, we visited the market. After missing the markets for ages we got two in quick succession. Then off we go, it remained overcast, weaving around again going through 4locks and the Chalifert tunnel until we reached Langry sur Marne where we were going to stop just for lunch but one of the other boat captains persuaded us to stay the night. We met two other British boats that have had to change their plans due to canal closures. We have had a walk around town seen the sights and visited the church, there was a wedding taking place, seemed weird that we could walk in but the stain glass windows were beautiful.
There is another market in the morning that we will visit before we leave, we are now only 26km from the confluence with the Seine.Read more