Journey from Bingen to St Goar- The Narrowest and Fastest Section of the Rhine

Posted on June 30, 2014 by agclontarf

All the guide books warn that the river section from Bingen to Saint Goar can be fast and dangerous due to strong currents and shallow areas. At the same time, they say it is the most beautiful section of the Rhine as the river runs through a deep valley with lots of castles perched on the hill sides. Continue reading →

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Meeting Tom Carolyn Emily & Georgia

Posted on June 28, 2014 by agclontarf

We have met lots of interesting people on our Gap Year. In a many ways it’s the people who make the trip great for us.  Among those people were Tom and Carolyn and their children Emily and Georgia from Canada. Continue reading →

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Visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg

Posted on June 25, 2014 by agclontarf

We got to visit the European Parliament on Tuesday 17th June. You cannot just show up at the Parliament, you have to arrange the visit in advance. We would like to thank MEP Gay Mitchell for arranging the visit for us.  It would have been much shorter for us to get from Paris to Berlin via Nancy and the Mosel but I wanted to see the EU Parliament as one of my Gap Year goals.  Hence, the detour through Strasbourg. Continue reading →

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What I feared Most Happened

Posted on June 24, 2014 by agclontarf

I have always said to Nuala, that on the Gap Year, the biggest risk was that one of us would get sick. The boat is great, designed and built to handle all the different type of water conditions we have meet on the trip. We had carefully planned the journey to try and cover every possible eventuality (some would even say we brought too much stuff including our stuffed cat from home) but we could not guarantee our health. Continue reading →

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Our First Days on the Rhine

Posted on June 24, 2014 by agclontarf

We have started our journey on the Rhine!  It’s a mighty fast flowing river, with high volumes of barge traffic- a place to be very careful. Hence, there have been no blogs as we have been fully occupied staying out of trouble!  It’s a complete change from France’s narrow canals and locks and little or no traffic. Continue reading →

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Bill & Cora arrive, so no blogs for Six Days!

Posted on June 18, 2014 by agclontarf

Bill & Cora Kee arrived to stay with us last Thursday. Since they came, there have been no blogs as we were having such a great time!! Continue reading →

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It’s Hot – so Hot- We have hit a heat wave

Posted on June 11, 2014 by agclontarf

This evening we are in Hesse on  ‘La Canal de la Marne au Rhin Est.’ It is so hot. It’s 8.00pm and still 38 degrees. Continue reading →

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Taking the boat to the Supermarket to get Food and Diesel

Posted on June 9, 2014 by agclontarf

Alan an English man, who we had met in Nancy, told us about a very good supermarket along the canal as you exit Nancy. He informed us that you could moor the boat alongside the supermarket and get your groceries. So as we motored along the canal, we noticed two boats tied up along the bank and then realised it was the Supermarket so we stopped. Continue reading →

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I love France but……………

Posted on June 6, 2014 by agclontarf

I love our time in France but sometimes it can be frustrating. This week we arrived in Nancy and booked into Port St George. It rained all day. It cost €20 per day and Nuala refused to move off the boat in the rain. Then… Continue reading →

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Celebratory Dinner in a Kebab Fast Food Bar

Posted on June 6, 2014 by agclontarf

Sorry blog late internet – dongle broke – had to buy new one  which took a day and cost €99!

To celebrate reaching Lock 1 and the Summit of The Canal de la Marne au Rhin, when we arrived in Void, I suggested to Nuala that we have dinner out. Nuala was delighted, and went off to get ready which took nearly an hour. To find out how we ended up eating outside a Kebab Bar read more. Continue reading →

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