Loving Cergy!

Hello there from sunny Cergy.  Yes, the sun has got it's hat on, hip-hip-hip-hooray!  And what a difference a bit of sunshine makes.  We're very happy here at Cergy PdP and are staying for a week, moving on this Wednesday.

Port Cergy from canal bridge

Cergy PdP with "Reward" on the back quayside wall

Saturday 1 June
Shopping today as we needed to replenish our wine collection - loving the Cote du Rhone and Bordeaux wines ... Our friends Ken & Katie on "Stardust" arrived and we invited them onboard for a long-overdue glass or two of vino which was fun.  Like us, they're staying 'til Wednesday then moving onto Paris.  The marina here is on par with Brighton in terms of size but not as claustrophobic.  Houses/flats surround the marina but they are a better designed and planned.  There are a few restaurants and bars too, plus the village shops on your doorstep. 

Sunday 2 June
The Cergy region is very green and, today, we crossed the river to the leisure park, Base de Loisirs, which comprises a huge lake surrounded by parkland - about 10km or more in circumference.  All kinds of leisure activities are catered for: dinghy sailing, kayaking, rowing, water-skiing (on cable - no boat), white-water rafting, pedaloes, a lido, the blob jump (where you're catapulted from a seat into the lake - brilliant! - wish it had been open today).  There are also various gym-type weights machines dotted around for the odd bench press or leg press should the desire take you!  The French seem to be much more outward bound than the Brits and were out en masse today - great to see so many people enjoying outdoor activities - the Brits could learn a thing or too - but we all know that!

Monday 3 June
A lazy day today as it was a bit overcast & chilly so we did a few chores: cleaning, fuel stock-up, groceries and that luxury of luxuries - reading!  I started a book in Dover and am only quarter of the way through - Mick reckons I like blogging too much!  We also had some good news: we've reserved a mooring at Paris Arsenal marina, central Paris so we're relieved.  The recent bad weather resulted in a bottleneck - boats just weren't moving - so moorings weren't available.  The Harbour Master hung up on Mick last week - despite his Franglais - but he plucked up the courage to call back again today et voila!  Great news as we'll be centrally located for our friends' visit at the weekend.

Tuesday 4 June - last day in Cergy
A lovely sunny day so we decided to go the Axe-Majeur - a conceptual urban town development.  It looked quite impressive - approached by the red bridge below (a White House building is at the far end of the bridge, above the treeline) and, from the top looks back over the lake.  But as we approved the centre ville it reminded us of the Ministry of Thought ... imposing white buildings with darkened windows and, true to form, administrative offices formed the majority of the development!

The Red Bridge approach to the Axe Majeur conceptual urban town

Looking back over the lake with Paris on the horizon

And a late in the day update: our friends Alan & Carole on 'She's a B' arrived at 4pm today.  Great to see them again as they were due to arrive tomorrow, our departure day.  Naturally we had some catching up to do and were invited onto their sunny aft cockpit for a glass or several of vino collapso!  Sadly, we had to depart as our dinners were ready - ours a beef bourginon (an easy 'low and slow in oven' dish for just this type of scenario!)

So, that's our week in Cergy.  We are fully rested and ready for the next stage of our journey, Paris which is about a third of our journey through France.  Part 2 is the picturesque, central region of France which comprises over 100 locks - many of which are smaller than those we've encountered so far.  Part 3 is the Saone and Rhone which we'll cover very quickly given the current and lack of locks - though the locks are apparently HUGE!  So, until the next time - a bientot!