A Short Trip Down The Loing
We arrived in the town of Montargis in early afternoon. It is a charming town surrounded by forests and crisscrossed by 132 bridges and footbridges (including the Victor Hugo footbridge, designed by the Eiffel company) and is made up of small islands, canals, and waterfront streets. It is irrigated by the waters of the Loing River, the Briare canal, the Vernisson River and a tributary to the Loing - the Puiseaux. This region around the valley of the Loing River is known as the ‘Gâtinais’, and the town of Montargis is therefore nicknamed the ‘Venice of Gâtinais’.
The homes along the tiny canals are a blend of half-timbered houses and Renaissance mansions. Montargis is also known for the famous Praline de Montargis, made from grilled almonds coated in caramel, as well as Gâtinais Honey, renowned for its delicate taste and creamy texture. Apparently it is characterized by the specific trees and flowers of the region including; clover, rapeseed, chestnut, and wildflowers.
While our guests went in search of a rental car to continue their travels through France by road, we made a grocery list and noted a few additional items we would need for the large locks ahead. Aided by the use of their car we accomplished those errands with ease. We said goodbye after a lovely week together, waving our “au revoirs”, and began strategizing our next move. Quite soon we would be completing the canal portion of our waterways tour, arriving at the confluence with our final river, the Seine, which would take us through Paris en-route to the sea.
Over the next two days we discovered deserted nature haltes, basked in the warm sun, and observed the diverse flora and fauna of the countryside.
As we sauntered further along I marveled at the design and construction of hundreds of years old farmhouses and enormous barns. Seeing these huge farmsteads stirs something deep within me. For decades, my entire adult life in fact (prior to boat-life), I have grown food. Starting seedlings each spring, nurturing them all summer and reaping the benefit and tremendous satisfaction from harvesting, preserving, cooking, and sharing this food. I yearn for that part of land-life.
In a world dominated by convenience and corporations, growing your own food is the ultimate act of defiance. It reconnects us with the land, nourishes our families and communities, and cultivates real independence. It is the root of my headstrong willfulness and the reason for my insatiable urge to visit street markets wherever we go and to talk with the farmers. It brings me closer to salt-of-the-earth folks and serves to connect me, albeit briefly, with my people.
Though far less defiant, Tom graciously encourages this mini rebellion, conceding space wherever I can find it for growing food. This particular boating season would have been the perfect year to grow food aboard - on these serene, freshwater rivers. Somehow, at the time, it seemed frivolous and expensive so I avoided this excess by limiting myself to one small container. Despite it’s diminutive size, I have begun harvesting fresh basil and it brings me such humble gratification.
Further along the Loing the surroundings slowly began to change, forests and farmland giving way to more industry and a greater number of large barges on the water.
We had decided to call it a day in the town of Nemours, but as we got close to the halte the water became choked with weeds and we just weren’t feeling it. It was still early afternoon and with little consideration, we decided to carry on to the next town.
On a windy afternoon we passed through our last canal lock and out through the confluence with the Upper Seine River. We turned upstream and immediately entered the marina. Docking here proved to be a bit challenging. We were not only battling strong winds, but we’d also grown so accustomed to the stillness of the canals we were not used to the steady current of a big river. Neither of us had anticipated this and it took some maneuvering to get ourselves tucked into our slip. Once secured and settled, we toasted our accomplishment of completing the canal portion of our chosen route and reaching the final leg of our journey through France.
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