Showing posts with label Canal de l'Est. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canal de l'Est. Show all posts

Tuesday, 29 September 2015

Autumn afternoon.

A few puffs of white cloud, bright blue sky and  warm sunshine - a perfect Autumn day in late September - Tuesday the 29th.

We drive to Reville-aux-Bois and climb the roads which twist and turn through the surrounding forests.  The view at the top, on the Meuse Heights, is wonderful.








Then down to Sivry-en-Meuse where we find a pretty spot by the water.







Out come the picnic chairs and our books which we read between drinking in the pretty surroundings.

My heel is less painful this afternoon and walking easier so I walk, without a stick, a short way to investigate a flurry of ducks.  Of course by the time I arrive most have disappeared but I get a photo of one…






  …the reeds…
...some cows in a meadow...


…and some of the flowers, bark and berries…









…and a distant shot of Ron, reading his book.





An hour or so later, the clouds join to partly hide the sun and the blustery east wind starts to become a nuisance so we leave, passing Sivry church en route.





We take a slight detour to Vilosnes where the Canal de l'Est and the river Meuse merge for a while.

























Then up to Haraumont where I take distance shots of the communication towers (as promised in a previous blog post)…





























…and again through forests and farmland to Ecurey-en-Verdunois and back home to Damvillers.

We were only out for two hours but it was a welcome change.

Monday, 29 June 2015

Pouilly-sur-Meuse

Sunday 28th June 2015.  A very warm, dry and sunny day.  After lunch, we decided to investigate a small area to the east and north-east of Stenay…an area new to us.

We approached via Laneuville, then between the Forêt de Dieulet and the Forêt de Jaunay on the D30, turning right at the border of the Meuse area of Lorraine.

Just below the village of Pouilly-sur-Meuse, the River Meuse and the Canal de l’Est run closely in parallel, then converge.











Canal views from each side of the bridge...
















Three horses came to the river for a drink.  There was an obvious pecking order but once the first one had his fill, the other two went together, while the lead horse made his way for a nibble of leaves from a nearby bush.








Three people in a small boat head for the shallow weir and we head out on the return journey.

We returned to Laneuville - via Luzy-St-Martin and Cesse with the  Meuse on our left but sadly not visible - and back to the Meuse at Port de Plaisance at Stenay for a short walk by the river and afterwards a welcome, cold beer at the Café du Port before returning home.




Ah, a shady spot on a hot day...


...startling graffiti...

...sunlit ripples...


...and now for a cold beer which we enjoyed sitting at umbrella tables by the water - didn't take a photo as my mind was on the refreshment!











Late yesterday evening - at 11.45.p.m. - the sky was still light in the west…




Photos taken from a first-floor window at the end of a lovely day.