The End of Winter
By the end of the season friendships are formed and the port is quite a jolly and comfortable place to be, travel itches notwithstanding. Otilia, the lady who helps run the local cafe and host our weekly happy hour, threw a Shrove Tuesday evening with pancakes for all. Actually, it was slightly delayed to await the return of some vacationers from South Africa who blew into town for the week, but the spirit was very much the same. Some twenty boaters crowded along the table to sample crepes and wine. We had to take a turn at flipping the crepes before sitting down to eat and some were more successful than others. Enough said on that. The evening was very enjoyable and a gift from the cafe. As a measure of the season, conversation had shifted from maintenance to cruising plans, with almost no two boats going off in the same direction. I imagine we will all miraculously reappear in the early days of next winter to begin the communal hibernation again.
We had a small flurry of excitement with a section of the Paris-Nice bicycle race stopping here in Roanne. For my part it was too damn cold to stand out waiting for the racers to appear, particularly since I had no idea of who was on first, so we missed the actual event. The nearby streets looked like a movie set with huge trailers and busses lining the road. On the cute front, prior to the big guys' arrival, the youngsters held competitions of speed and agility, making as much use as possible of the organized closure of the roads. French kids are very well behaved in public and it really was warming to watch them participate in the games.
Finally the big day came - the departure of the first boat of the season. A chilly crew stood watch as Geert and Annemarie left the port on their way to Sneek, back in the north of Holland. Their ultimate destination this year is Denmark before their promised return to Roanne, a trip that most of the bargers would not find possible. It will be a busy summer for them.
I have to say that our stay in Roanne has been more than pleasant. Firstly, there is a comraderie among the boaters that stems from a common lifestyle and pretty well common age group and circumstances. But there is also a delightful association with the "frenchness" of our environment that develops more here than when travelling the canals. We have to speak French, no matter how haltingly, and we form "acquaintanceships" at the shops, the gym, doctor, dentist and barber. We get a better sense of what it is to be French, in a political perspective, which is refreshing, and in a family perspective, which is characterized by well behaved kids, devotion to the family, an unreal love of fishing for inedible, tiny fish, and a polite regard for all people that is seldom seen in other cultures. It has been a pleasure to be here; even more so when combined with great food, wine, and countryside.
