Canal archive

Personally others on CC will know that I have been and still am a big supporter of Scenic and I know they as a company are not perfect. So if you are so positive as to the inaccuracies of the Captains and through him Scenics statements of the occurrence then you should report it to the correct authorities, these should be pretty straight forward to find through the internet. If not for your own satisfaction but towards the safety of future customers not only of Scenic but other cruise companies because if as you say one can do it then so could others.

We sailed the Seine - Paris, Honfluer, Paris, this year with Scenic. Yes there were evening/overnight sailings usually to get into position for the next days frolics, oops sorry excursions. The Seine as it gets towards its meeting with the sea is not the most beautiful of rivers apart from a couple of the most spectacular bridges and the wide open spaces of the Seine estuary. As you are aiming for Le Havre you’ll miss the last one and leave the first one to go down the canal to the port. Technically I’d say the Seine itself is not the most beautiful of rivers but the history and heritage of the countryside it flows through takes an awful lot of beating. The Pont du Normandy absolutely spectacular! The second bridge.

Good idea Notamermaid and how about river cruising jargon both would be helpful to newer contributors. For example - Aquarium class or Swans view cabins.

Pretzel looks good, yum. Now feeling a little like a pin cushion- left arm covid jab, right arm flue jab, at our local surgery they had an operation going just like a well run military session. Our NHS can be right pain but every now and again they work like a dream.

Good thinking we are beginning to realise that we must be very choosy where we travel to.

How weird !

Thank you island lady you must be grinding your teeth inwardly but you are showing the most amazing attitude, I hope it does not put you off as usually river cruising becomes one of the most compulsive of habits. 🫶

🤝 oh well done 🫶

Truffle hunters come in all shapes and sizes this was ours a few years ago a real bitza but he resembled my very first dog - ahhhhhh!

Looking at Marine Traffic and the different companies reported ships draught’s, Scenics are so much more shallow, okay in the past Scenic have said that their vessels are the shallowest drafted but on a very quick scan through they are. If when your cruising you look at the bow wave of some of the heavier loaded barges (the ones sitting really low in the water) you’ll notice the side wave flowing down the boat this is where they need the depth. Upstream your pushing water, downstream your - going with the flow. On the Seine this year a tug pushing two empty barges it’s a good indication of the depth they require when fully loaded.

Yup quite proud of them mind you terrific fight back from your team. Justin Rose was one of our neighbours many moons ago when he was still an amateur.

It’s because of the variety of excursion choices that we’ve doubled up on two of scenic cruises and on the third we did the longer version. I must admit to eyeing the South of France yet again if a certain French chef is on board.

Yup but the USA fight back is well underway.

Bit of a boring afternoon helping DH watch the Ryder Cup, it does seem rather noisy!

If your a railway fan and are in Scotland and have seen the reports of the Flying Scotsman recently I can absolutely recommend the afternoon tea with bubbles on the Strathspey railway it’s supported and run by an amazing group of volunteers super afternoon, beautiful scenery and tasty Scottish afternoon tea.

Just heard the news of the floods New Yorkers keep safe and be careful all fingers crossed. ☔️

All fingers and toes crossed sending out good vibes to those pesky little water sprites.

Notamermaid these boats are particularly speedy for their day, known as Scotch boats pulled by two horses with a postilian, five days from Bath to London, 1st and 2nd class. On short trips like Bath to Bradford on Avon they even had a string quartet.

Typical Kennet & Avon Canal crane very early photograph taken mid 1800s. This particular one is no longer there but there are still several examples along the canal. The style changed from canal to canal at the whim of the canal engineer.

Not joking but it really looks as if someone has pulled out the plug.

Technically the obc is for anything on board that would cost extra as Kristelle has said you automatically get a bag of laundry included in your cruise cost which means the obc can be used for extra laundry, maybe really high end from the bar, that extra something from the on board shop or a little bit of pampering from the wellness team. I had a leg and foot massage so decadent, I really enjoyed it. Apart from the various Steiff teddy bears I’ve never left a Scenic vessel having opened my purse.

Notamermaid I’m now envisioning you wearing that essential researchers hat that all archivists have close to hand. Researching is a bug you catch it and it’s then really difficult to get rid off. Thank you for all of your fascinating finds.

We’ve sailed on the two top decks on Scenic but never in the Swans view cabin, had enough of them peering through the Swans hatch on our narrowboat when you don’t realise they are there it can scare the life out of you. We’ve also sailed on both port and starboard side mainly starboard but I agree with ScottVan and Kristelle it’s swings and roundabouts. Wherever you are and want to know what your passing take your info system used to be tailormaid now on your phone the info you get from that is phenomenal albeit a slight surprise when it suddenly bursts into life about a passing point of interest, do you jump up and have a look, ignore and carry on with your conversation or sit back and finish your cocktail of the day, so many choices. Although most of all enjoy your cruise.

Hello namesake - Lilly Maid of Astolat - we’ve got our sixth C vaccination in a few weeks time. Although not required on our recent Scenic Seine cruise we were asked to be vigalent and take care. Someone asked if we had face masks and I realised that I seem to have one in handbags, pockets you name it I found one.

On our Croft visit with Scenic 2018 we were introduced to Pink Port excellent out of the fridge on the sun deck. Mind you the Portuguese do seem to find some inventive ways to use Port in their recipes.