Thursday 30th August - Viéville to Chaumont

The plan was to leave at 9 o’clock but it was nearer 9.30 before we untied.  The forecast was for cloud all day but no rain and indeed, we left under full cloud.  We had a shower shortly before departing though, so the deck was wet, the ropes were wet, Crews’ gloves were wet and therefore Crews’ hands were cold and wet too!!  Not pleasant cruising weather.  In the distant hills an autumn mist hung over the trees and it’s not even September yet!
We had stayed in Chaumont last year for a week - our friends, Andy and Sally were to join us for a few days but literally an hour before they arrived, the toilet decided to break down, so they spent two nights in a hotel in town.  The logistics were not too good though as the town is up a very steep hill and more than a kilometre away - luckily they had their car.  The weather was not kind either with frequent bouts of heavy rain, so our memories of Chaumont are not too favourable.
After our third lock, Crew made herself a cup of coffee, mainly to warm her hands!  The locks all went well - apart from two almost 4m deep, which involved a bit of a stretch and we arrived on the quay around 12.30.  Henk arrived an hour later, so we helped him in and had a well deserved drink on the aft deck.
After lunch Skip went to the supermarket for supplies (a good kilometre walk) then went to the Capitainerie to pay our dues and ask if we could get a car to take us up into town to a restaurant we had visited three times last year.
We had an aperitif on the back deck at 7 p.m. and a car duly arrived at 7.30 to take us into town.  By road it’s about a three kilometre steep climb.....no way is Crew going to make that even when Skip tells her that he knows a short cut!
The meal was fairly good but pricey for what it was.  We retired to the saloon for digestifs.

16 km. 8 locks. Just over 3 hours