These were by a lock at Briare. The concrete is speckled with many colours.

For those of you interested in domestic matters, here’s the living area on the boat, complete with typical Wheeler mess. There are supposedly enough beds for five, but the living would be snug. The tap over the loo basin cunningly converts into a shower. At the back is a comfy double bedroom.

The view from the windows keeps, changing, of course. There’s some bloke out there this evening…

Some of the more obscure phrases in the guide book are not translated, including this one.

We wondered if berges meant weeds after Phil found this lot wound round the propellor. Actually, it means banks.

He was glad he asked where the prop hatch was!

Having realised while planning this holiday that we would be relatively near to Guédelon, the castle I had seen on TV, I was so excited to go and see it in real life. It didn’t disappoint. I leave the details to Phil, but here are some ancient sheep and weird gourds…

We stopped for a beer in Paris. Not quite up to the standard of our traditional beer in Brussels.

Into the unknown on the journey to Joigny. This really feels like the depths of France!

Practicing my French; more to come tomorrow when we negotiate hiring the car…

Yesterday, we left Phil and Lucy relaxing in the park and went to visit a Spice Museum. It was a bit of an adventure, because part of the route was closed (possibly engineering), but we found it in the end. It was small but very interesting, with actual spices we could feel and sniff.

We were amused that one of the exhibits included Phil’s favourite chilli sauce!

We got one last boat on the way back.

Phil and I can usually find a good park in any city we visit, but this one is one of the best. A kind lady offered to take a photo of all of us.

I was keen to go to the zoo in Berlin to replicate a photo of me taken nearly 50 years ago. We didn’t get to the exact spot, although we identified where it was.

So, this is an updated photo by the elephant, who wasn’t there in 1969, instead of by the lizard at the entrance to the aquarium.

We did see the church nicknamed the lipstick and powder bowl (don’t know if it still is), and Potsdamer Platz, which is quite new so not at all as I remember.

Berlin has moved on, as have I!

We couldn’t let the weekend go by without having a pizza, so luckily for us there was a pizzeria not far from the hotel.