Tag Archives: France

Sycamore Trees of France

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History

In 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte decreed trees be planted along roadsides in France and other domains within his empire to provide shade to troops and other travelers. Many different species of trees were planted and large, tree-lined roads remain a characteristic feature in France to this day. Long rows of similar-sized Sycamores are one of the most prevalent species we see in our travels.

Sycamore trees of a similar age, size, and pruning style line both sides of the street in Castelnaudary, France
Sycamores along the footpath beside a tributary leading to
Sallèles-d’Aude where we enjoyed many walks with Duhkxy
Duhkxy

Last year we witnessed the devastation that had befallen Sycamore trees caused by a universally lethal fungus. It was killing hundreds and hundreds and many miles of Sycamore trees. From the first evidence of some unhealthy leaves to the death of the tree took only two years. One by one these beautiful trees were succumbing.

Remaining stumps of stricken trees and the next tree in the row soon to follow

This season we were delighted to learn that a vaccine had been developed that is effective in arresting the disease and restoring health to them. It is not a cure, and must be administered every three years but these beautiful giants have been saved for now. A resistant plane tree is being used for replacement of lost trees and tree species diversification has been embraced.

Canal du Midi

Pierre-Paul Riquet devoted 15 years of his life to the research and development required to construct the Canal du Midi. He went on to oversee its construction which started in 1667 and ended in 1681, 7 months after his death. Such was his dedication, he also invested and lost his entire personal fortune, leaving his descendants in debt.

A part of the construction included the banks of the canal be planted with trees to help control errosion. The first trees were primarily willow trees.

Today, the most prevalent tree is the Sycamore. We are currently canalling the Canal du Midi on “Detour”. In the summer months, the shade of the Sycamores are very welcomed. In their absence, it can be uncomfortably hot.

Detour on Canal du Midi

In various settings, Sycamores may grow with no pruning intervention, limbed and sometimes cropped at height of 20-30 feet, drastically pruned to conform to a restricted space, or sheared and almost bushy.

Long live the Sycamores.

Back to Canaling

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Our first experience on the French Canals began in April, 2017. We had just purchased our sailboat “Ice Floe deux”. We bought her in Cherbourg, situated in the north of France on the English Channel.

This depicts the extensive canals and waterways of Europe. The arrow in this photo between France and England points to Cherbourg and the arrow on the Mediterranean coast points to Nice (approximately).

On this voyage we passed through beautiful villages, vineyards of great distinction, the very heart of Paris, Lyon, and other beautiful cities and towns. Our trip on the canals ended in Nice, on the Mediterranean coast. The trip took 3 weeks.

We flew through 189 locks, and crossed 2 aqueducts as we bisected France from North to South following a brisk itinerary that involved joining guests and family at specific locations.

There are quite a few Blogs on this site detailing this amazing journey. We knew we must come back. This time, we would immerse ourselves in all France has to offer at a snail’s pace.

Speaking of Snails…

Snails, we have concluded, thrive in France – with little to no sense of boundaries.

They sneak in through your windows (we have put up screens)
Snails find their way to planters on the boat deck (we gently send them back to land).

It is well known that many snails are eaten in France prepared as escargot. I cannot personally verify that the small garden snails we have been entertained by are eaten, but I do see some reference to that in my reading.

The snails we have been observing are most active in the rainy season. They are known to display a very interesting behavior during very dry and hot weather. We saw this shortly after we arrived. It did not rain for a solid month and temperatures were a stifling high 90s and low 100s.

During hot, dry spells, these snails climb up a tree or stalk, cover the opening to their shells with a thin membrane, and remain dormant until weather conditions improve. This behavior is called “aestivating”

We have also seen larger snails that appear to have partially buried themselves in the soil.

These, and many more interesting things await our discovery as we canal our way through the miles and miles of French canals.

After spending two seasons in the Mediterranean (detailed in blogs on this site), we had Ice Floe shipped from Genoa, Italy to St. Thomas and have been exploring the Eastern Caribbean and ABC islands (Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire) for several years.

We always knew we would someday return to canalling.

As our travel schedule took us away from home for a good portion of the year, we began considering, the wisdom of selling our home in the US. It was, for me, an agonizing decision. George built our beautiful home, almost single-handedly, and I will always feel a little ache at the thought of never living there again.

My ache has been somewhat assuaged by our decision to purchase a canal boat in France, and a beautiful vacation home in Carriacou.

Introducing our canal boat, “Detour”

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What’s in a name

We chose the name “Detour” for our canal boat for two reasons. The first, and most obvious, is the role she played in our decision to sell our home. The second reason is that the word “detour”, means the same thing, and is spelled the same way, in English and in French.

She resembles the canal boats that served for decades as the primary means of transporting goods. She was built in 2017 and was rented to vacationers until she became ours. She is a massive steel boat and requires a gentle hand for steering.

Before canal boats were motorized, they were pulled along by horses. The horses strode on wide paths each side of the canals. These paths, called towpaths, have been beautifully maintained for centuries. They serve as recreational paths for pedestrians, cyclists, and horseback riders. They are also off-road paths that connect towns and villages. Duhkxy loves to accompany us on long walks we take each day.

Detour came with four bicycles. We returned our rental car some time ago and are now peddling for provisions and sightseeing. Duhkxy can not accompany us yet, but a trailer for him is on order. It will be interesting to see how he likes it.

We are moored, to date, on the Canal Midi at La Port Robine. There are a number of boats here that serve as permanent, stationary, residences. Sections designated as “Long Stay”, have quite a few unoccupied boats that appear to have stayed for very long times. We have found it to be the same in most boatyards and marinas.

We have been here for about 5 weeks. So far, Detour has only been out for one short spin to pick up a couch. We’ve had a lot of cleaning and shopping to do (dishes, linens, furniture) and lots, lots more. It’s all coming together. If the last few purchases arrive when promised, we should be on our way in early August.