COME HELL AND LOW WATER
We reached the beautiful city of Nancy in mid July, on schedule for completing our circuit and getting home for the start of August. From here, the plan was to turn South, taking the Canal des Vosges and then the upper Saone to our base in St Jean de Losne. There were still 300km of waterways and many locks ahead but we were on the home run.
Then came the bombshell from the Nancy port manager. He told us the Vosges route was closed due to water shortage at the summit. The alternative (and longer) routes might also have problems. All we could do was consult the VNF – which run the French waterways network – the following morning to find out what our options might be. Whatever problems lay in store, we decided we must see more of this fascinating town while we still could.
The next day, we trailed round a little disconsolately, trying to find the right VNF office. The first one turned out to be the maintenance department, who redirected us to the admin centre a couple of blocks away. Here our luck changed. A delightful lady confirmed that there were critical water shortages on all routes but contrary to
