Niderviller to Nancy

August 11 - August 13

We continue our cruise on the East branch of the Canal de la Marne au Rhin from the dividing pond down to Nancy.

During this part of our cruise we pass our 200th lock for the year and have now cruised over 1000 km.

	The Tuilerie of Niderviller, where they still make tiles. The carts and tracks up the burning stove seem to be from a long past era.
	The over 30 km long dividing pond leads through the cornfields, or what is left of them, of the Lorraine region.
	Green trees and fields left and right of the canal. Quite a difference to the dried out, dead nature of last year.
	A narrow passage over Sarre river
	The Sarre river leading towards Germany and the Rhine.
	At the end of the dividing pond we are awaited by the deep, 15 m, Rechicourt lock. The lock replaces a flight of 6 locks and saves quite some time.
	Unless one has to wait of course. We wait for about two hours for a few boats in front of us and for some commercial traffic. With us in the lock is the Odessa 2, a raft built by two young Germans who cruise the canals on this self built vehicle.
	Inside the Rechicourt lock, fortunately the lock has swimming bollards and so it is easy to pass.
	We stay overnight in Port Sainte-Marie where a misty canal awaits us in the early morning of August 12.
	The sun breaks through and we enjoy a warm morning
	The South of the Lorraine region is mostly agricultural, the North used to have many coal mines, but most of these are closed now.
	Proof that there are BIG fish in the canals. This dead beast is over a meter, about 4 feet, long.
	The weather changes between sun and rain, so often our rope handling crew, here Shari, have to put on their rain-gear. One of the advantages of driving - I get to stay in the dry wheelhouse.
	At the doors of Nancy we pass over the river Meurthe
	The locks between Dombasle-sur-Meurthe and Nancy are all side-by-side double lock. These were built in times with heavy commercial traffic between the chemical plants in Dombasle and Nancy. With the light commercial traffic only of of the locks is kept in operation.
	Nancy - another stopping point in our cruise. We will stay here for the weekend and I will have some pictures of this old town with the center built in the 11th century.

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