The Maria

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The Maria

The Maria is a 82 ft Luxemotor, which is a Dutch type barge, built for the first time in the early 1920s.
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The Maria is captained by Drew Hammond who offers charter trips in Europe every summer. Cruising aboard the Maria offers a unique opportunity to experience the local culture, and landscape. Drift gently through the countryside, visiting local art galleries, roadside cafés, castles and museums. Cycle through towns or walk along the tow path of Hollands scenic waterways while enjoying the fresh air and slower pace of life.

12/05/2019

Looking for the past photos of our trips.

14/06/2018

Drew and I decide to take a quick cruise before we head back to the States on the 19th. The boat looks great. We had plenty of friends to gather with and enjoy some nibbles and wine in the evenings.

12/06/2018

Drew’s lovely photo of sunset in the pound. Clouds continue to bring on a show!

08/06/2018

We had some dramatic weather on our way to the L’Abbeye de Cîteaux. Never felt a drop and enjoyed the biking!

08/06/2018

Drew and I biked up the the L’Abbaye de Citeaux. Originally commissioned in 1098 on St Benedict’s Day. The location was swampy and fit their need to live in a difficult and unfriendly location to add to their “work for God”. Cîteaux actually means reeds as the whole swamp was full of reeds. At its height it had 500 houses. The French Revolution, the Hundred Years War were the ones that did the most damage. By the 1800’s it was no longer an abbeye, but was taken over by a stone company and the stone buildings were dismantled. In 1898, a small sect of the monks - the Trappists were an off shoot who fled to Switzerland to avoid persecution - returned to L’Abbeye de Cîteaux and are still there working and rebuilding. They have hundreds of monasteries over much of the world.

21/05/2018

The painting of the Maria is gaining everyday - that it doesn’t rain! She is looking so good.

19/05/2018

Finally have some gorgeous weather and we are making headway on sanding and painting! And one really nice photo from the Bridge of St Jean de Losne.

01/05/2018

Greeting from Port sur Saone!

We arrived in Toul on the 16th after a 12 hour day of traveling from the airport through Paris to Toul. The rail system was on strike so only certain trains were available. It took us 2.5 hours by bus to get into Paris from Charles de Gaul. Usually its a 20 - 30 minute train ride. The highways were jammed with buses, trucks and people in cars trying to get somewhere. Once we got on the TGV (fast train) things went a little quicker. Usually we only have 15 - 45 minutes between trains. Because of the strike we had a 2 - 4 hour wait.

We had planned on leaving on the 18th but as usual not everything goes as planned. I spent a couple of days changing our water pump and a couple of valves that didn’t survive the couple of weeks of -10C winter. It was just a matter of sourcing the pump and changing out the valves. Fortunately I was able to get an identical pump and things matched right up. There were 2 other boats with folks from South Africa and England when we arrived. The early evening wine parties and socializing was fun and a respite from our chores.

The 23rd of April found us underway and we headed up the Moselle to enter the Canal de Vosges which would carry us south. It joins the Petite Saone and further south becomes the Saone River that will carry us down to Saint Jean de Losne; our final destination this season. It’s a 310km trip with 113 locks along the way - and that is a ton of locks. We spent the first 4 days climbing (86km and 50 locks) out of the Moselle watershed and another 4 days (61 kms and 46 locks) descending down into the upper reaches of the Saone valley. Doing that many locks is time consuming yet the rural beauty of the French countryside can’t be beat. You just have to sit back and relax and work your way through them. Jude did some refinishing on the wooden hatches and wheelhouse (sanding and oiling) while helping me in the locks when I needed it. Once into the Saone valley distances between the locks stretch out further the more you go south. We were able to cover more distance.

Today is May 1st, Kings Day in France, hence a national holiday. Everything has stopped, families are out walking along the canal, playing soccer, bocci, fishing and gathering at each others houses for a meal. We forgot all about the holiday and were all ready to leave first thing in the morning. Oh well, time to slow down and do what the French do so well, take some time off and just relax. Our day was spent riding along the canal and across the open fields and woodlands to the next town to check out a rebuilt chateau. We were on a bike and walking trail beside the river trail enjoying the sites. Nothing was open and we spent the day just wandering here and there taking it all in. Enjoying a bottle of wine and light dinner on the deck in the long afternoon sun topped off such a lovely day.

Most evenings we either go for a bike ride or a relaxing walk. We’ve tried to keep our cruising to no more than 5 hours a day. Moving the boat like we are doing can seem like a lot of work after a few days. We try to make sure we have time for a bike ride or walk at the end of a day’s cruise. Most days have been either bluebird days or light puffy clouds hanging in the air. There have been a couple of days where we got some rain but nothing to really keep us from getting off the boat.

14/11/2017

This is an educational piece to let everyone know that "mooning has been around for centuries!

14/11/2017

Karen, Flo, Drew and I took a train to Metz to walk around this lovely walled city.

01/11/2017

Drew and Karen found a deer swimming in the canal, unable to climb out. They rescued her with ropes. We covered her with towels and surrounded her trying to give her some warmth. In about 30 minutes she was able to stand and slowly walk back into the woods. Our guess is she would have not survived another 30-60 minutes. We were so stoked to bring her back!

22/10/2017

Photos from the UNESCO Volklingen Steel plant. It started soon after the Bessemer steel making process was invented. Very instrumental in WWI and extremely important during WWII. Makes one wonder why it wasn't bombed at some point. The Jews were interned at a camp and used as forced labor. This point is only discreetly mentioned in their interpretation. The structure is mindbloggling in its structural dimension. HUGE

19/10/2017

We found an amazing moulin - flour mill that has been in operation since 1527! The wood works are in remarkable condition he showed me the bees wax salve he makes up as a wood protector. He makes different grades of flour depending on what it will be used for. The neatest shop any of us had ever seen!

15/10/2017

This is the Saint Louis Arvillers lift that Drew has been Jonesing to experience for 10 years. It was broken the last two times we were heading there. Finally! Spent a good portion of the day exploring all of it. Hey, Villa, were you named for this lift!!! The lift takes about 15 minutes - one way. I did a time lapse...

15/10/2017

We had a gorgeous day riding to the top on Haut Barr. Spent a few hours eating and exploring the old chateau and fortification. The ride back down we took through a forest and ended with this lovely old tree that had a plaque stating it was over 100 years.

09/10/2017

Here we are in Strasbourg. The old city is called Petite France and it's like a little Venice. So lovely. Yesterday the group from Graham Co. Bikers climbed on board. There is a short video Dave Wilcox took of the Maria going through a lock. The confusing photo of the Maria is a reflecting on a large cruiser across the canal. All is going well!

06/10/2017

This is our mooring in Petite France! Here is the view from on top of a 1500 fortification built by Verban, and important architect of that era. He loved fortifications with points! Gorgeous view from the top.

06/10/2017

Been a week with Tito and Simone, Nance and Dave exploring the Rhine River area. Lots of successful foraging: plums, blackberries, kale, walnuts! Beautiful biking. Currently in gorgeous Strasbourg.

04/10/2017

Manu our lock-keeper playing one of his dulcimers before dinner in Dannemarie

04/10/2017

Besançon to Mulhouse

Margaret, Bruce, Caryl and Martin arrived Sunday afternoon. Our schedule had a day set aside to explore the walled city and citadel of Besançon.

Tuesday morning we left the walled city and headed northeast towards Mulhouse our final destination. This stretch of waterway is about 50/50 Canal Rhone au Rhin and the river Doubs. One of the major bike routes in France runs along its length, thus the pathway is very well maintained with either an asphalt or packed gravel surface. As you can see from some of the photos the views were spectacular. It was easy to fill the memory cards on our phones with such beauty.

We arrived in Montbelaird on Saturday to the find the city very welcoming, bike friendly, streets bustling with pedestrian traffic and open air markets with vendors hocking their wares. Sunday morning was a quite morning as the city slowly came alive after mid-day. Monday would be a longer bike ride to Monteaux-Chateau where we would cross the pound (the highest stretch of the canal) and start our descent into the Rhine river valley and our final destination of Mulhouse.

Our descent was a steep one in barging terms. Martin and I passed through 15 locks in just 6 kilometers of canal. Jude, Bruce, Margaret and Caryl pitched over the top and all but coasted into Danmarrie. Bruce actually coasted 4.5 km with out pedaling. On this section of the canal we had a lock-keeper follow us the entire way preparing the locks for us as we descended.

Manu (the lock-keeper) come to find out, was a musician and played the mountain dulcimer and was studying old timey Appalachian Mountain music and songs. We ended up inviting him onboard that evening. He showed us his instruments and even gave a private concert before we had dinner with him. The next morning he met Martin and I at the 2nd lock we passed through and presented us with an organic bottle of Aperitif wine that he had made while he had worked in one of the finer vineyards in the Jura region of France before becoming a lock-keeper. What a special treat!

The last day of bike riding was from Dannemarrie to Mulhouse a 25km ride. Martin and I arrive late in the afternoon while everyone else having arrived earlier were out scouting out the town for our final days on Thursday and Friday. Jude had contacted, Vernessa, a dear high school friend who lives near Basel, Switzerland. We were off to Switzerland on Thursday by train to explore Basel for a day with Vernessa.

First we spent time exploring an Art Museum that was showing Wilhem Tillman’s amazing photography work. Another of our highlights in Basel was a symphonic orchestra concert in the large cathedral there. What a treat listening to a full live orchestra inside the cathedral’s high vaulted ceilings with its incredible acoustics. Our seats were close enough to the orchestra to see the conductor’s facial expressions and his passion for the pieces being performed.

Saturday morning it was a 3 minute walk to the train station as the 4 of them headed for Zurich on the final leg of their European trip and then back to the States.

25/09/2017

Went to the Peugeot museum. Very interesting. Able to see the evolution of wheeled mobility!

20/09/2017

We had a perfect day for biking up the Doubs river today. So beautiful with the limestone cliffs and reflections on the river!

18/09/2017

A short video of "The Invisible Symphony"

18/09/2017

We found Maria ready and waiting for our arrival, just as we left her last fall. Being a day late arriving due to the weather in the US we were hustling around to get ready for our first guests, Dan and Norma, who would show up on Saturday. As with all things that are left unattended for any length of time there were a couple of things that needed my attention. The water pump for the house water needed a little fixing, the pump that drains the shower needed attention as well. The main batteries that provide the 220V electricity for the boat were past their expected life. 3 out of the 4 batteries all had a “dead” cell so we had to replace all 4. We were able to procure new ones and Jude and l spent a morning hauling the old ones out of the engine room and lowering the new ones in place. Now we’re ready to cruise!

This week’s weather was off and on. Rain and cloudy foreboding skies with interspersed sunshine didn’t get in the way of making our way of making it to Besançon. It was the first for Norma to be underground in the large cave we visited near Osselle. Even being in this cave 3 times in the past, there is always new things to discover and things we missed. We were able to get bike rides in and just walk along the canal and take in the amazing late afternoon lighting just before the sun was getting ready to down behind the surrounding hills.

We arrived in Besançon a day early which allowed us to explore the city. One of the wonderful surprises was the “Invisible Orchestra” in the Museum Of Time courtyard. As one walked into the courtyard you could hear a symphony warming up and getting ready to preform. It took a moment to realize that there was no orchestra at all. The court yard was surrounded by digital speakers in stereo, it was if you had a front row seat in the concert hall. It was amazing to see folks enter and listen, take turns pretending to conduct the orchestra and just standing and taking in the incredible sounds.

The Citadel at Besançon yielded incredible views from its ramparts as we made our way around its perimeter. One of my favorite pictures and memories of these ramparts is of our daughter, Claire and me, 10 years ago on our maiden voyage with Maria. I had to send her a updated photo wishing that she were beside me.

We put Dan and Norma on the 06:30 direct train to Paris on Saturday morning and spent the day getting ready for our next set of friends who were with us 2 years ago as we visited the Champagne region of France in Epernay.

04/09/2017

Jude and I are headed for St. Jean de Losne tomorrow to open up Maria and do some fall cruising. We'll be visiting France, Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg this year. We've got a full house and are looking forward to sharing our adventures with others. We'll post pictures and commentary as the internet allows...... Stay Tuned!!

08/11/2016

Drew and I spent a week in Avignon before Lisa got there. We covered a large territory by foot and bike and enjoyed all of it. I cannot say how much I loved Avignon: gorgeous, totally livable, full of art, was vibrant - not to mention the food was divine. We re-visited and saved some of the best for when Lisa could join us. There is the Villeneuve-lès-Avignon directly across the Rhone from Avignon. It was saved from destruction in the late 1800's and has since been reconstructed so that one can appreciate the total structure, the walled fortress and abbey that it once was. It is now a UNESCO site. Saint Casarie was a woman who sought hermitage a cave on Mont Andaon in the VI century and died there in 586. There were so many pilgrims visiting her grave site; an abbey was built by her grave - and no fewer than 200 churches were built on the surrounding rocky mountain top. There is also a great view of the Pont d'Avignon, a fun street shot, then a Roman arena in Nimes, an amphitheater in Orange - and finally the bike ride to Carcassonne.
And here it is: Carcassonne was a huge disappointment - very crowded, touristy and not at all authentic. Lisa could not get out of there fast enough (which was several hours, btw). The best view was as you road up toward it.

08/11/2016

We had great biking weather and found some remarkable Roman buildings still standing strong. We were able to ride into the vineyards of the Cote de Rhone region - though could not seem to locate a cave serving "gestations". Finally, this gentleman who heard me asking directions, stopped and said he would lead us to a very good winery. And that he did. Jeff bought really excellent wine and continued on with our education in wine, by both Janet and Jeff. Drew and I have upped both consumption and quality!
PS Notice on the third photo how the church is built onto the standing rock!

24/10/2016

I think Roman ruins are worth a whole entry to themselves. And I have to say that this first encounter with southern France’s vestiges of the Roman Empire was beyond belief for me. It was like you could feel their atoms still in the air, hear the clangs and noises of daily activity; imagine them coming around a corner in the road heading to the markets. Amazingly, many of the amphitheaters are still used for band concerts and plays. Some of these amphitheaters were built as early as 10AD.

24/10/2016

Valence - October 21st

Another day in paradise? Well at least another D&J adventure!

We dropped Jeff and Janet off in Valence yesterday morning in town after a few minutes of nail biting catching their taxi to the TGV station for the train to Lyon. We got a couple of texts saying they had made the train platform and then they were sitting in the airport waiting to board at the departure gate.

It was a great week with a couple days of biking along the river with another day of river cruising. The rest was spent exploring Roman ruins; cruising the fresh food market in Lyon for the evening meals and visiting the Sarl Les Remizieres winery where they processed and bottled their own Syrah grapes. Of course we had to taste several different years and bring back Jeff’s picks to go with wine and cheese on the deck and then dinner.

To say nothing about finding the Valrhona chocolate factory which produces some of the premier chocolate in France. I unfortunately was driving the boat south while the bikers got an hour and half tour of the factory along with all the chocolate they could eat. Chocolate dispensers were everywhere as Valrhona showed off their different kinds of chocolate; liquid chocolate running down walls along with chocolate statues. They all wobbled away on their bikes with major sugar buzzes.

A couple of nights out; one in Lyon at a fabulous Lyonnaise Bouchoun restaurant and another in Tournon where fresh French style Ravioli was served along with wine from a local vineyard. A lot of the wines we drank never make it out of the local region. A real treat to say the least.

The next morning while doing laundry, no water pressure! After a little investigation I found that the capacitor on the pump motor had given up the ghost. Now what, find a replacement pump or maybe replace the capacitor? Where do you start when you really don’t know the language and are trying to find a capacitor. It’s not your normal item you find in a Lowe’s or Home Depot. We did find a replacement pump at a large store much like our Lowe’s in the USA though.

True to form the D&J Adventure kicked in! Let’s see if we can find a capacitor! First stop was the Office of Tourism in Valence. With my technical knowledge and the lady behind the desk on the internet and phone we found a place that said they had one! Come to find out it was a 30 mile bike ride one-way or a hour bus ride. So we hopped on a bus, rode it for about 40 minutes, changed buses in another town and 20 minutes later we got dropped off at a bus stop. Now what? Turn on the phone, get out Google maps and find the place.10 minutes later we were at the parts counter. The man who helped us said, “Oh, you’re the Americans!”. He knew just what we needed and 6 euros later we were out the door headed back to the boat.

Both Jude and I can’t say enough about the French hospitality and willingness to help us as visitors in France. The bus drivers helped with which bus to take and where to stand so we went in the right direction. The guy in the parts store made sure that the motor was acting in such a way so as to confirm my diagnosis. The lady in the tourist office and her persistence to help us when she didn’t even know what a capacitor was before speaking to us all added up to a successful D&J adventure. It’s been like this the whole trip: when not sure, just ask. Between our pigeon french, charades, laughing and questioning looks we’ve been able to find needles in haystacks.

20/10/2016

We had a great week after picking up Janet and Jeff in Lyon. We left for Vienne and went through an absolute fabulous food market that sustained us handsomely for the rest of the week. There were outings of castles, a few wine tastings, lots of really great wine (though I am the weak link in that arena). We happened to pass - then stop at Valrhona chocolate factory that was truly remarkable. And enough free chocolate to make any reasonable person sick! And there were bike rides with stunning scenery and vineyards to cruise through. We ended up in Valence and enjoyed a short day in town as Jeff and Janet prepared for departure.

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Manu our lock-keeper playing one of his dulcimers before dinner in Dannemarie

"The Invisible Symphony"

A short video of "The Invisible Symphony"

Here's what its like leaving our mooring in Besancon and cruising around the outside of the city. The first lock is a manual lock that we had to do ourselves, great fun! We drop down through the lock into the Doubs and start making our way back to Dole. This is what a typical day of cruising is like as seen from behind the wheel in the wheelhouse.

Nancy France August 8th When we got to Saarbrucken we had no idea that we would be moored up downtown in the middle of one of the biggest festivals in Germany. We were told that 300,000+ people would be there over the weekend. We had a ringside seat as the festival was all on the river front and we were right in the middle of it all! There were 3 or 4 music stages which were going all day until midnight when they stopped the last acts. The big event on the river was the “Dragon” races. Teams consisted of local canoe clubs who had been training all year for the race. It took 3 days of round robin elimination to come up with winning team. There were all mens, women and mixed teams having 8 to 20 paddlers in boats. It was a real “Saar Spektakular” to watch. We had been talking to Bill and Susan Hester before we left the states hoping to meet up with them in Europe. Logistics were complicated so we gave up on the idea. Low and behold on Saturday afternoon, after returning from visiting a museum, who was standing on Maria when we arrived….. Billy Hester! He and his family had been driving through Saarbrucken and the road ran right alongside the canal. Bill spotted Maria, got off at the next exit and turned back and found a parking lot just a couple hundred yards from where we were parked. What a treat to have them show up. We all went out for dinner that evening and had 10 folks sleeping on Maria that evening. They stayed with us until Payson, Aurelia, Dick and Holley left the next morning then headed out themselves. It was such a treat to have Payson and crowd for 2 weeks with lots of great biking, exploring of the countryside, visiting a “Wolf Park” and listening to the wolves call to each other as we walked through the woods close by. Vernaessa a high school friend of Judy’s from Switzerland and another friend Barbara from Antwerp, Belgium joined us after they all left for a couple of days. Vernessa has joined many times in the past and it was Barb

We are in Cochen, Germany for a lay over day. Friday morning its on to Koblenz where we drop off Peter and Ann. this is a quick video of what we were treated to upon our arrival

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