Faring to France on a Shoe

by Valerie Poore

A travelogue about a dream come true. After eight years of owning their barge, Hennie-Ha, eight years involving catastrophe and crisis, Val and her partner finally go 'faring' to France for the first time. This travelogue is about the places they visit and the people they meet along the canals on their route from the Netherlands, through Belgium and into northern France. It tells a gentle story about how they experience their life on board during the four weeks they spent cruising. Written as a journal, it follows them on their travels through rain and shine and reveals how day by day, Val learns to cast aside the stresses and demands of her job and to appreciate life's simplest of pleasures to the full.

And why 'Faring to France on a Shoe'? Well, download a sample and then all will be clear, or just have a 'look inside'!

Genres: Memoir

207 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2017

Reviews

[Lisa Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving life in the slow lane
I love travel memoirs and I love canals. Faring to France on a Shoe combines the best of both to take the reader on a slowboat faring southwards through the Belgian and French countryside. The journey, along peaceful, green-bordered stretches of canal and busy shipping lanes, may be slow but it is anything but boring.
Val and partner Koos have two liveaboard barges so why do they need a third?
The Hennie-Ha is a 15m Groninger Snik, and as such, just the right size for holidays and weekends away. They fall in love with her and make an impulsive purchase but the Hennie-Ha turns out to be need a lot more work than they expect and buyer’s remorse quickly sets in.
Fast forward eight years and the poor, unloved Hennie-Ha is resurrected for a short ‘trial run’ from Rotterdam to Cambrai in France.
Koos, laid back and confident, steers the barge through locks, across busy canals and into impossibly tight spaces. Val is determined to learn to successfully lasso the mooring ropes and steer a safe course for their small barge. She also attempts to steer a safe course away from her ‘what if’ imagination which had me smiling in recognition. This couple seem to be totally in tune with each other and their parallel world as they meander gently through the Belgian and French countryside.
They are obviously in love with the canal system, an amazing manmade achievement when you think about it, and their river eye view of the landscape is truly special. As time goes on Val’s sense of duty ‘floats away on the summer air’. The journey becomes life and life is the canals and rivers they float through. She takes time to muse on the goings on of ducks and frogs, and to invent lives and stories for the folk who dwell in grand canalside homes as they gently fare on by.
Val sees beauty in simplicity and simple pleasures, whether it’s visiting a French supermarket, drinking coffee in a French café or managing to heat enough water by the power of the sun to have a shower. She also has an eye for beauty in the normal, everyday and a knack for word pictures which means the reader becomes part of their meanderings.
Val says ‘How special it is to arrive by water is something I find hard to express’, but express it she does with vivid descriptions of everything from sunsets to silos, green spaces to industrialisation. The accompanying photos add to the pleasure and sense of being part of Val and Koos’ trip.
Val says they ‘lived every second of our travels, experienced every rain shower, wind gust and sunray’. By the end of the book I had also fared to France, lived their travels and felt that time had slowed down to allow the contemplation of our wonderful world on a much simpler and happier level.

[Beth Haslam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of Valerie Poore’s books I have read, and it certainly won’t be the last. It is a wonderfully lyrical account of her travels on a barge from the Netherlands to northern France.

Faring with her partner, Koos, the author recounts her lifetime dream of making this journey. Within the first couple of sentences, her gentle, personable writing style had me sitting beside them on the deck of their beloved vessel, the Hennie-Ha. I basked in the gradually changing scenery, chuckled at the antics of wildlife, and battled with tricky lock gates. I learned about new places and appreciated her commentary on social history. I grimaced and agonised as Val tried her heart out on the 'bicycle ride from hell', and I marvelled at her courageous encounters with dangerous machinery. How could I not immediately warm to this plucky lady?

This book is an easy five-star read for me. Val Poore is a terrific writer with excellent descriptive skills who tells her story in a way that entertains from the first to the very last page. I highly recommend it.

[E.J. Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always had a hankering to travel through some of Europe's canals but so far I have only managed an afternoon on France's Canal du Midi. Faring to France on a Shoe has given me a delightful insight into life on these narrow waterways and the joys and pitfalls involved in navigating through Belgium and Northern France from a home base in The Netherlands.
I'm guessing that as long as I don't mind improvised shower facilities, soaking rain, slippery ladders, and some very deep and scary locks I could also enjoy tranquil waters, secret green inlets, picturesque villages, good wine and food, and the congenial fellowship of the faring life. If you can't manage to cruise the narrow waterways of Europe in your own Hennie-Ha, you could escape into the pages of this book and then treat yourself to the photo gallery which is a perfect addendum for this gentle memoir.

[Julie Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valerie and Koos embark on a faring 'holiday' navigating their way through the waterways from The Netherlands to France. The book recounts day to day adventures they have on the way, including the people they meet, the countryside, the weather and the challenges they face. The accounts of navigating locks and bollards takes a lot of skill from both Val and Koos, as they travel in this most slow and gentle way. Descriptions of French villages, of bike rides in the countryside give insight into a way of life that is peaceful and serene. I would love to experience faring myself after reading Valerie's book, getting away from it all and having the sound of the water send you to sleep. A wonderful insight into a lifestyle that is both adventurous and relaxing. An enjoyable read.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about a 3 week trip by boat from the Netherlands thru Belgium to Northern France. Valerie makes the adventure exciting as she describes not only the scenery but also the weather. She makes the reader feel like she is with her and Koos on their vacation. It amazes me that there are so many canals in Europe that it is possible to travel thru so many countries.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the intriguing title of this book. It made me smile when I discovered the reason for it and thinking it was very apt. Having read other books by Valerie Poore I just knew I would be in for a complete treat. She and her partner Koos take a dream trip in their barge, the Hennie-Ha through the rivers and canals of Belgium all the way to France. The journey is one of discovery for them both and we can also discover the delights of waterway travel along with them, such is her wonderful knack of drawing the reader in and captivating them with her descriptions of all she sees around her. Little things like a frog on a leaf ‘his own personal magic carpet’. Marvel at the beauty of quiet, little used canals and be amazed at the locks she and Koos navigate. It’s not all gentle meandering along beautiful waterways though as some of these locks require a lot of physical effort to operate them! I’m impressed at Valerie’s determination to tackle such challenges. As the little Hennie-Ha doesn’t have much living space everything has to be pared back. No carrying extra luggage or goods. Having a shower presented a problem and I must say I did laugh at the attempts to heat up water in the portable shower. At the end of each chapter there are a series of photographs showing highlights of the various stages of their journey. These are an added bonus. I have no hesitation in recommending this book. I do hope there will be more.

[Terry Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this memoir, Val and her partner Koos travel to France via their home of the Netherlands and Belgium, on their barge the Hennie-Ha - which really is shaped like a Dutch clog; see cover!

The beauty of this book is, I think, that it's so very real and unpretentious. Nothing particularly breath-taking happens, but every time I picked it up I smiled at the way that Val Poore can even make a trip to the supermarket good to read about. It's so genuine; there are no flowery descriptions for the sake of it, just Val's impressions. And it's funny, too - not in a split-your-sides laughing, deliberately 'hilarious anecdotes' like some books of this type; her writing doesn't need that, because it hits the right spot so effortlessly. Especially the nerve-wracking cycle ride to buy food: juggernauts flying past, a flat tyre and the bed of stinging nettles....

As someone who believes that the simpler your life is, the happier you are, I sighed as I read about Val and Koos' memories of happy evening that could not be captured in words or by camera, the liberation from the 'must do' stuff of the world left behind, and her appreciation of the occasional makeshift 'shower', after days and days of stand up strip washes. The more I read, the more I liked it, until about half way through, when I wished I was IN it.

There are links to Val's photos of the trip on Flickr, which were great to look at. A lovely book.

[Alyson Sheldrake · Rating 5 out of 5]

An endearing and enjoyable read.
Travelling from the Netherlands through Belgium to France – and back again. On a barge. I have never been on a barge, much less travelled in this way, and I felt instantly jealous of this relaxed, stripped-down and simple method of travel that Val and Koos obviously adore. This is how to see the other side of a town or village, cruising slowly in along the many beautiful waterways that dot the European landscape. The countryside, the people they meet, the food, and the tranquil scenery they pass by, are all beautifully recounted in this gentle and enjoyable memoir.
Improvising a shower with a bucket and a bowl, or a plastic sack of water to heat up in the sun, learning to navigate locks and spin a rope correctly, and overcoming her fear of jumping over gaps, Val describes the reality of boating as well as the beauty. This was an endearing and charming read.
I am looking forward to enjoying more of this author’s books.

[Linda Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a delightful book. I feel so relaxed. A leisurely faring on the waterways. In England we would say ‘messing about on the river’. Exploring Belgium & France this way was joyous & peaceful. So very tranquil & restful. No wonder Val didn’t want the holiday to end, & they carried on faring south. (Forget about the bicycle, & ‘gaps’!). Beautiful descriptive language throughout. Wonderful photographs with each section. Thoroughly enjoyable & totally absorbing. Highly recommend.

[Tammy Horvath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Val and Koos buy another barge, and Val makes her dream come true. So make a bowl of popcorn and relax for a while as you jump on board the Hennie-Ha. Your guided tour of northern France will be full of laughter and adventure. There are beautiful gardens, a 19th-century castle, a tunnel of trees, and charming canals, just to name a few. I loved every minute of my trip with Val.

[Karen O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savored this story in limited reading time over the past week, and enjoyed each canal. Valerie describes the challenges of successfully navigating their barge through locks large and small, under bridges tall and short, in weather fine and not. It is easy to identify with her emotions, both the successes and the apprehensions, and to feel the peaceful mood of floating along, and then again the chill of the wind or rain. Add to this she shares how she and Koos work as a team and how they challenge each other while they enjoy the ‘faring’ (her coined word for it seems perfect). She learns when to worry and when to trust as she gains her own first hand experience. Chapter by chapter the reader is invited to toss our imaginary ropes around imaginary floating bollards (never to climb a ladder) as we are lifted to new and delightful scenes, kilometer by kilometer, on a Shoe. Read it to believe it!

[Jinjer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well...I'm disappointed in this travelogue, I must say. I get that it's about buying a boat, fixing up a boat, and then traveling through canals from the Netherlands, through Belgium, and into France. I realize this involves a lot of passage through locks and tying the boat up for the night.

Unfortunately, that's pretty much ALL this book talks about. They sometimes go to restaurants but not once do we find out what they ordered to eat. They read books every night, but we don't know any of the book titles or what they thought about the books they read. Not much is shared about conversations had with each other or their friends.

You know good and well they had some major blow ups on this journey but we don't hear about it.

Yah, no. This book is way too technical for me and not enough personal.

[Anne Mackle · Rating 5 out of 5]

From previous books I feel as if I know Val and her partner Koos well. They make a great team.
Koos spent his childhood as the son of a bargie so he lived on a working barge. Val, although she has lived on a barge for many years now still seems to be in awe of the lifestyle and you can feel her excitement on every page.

This is a holiday ( they call it going faring) Val has always wanted to take. Koos wasn't too keen as he's probably done this route many times but Val persuaded him and he enjoyed it.
Sailing through the Netherlands, Belguim and France, the names of the towns and villages the Hennie Ha passed through didn't mean much to me but that didn't matter. Every place was different with different challenges. I'm thinking of one day in particular when Val set off in her little folding bike to find somewhere to purchase some food. She ended up on a busy dual carriageway which was also uphill all the way. Sensibly she dumped her bike and walked although not before falling into stinging nettles. She never found a food shop!
There was also her daily battle to have a hot shower with a special bag of water heated by solar power,but what happens when the sun doesn't shine?

I was impressed at the way Val handled the locks they had to pass through. Some were easy and they certainly got easier the further into their journey as she learns from her mistakes but the sheer strength and courage it took to handle some of them made Val a hero of mine.

The book is peppered with Val's sense of humour. If you've read any of her other books including her fiction ones you will understand what I mean. Val's humour is accidental, she doesn't set out to be funny she just gets herself into so many scrapes that you can't help laughing.
I enjoyed reading about their long summer nights sitting on the deck of the barge sipping wine and reading or talking,my kind of night.
They met lots of people on their journey,some were old friends, some they have passed by and waved hello to in the past and some strangers who they still had a good chinwag with.

Val and Koos bought the Hennie Ha because of her size and their desire to sail her through the waterways to Poland. That will be a story I'm looking forward to reading too. I'm hoping they might make that journey this summer.
And why does the title say they sailed on "a shoe" ? You'll have to read the book to find out !

[Linda Hawkswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful account of Val and her partner´s trip on Hennie-Ha (dubbed the Dutch Shoe) from the Netherlands, through Belgium and on to Northern France. A trip that they have wanted to do for quite sometime and it is finally becoming a reality. This is an honest and humorous account of their adventure with vivid descriptive writing, so real and no flowery accessories. As a reader you are drawn into the story and feel as if you are there with them, as least I did.
Val has to come to terms with her struggle to gain victory over her “what if” anxiety mind set and elates at her victory in mastering the flipping of the ropes over the lock bollards. The entering and exiting of these locks appear to be an adventure on their own.
Celebrating Koo´s birthday, albeit a bit late, with friends David and Alain. Achieving what they had promised themselves for many years, to arrive by boat. A wonderful time was had with a fantastic meal, good wines and company only topped off by their accomplishment of achieving their goal.
Oh the joys of being able to use her douchesack once the sun has warmed it up brings Val so much pleasure. This is only surpassed when in Valeiciennes where there is an ablutions block with showers...oh sheer bliss. They also have the use of water and electric for a small cost.
Riding her bicycle with a dodgy tyre önly 7 kilometers¨to find a shop for provisions, having to keep pumping up the tyre and eventually abandoning it in a bed of stinging nettles. Setting out on foot Val soon realises it is going to a difficult task and her ´what if anxiety´returns. Forlornly returning to her bicycle and back to Koos.
Again Val takes to their trusty bike to purchase much needed gas canisters, setting off with map in hand into the land of Limestone. With juggernauts roaring past her scattering lime dust and gravel in their wake. Eventually arriving back at Hennie-Ha in a dust cloud which causes them both much laughter.
The addition of the photos at the end of each stage are a delight to see, I loved where Koos was steering with his feet....most nonchalant.
I loved this book and was sorry when it ended...I wanted the adventure to continue for ever, thanks Val

[Lisette Brodey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A DELIGHTFUL AND COLORFUL JOURNEY

This is the fourth book I’ve read by this author, and no matter what she writes, I am enchanted.

When I was a mere teenager, I was visiting people in New Orleans, Louisiana, and there, on a riverboat, I was absolutely riveted as my host explained what river locks were as our vessel paused to pass through them. Unfortunately, I’ve never experienced any since. But somehow, the fascination has remained with me all of these years. And so, reading about author Valerie Poore’s journey with her partner, Koos, and her descriptions of the many locks they encountered through Belgium and France, fascinated me anew.

This was an immensely enjoyable read. I learned so much about what it is like to live on their boat, the Hennie Ha, what amenities they enjoyed, and which ones were a bit more difficult to come by. I was especially interested in what it takes in some places just to have a shower. And even though I’m not a coffee drinker, I loved reading about how different it is in various locales.

I loved all of the local color … from the waitress in her 80s to the one in her 90s … to the ephemeral friendships … to the story about a donkey and a carrot. (You’ll have to read the book to completely enjoy this one.)

The author has a wonderful way of bringing the reader onboard. In one place, from the boat, she was admiring a beautiful white house on the land. But then she writes: “Envy floods me for a moment and then ebbs away. While it must be wonderful to have such a home, here on the water I feel I am the lucky one.” I felt that passage really summed up so much about her life and her love of living on the water. I was very touched by it.

There are links throughout the book to the author’s Flickr page with photos covering much of what was described in each chapter. That was absolutely wonderful to see, and I really appreciated the maps showing both the routes both coming and going.

I highly recommend the book: a terrific armchair journey or perhaps a guide book for a future trip.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Delightful Memoir. The reader accompanies Val & Koos on an idyllic barge journey to France and back through Belgium - a delightfully soothing read with wonderful descriptions of the beauty of the waterways and the flora and fauna along the canals. The peace and tranquillity of barging life entices the reader to want to experience it, along with the lovely barging community. However, this unique and beautiful way of life is not without its tense unpredictable moments such as at sections of shallow waters or various locks which Val has to navigate: some easier than others. Plus the logistics of keeping well-stocked with various provisions is challenging along the sleepy French villages and towns - and not least a refreshing shower dependent on the weather! Val's propensity to catastrophise reveals her vulnerability as well as her resilience. She discloses her phobia of tunnels, as well as doubting her own abilities alongside her overactive imagination stoking the tendrils of living with uncertainty, and being on the lookout for danger on the waterways as the reader is alerted that this beautiful way of life comes with its own particular set of challenges.

Her narrative flows with ease and her delightful writing holds attention throughout. As the journey draws to a close, the reader feels Val's sadness that the journey draws to a close - as does the book, though thankfully there are many others Val has written to fill the gap.

Not only is this a lovely read, but it is also educational on many levels and I learnt such a lot about France and barging life in general - a whole new world.

[Shirley Read-Jahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just disembarked from a wonderful canal voyage on the Hennie-Ha with author, Val Poore, and her partner, Koos. I didn’t want to get off the little barge, but I’d sadly come to the end of my journey. This book is completely delightful, funny, droll, picturesque, and quite educational. I now feel I might be able to steer, throw a rope inside a lock, and even paint the boat’s scratched sides. Val describes it all so vividly, even her terror at her part in getting through a lock. She took me with her, “faring” through the Netherlands, France and Belgium; I saw the countryside from my literary waterside world; the towns, the industry. I waved with her at the people we floated past. I felt quite calm by the end of the book, as if I, too, had actually experienced her canal holiday with her. As she learned to conquer her fears of “faring” on a small barge, I felt I did, too. She felt good at her new prowess. I felt good just reading about it all. One evocative description said it all for me, such serenity, such calm, such joy: “The evening draws in and the night sky is a deep violet canopy overhead. Street lights cast pools of soft yellow over the harbour footpath and bathe the Hennie-Ha in a golden glow. The sound of barges passing is comforting, familiar even. We see their dark shapes moving across the harbour entrance, their navigation lights appearing suspended in the air as they slide smoothly past." Leave the bustle, the daily grind, of so much of life and float away with Val Poore. You’ll feel blessed you did, I promise you.

[Diana Febry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful account of a couple's long-anticipated canal trip from Amsterdam, through Belgium to France and back, enriched by a selection of photographs they took along the way. At times, I felt I was travelling with them, passing through towns and countryside, seeing the perfectly still water on an early morning and hearing cows in the distance. I absolutely shared the author's terror of entering some of the locks and enjoyed a glimpse of the people they met along the way. The rainy weather at the start of the trip couldn't dampen the author's enthusiasm or humour.
Along the way, I learnt a little about the places they passed through, the waterways culture and life upon a barge. I remain utterly confused about the workings of a portable, solar-powered shower.
Lovely read. Highly recommend.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faring is such a good word - it engaged me right from the start!
This is a lovely, gentle and interesting book, where the writer shares with us her warmth for and love of the waterways of Belgium and North-Western France, the people and places encountered, her partner Koos, and of course the shoe in question - their boat the Hennie-Ha.
The holiday is recounted as a travel diary, and it piqued my interest enough to look up several of the places mentioned. I love that part of the world. I also love locks, and enjoyed Valerie's descriptions of lock trials and tribulations and her growing rope skills!
Some readers like dramas, but I appreciated the lack of them. Sure, there were little issues, but things were well balanced. The ebbs and flows of day to day life, while on the water. Nice.
All in all, this was a really enjoyable read, with links to some wonderful photos.

[Ruth Dresher-Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve followed Ms Poore since she arrived in Holland - barge crazy, and this adventure, her dream trip into France, was a terrific addition to the journey. When they arrived at places she’d been previously I recognized the location, I remembered some of the friends they met along the way. That was cool. I’d say the perfect take away from this journey was her letting go of external pressures and self imposed timelines in her life. She learned to BE. Living in the fullness of the moment with her partner on their shoe. I laughed out loud at the seemingly small things, like her bucket shower, the occasional electric hook-ups so more than one item can be used simultaneously. A great place to pull away from the flow, tie-up and relax listening to the world go by. The satisfaction of mastering the ropes through the many locks. It was nearly incident free, for which I was thankful. My congratulations on another lovely book.

[Lynn Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never steer a snik from Rotterdam down to Cambrai, France, but I was able to hop onboard the Hennie-Ha with Val and Koos as I read Faring to France on a Shoe. It was an amazing venture as she gave detailed and colorful descriptions of each town along the way. I could see the grassy hills and the sunrises and sunsets. I could hear the chirping birds along with the voices of the people that they met. I envisioned Val and Koos walking through quaint towns to either eat or buy necessities.
I felt Val’s frustration as she struggled uphill with the bike that continually had a flat tyre; but she was determined to reach a destination. She bravely spoke French as she expressed her needs while visiting France. Though met with torrential rains, heat and sometimes great weather, it was clear that the gods had ordained this dream trip.
The many types of locks presented the biggest challenge for them as they forged ahead. I was able to identify with the stress of the locks because I had had one experience of going through a lock as our sightseeing boat went from the Chicago River out onto Lake Michigan. It was scary as the boat began to rise so I can only imagine what Val and Koos experienced over and over.
Sometimes they got through with ease and on other occasions, they had to wait a for lock-keeper to show up which could take hours or even days. This was a rich, rich experience with a pictorial slideshow as a bonus! A simply magnificent and well-documented trip on The Shoe.

[Patti St · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great adventure with Val and Koos

I loved this book. Valerie Poore has a way of writing travelogues that feel more like minute by minute real time adventures with the reader sitting on her shoulder. She's really funny, too. One scene she describes trying to cycle up a steep hill, traffic zooming right next to her while her bike's tire keeps going flat. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. She engages us with her anxieties while depicting the trials and successes of her lobbing a rope up over a bollard. I even cheered with her when she succeeded. At the end of their vacation travelling along the canals from the Netherlands to Northern France then back home, I also felt the sadness of a lovely journey end mixed with the joy of being back home.

[Jill Robbertze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed following Valerie and Koos on their mostly idyllic trip sailing the canals, harbours and rivers from the Netherlands and into Northern France. The author tells her story with humour and beautiful descriptions of the scenery that really had me seeing this in my mind's eye in technicolour. This travelogue also gives one a very good idea of what it takes to cope with the logistics of living on and sailing such a craft as well as the operations of the many locks along the way.

This book would be an excellent light read or gift for anyone considering such a venture or dreaming of taking up life on the water !!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this gentle, serene memoir was to travel vicariously with Val and Koos on a slow, sweet journey to France aboard their darling little barge, the Henne-Ha. It was lovely seeing the sights, meeting the people, sharing the foods and drink, and simply enjoying the adventure! This is the perfect book for anyone with too much stress in their life; a relaxing getaway to soothe the soul. And there’s another wonderful journey waiting in the sequel, “Faring Forth Again On The Shoe ~ More Tales of Barging Through Belgium To France”! Can’t wait!

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely travelogue

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author's descriptions are so real that I could imagine myself right along side her. Her book has opened my mind to the wonders of traveling by canal boat in Europe--something I had no idea was even possible as we have nothing similar in the US. My husband and I now have a new dream vacation in mind. Thank you for sharing your dream trip.

[Lisa Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My future daydream!

I chose this book because my favorite vacation was on a small sailboat coming up the Florida Intercoastal waterway. I met so many nice people! I hoped this book would remind me of that wonderful week. It did that and more. Now I want to Fare through Europe! The writing is so descriptive... I feel like I was there and want to go back again the next time she sets out!

[Helen Jurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just browsing through the earlier reviews I spotted Jinjer’s review.
I agree with the comments.
What books did they read?
What food did they eat? Oh yes Koos had a man sized Belgium Burger , Val a salad.
Not enough human essence in this book
Description of lock after lock after lock became too repetitive.
Yes I enjoyed the book until I became bored. Envied the simple life.
SorryVal.
I have bought the next book let us see how that unfolds.
Happy faring
Helen

[Myra L Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faring from the Netherlands to France

Very well written account of taking a barge (faring) through the canals of the Netherlands through Belgium and into northern France! The author did a wonderful job! I will be looking for more of her adventures!

[Jill Kwiatkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soothing Read

Thank you, Valerie, for allowing me to journey along with you. Your descriptions are lovely and I felt as if I truly was on your journey. I'm looking forward to reading more of your adventures.

[SisterShip Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed!