Following in the Footsteps of the Coureurs de Bois

Last night, intrepid Mars Analogue simulation "astronaut" Simon Auclair and I paddled a 2-man kayak from Marinest in Elsau 5 km up the Rhine-au-Rhone Canal to bring Canada to the ISU cultural night. The trip after dark included 2 portages around the locks (they close at 6) and a long portage from the Route Alfred Kastler bridge by the McDonald's to campus (almost 1 km).

The evening was brisk, but other than chilled hands, it was good exercise and all in good fun. Especially the portage around the traffic circle ... now that'll get even a French driver to stop!

<= this is us after the long paddle up-stream - you're sharp if you note that's an oar, not a paddle. Makes steering much more interesting.

We arrived just in (ISU) time to lead our class in Barrett's Privateers. After that, we inhaled a stack of pancakes crowned with maple syrup and washed down with Maudite beer that was hauled along in the boat.

On the way back (with a couple more hands to help portage back to the canal), we couldn't resist portaging through the McDonald's drive-through. The French are nothing if not good sports. (video to follow).

Trip was also record for longest French conversation to date - more than an hour! New words this week - "Filet-o-Fish" (pronounced similar to the English, which like many French words also looks eerily like the English, but then I think filet was French to begin with. Also ramer (to row), sillage (wake) and the whole new phrase "nous nous faufillons des gendarmes" we eluded the police by ramer-ing like mad with a great sillage behind when we caught the eye of some nosy residents from their front window. Don't know if coureurs des bois had that to worry about.

Today was ho-hum - just a trip to the Chateau de Beltzdorf in Luxembourg to visit SES Global, the 2nd largest satellite operator in the world ... unbelievably green countryside. More pictures later.