Douai

We ae still here, dodging the wind and rain.  It has got a bit warmer (12C) but that still feels cold when you add in the wind factor.  So, here we are.  Waiting.  Piet and Jelka, the guests we were expecting, wisely decided that this was not the best time to have a happy cruising experience on the French canals.

Meanwhile, we dodge the rain drops.  Yesterday I went to the Museum de la Chartreuse.  It must have been the only place open on Easter Monday.  Not a soul was visible on the streets when I set off for a walk.  I aimed for the museum just to find out the opening times, and lo and behold it was open, so I paid the €2.30 entrance fee and spent 2 hours perusing and enjoying some impressive paintings from the 14^th to 17^th centuries.  Nothing astounding but it was a good way to pass a rainy afternoon.

Today the supermarket was open so we did some stocking up, but really just waiting for the weather to improve.  We are getting emails and phone calls from friends back home in the Azores about the wonderful warm sunny weather there. Hmph!  But, Mr Weatherman is promising 19 -20 degrees for the weekend! We wait in hope! 

For the past few years we have been wanting to do the Scarpe Superieure to Arras, but we have always encountered really bad weed because the weather and water has been too warm.  With the exceptionally low temps this year, Ian took a bike ride to check it out and it looks OK.  So on Thursday, when the wind drops (hopefully) we will attempt to get all the way to Arras and visit the WW1 graveyard  at Browns Copse to visit the graves of some family members who are buried there.