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The Sunken Village of Fayón and the Road to Nowhere
In the heart of northern Spain, on the shores of the mighty Ebro river, sit two of the most fascinating sights I have ever seen. The first is the sunken village of Fayón and the second is, what I fondly refer to as, the ‘Road to Nowhere’. I had the privilege to discover both while adventure rowing down the Ebro last spring. The Sunken Village of Fayón My fellow rowers and I had made our way downriver from Mequinenza. And about an hour and a half into our row we came upon the most intriguing sight. It was the top half of a bell tower sitting in the river, several…
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Adventure Rowing Down the Ebro: Chiprana – Mar de Aragon
The seed for my second international rowing tour was planted during my first one. I had made two new friends from Cologne, Germany on that trip and they told me that they had organized a tour through Spain that previous spring. And, they were planning on doing it again the following May. Of course I told them that I was interested. So, a short ten months later, we set out adventure rowing down the Ebro river together. Preparation I headed over to Europe during the last week of April, reuniting with my Cologne friends in their fascinating city. They had already put a tremendous amount of effort into the planning…
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A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Dinant & Namur
On this part of our journey to Namur, I discovered that the Belgian section of the Meuse river offers as many delights as the French. And as the amazing rowing tour I was on had just crossed the border, they began to appear. An Enchanting Château The first was the beautiful Renaissance castle Château de Freÿr and its formal French gardens which were designed by Le Nôtre, the designer of the fabulous gardens of Versailles. I would have loved to explore them; to wind my way through their terraced, hedge mazes. And then to visit the beautiful belvedere tucked in on the top of the hillside. Perhaps another time. Belgian…
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A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Haybes & Givet
My fourth day on the water of this epic European rowing tour once again dawned hot, sunny and bright. This time in the town of Haybes. And we made our way to the boats, my fellow rowers and I took in some of the local beauty. Architectural Charms Again we found an array of architectural styles and eras nestled among the rocky hills of the Ardennes region of France. This charming village had a variety of treats tucked away for us, from lovely streets winding uphill, to little book boxes tucked away on a window sill. And all topped off with a romantic floral arrangement at a front entrance. Valley…
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A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Charleville-Mézières & Deville
My first leg of this rowing tour of the Meuse river was no picnic. It had been more than three weeks since I had last been in a scull. On top of that, it was a hot, sunny day with temperatures in the low thirties. Add to that the fact that we were basically rowing a marathon or so a day and this was my first time rowing more than 12 kilometres at a time. Overcoming Adversity Needless to say, I struggled. Which, unfortunately, negatively impacted my rowing mates. By late in the day, my hands were slipping from perspiration. And my thigh muscles were tightening up so that it…
