Cruas, a small town on the right bank of the Rhone down towards the south of France, is probably more well known for what it provides the nation today than what it preserves from yesterday. From the river, the first thing you see of the place is the four massive cooling towers of the Cruas nuclear power station, each chimney belching steam from the controlled nuclear reactions below. Almost five percent of France's power is generated here, and around 40 percent ...

On Thursday (10 October) we met Monsieur Decibel. Sorry, Monsieur DECIBEL. We arrived at Valence, reportedly the biggest, bestest, finest marina this side of Mars, and moored at one of the few available spaces, at the end of Pontoon F. As usual after tying up we went to the Capitanerie (yes, that's really what marina offices are called. A Capitanerie is where you would expect to find the CapItain, just as in an inventory you would expect to see inventions...) A...