The day before: getting started

Our round trip through the canals and rivers of Burgundy would take us 28 days. Steve and I would travel 530 kilometers and go through 213 locks. I knew it would be hectic. We would have to work pretty hard to meet our deadlines and return our boat on time. We planned a round trip from Migennes to Migennes and would be on some of France’s great rivers and canal systems. I also knew that with my really bad memory for place names it would be best to keep a diary of our daily activities, towns and villages we were to visit and our progress through the lovely gentle countryside. It was a good thing I did. Steve and I often had to refer to the diary to remember where and what we had done just a few days previously. Time had a way of expanding; days, events and places remained vividly in our memory or faded, though not because of their insignificance.

We began our journey on the 7th July and arrived in the small town of Migennes via express train from Paris. Our friend Bill Robertson, who would be with us on the boat for the first 4 days, met us at the station. Although we did the elongated circular route the town is small enough that you can walk from the station to the marina we drove there in Bills car – we had piles of luggage as we were scheduled to spend a few weeks after the boat trip in Switzerland and England. We took possession of our boat, got in a few supplies, beer, wine and unpacked boat clothes, stowed the luggage and settled back to enjoy the early evening. The little Epicerie (supermarket) had an amazing array of fresh vegetable and fruit – you weigh your own stuff and I managed to select the correct description with my lousy French. It was nice to see the other goods on the shelves – the labels for tinned goods are bright and cheerful – you kinda want to buy them because they look so good – even the dog food looks tempting!

Our boat was fairly large – we had 2 double cabins, each with its own bathroom cubicle, and large living/dining area and a well equipped kitchen with microwave, stove and oven. It was spacious enough that we were not on top of each other and a nice outdoor area to have sun-downers and a place to stretch out and sunbathe.

Migennes had tubs and hanging baskets of flowers everywhere – so, so colorful and lovely to look at. In the public gardens and traffic circles there were really large wire framed structures of birds and snails covered in flowering plants – I found them amusing. As Burgundy is the home of escargot, it was appropriate that there was this giant floral tribute to the humble snail.

We went to a small restaurant that is only open a couple of days a week and one oe two nights and had what was to be the first of many really fantastic meals. This also encouraged me to keep the diary to record the fabulous lunches and dinners we were to have. Bill and Steve had snails in a creamy garlic and fresh herb sauce to start – they said it was great and the garlic not overpowering but subtle enough to let you know the garlic was there. We all had grilled steak with a red wine sauce. The steak was served with steamed veg – carrots, green beans and flat beans sprinkled with parsley – very tasty and we sopped up the gravy with gorgeous French bread. Steve and I finished off the meal with fresh strawberries, cream and a sweet balsamic reduction. Yummy. We drank copious amounts of wine, walked the 100 metres back and poured ourselves onto the boat and slept like babies.

Day 1: Migennes to Auxerre

Sunday 8th July 2007

Day's progress: 23kms, 10 locks

This was our first day on the water and I think we managed exceptionally well. Steve had instruction on the boat the day before but as he is an old hand at barging and canals he really only had to know how the boat worked. Bill and I were the novices but by the end of the day we were old hands. We leapt about the boat like middle aged spring chickens, throwing ropes, climbing up slimy ladders, which were quite scary, hanging on to ropes to stabilize the boat in the lock and generally having quite a bit of fun. Bill was the one who did most of the leaping up ladders – I gave a lot of encouragement from the deck. The route Steve plotted for us was to go South first, down through Decize and then head north, then south again at Montereau where I have an elderly uncle, then back to where we started from. Migennes was about a third of the way down on southward trip.

We were traveling up river – this first part of the journey was on the River Yonne. We went through 10 locks this first day and going “up” certainly required a bit more work than the “down” locks. Each lock (ecluse) is numbered according to the river or canal. The river and canal charts have all this detail so it is fairly easy to plot ones course and know when and where to stop. There is a speed limit for pleasure boats and barges – the maximum is 8kmh – so the pace is quite leisurely and 23km in one day was quite an achievement. The locks only open at 9 in the morning and as with most things in France there is a complete shut down of everything for lunch between 12 and 1. Because we were there in July and August and it only got dark at about 10, the locks closed at 7 in the evening. This did however require that we plotted our course every day so that we had a nice place to stop for lunch and decent mooring at night, preferably with electricity and water for us to charge the batteries and have lots of water for the showers.

I think there was a competition on for the prettiest lock and lock keeper house. There were tubs of flowers and a very abundant supply of garden ornaments of all shapes and sizes. The flowers were very colorful and there were some really colorful lock keepers as well. One of the lock keepers (eclusier) was a jolly fellow dressed in skimpy shorts and a string vest that barely covered his ample tummy had the best lock that day - he had a good selection of garden ornaments including a startling white life size lamb at the entrance to the lock. We were traveling at that time with a couple of other boats and this delightful lock keeper rushed off whilst the lock was filling and gathered up bunches of herbs from his garden which he charmingly presented to a lady on each of the boats. The herbs were lavender, Citronelle and bergamot – I put them in the water carafe and they lasted a good 3 weeks. They made a lovely centerpiece for our table.

We stopped at a tiny village called Gurgy for lunch – it was a pretty, pretty place. Boxes of flowers everywhere and everything was spotless and well maintained. The one and only restaurant was located in what seemed to be a converted church hall, high ceilings and old wooden floors and doors. They served fantastic food and whilst I only had cold meats and salad there was enough to feed at least 3 people. They gave me a slab of roast beef and pork – delicious and lovely fresh veg salad. I am already getting the feeling that I will definitely over eat on this trip – I guess the secret will be to do lots of exercise like riding my bike alongside the canal, walking between locks and helping the lock keeper operate the large winches that open and close the lock doors. Hmmmm. Steve and Bill got stuck into a guinea fowl type dish that looked delicious – all washed down with lovely bread and wine and super cheeses for pud.

Back on board and we headed off for our evening mooring at Auxerre. We went through one huge lock that was not quite as automated as the others. The lockkeeper had to open the valves that allow the water into lock with a series of levers. He did a wonderful little dance flicking up the levers with his feet and jumping from one to another (there were 3 levers) until the valves were fully open – it was great to watch!

When we arrived in Auxerre it was packed – there were hundreds of camper vehicles buy the river and boats are barges were sometimes 3 or 4 deep on the moorings. We moored up to another boat. It had started to Rain at that stage and we scrambled over 2 boats to get to shore to do a bit of exploring. Auxerre is an old and important town and 3 enormous cathedrals dominate one side of the town. One of the cathedrals dates back to the 9th century and the others are not much younger. We walked around the old town a bit but we were tired and it was wet and there were heaps of people all over the place – we were quite worried and wondered if this was what the entire trip would be like. We decided not to sit under wet dripping umbrellas for dinner and went back to the boat. I knocked up a quick meal of country pate (store bought), bread, cheese, ham and salad. And wine of course.

Another night of sleeping like a baby – didn’t hear the rain at all.

Day 2: Auxerre to Accaloy

Monday, 9th July 2007

Day's Progress: 23kms 13 locks

It rained most of the day, was cold and windy. There was really heavy rain at some stages and we had to don raingear and fleece jackets. Steve was up on top deck driving the boat whilst Bill and I huddled in the overhang to get a bit of shelter venturing out to supply Steve with cups of tea or beer. We also ventured out to do the ropes at the locks. Weather wise a very miserable day. At lunch time we moored up at a small town called Vincelottes which in on a small canal next to a big town called Vincelles.

We brushed our hair, grabbed umbrellas and headed off for the restaurant which we understood to be really good. It was about a 2km walk and we arrived there looking quite bedraggled in our shorts, boat shoes and soggy jackets. My goodness….the restaurant was fantastic. Beautiful décor, sort of voluptuous…the ladies loo was tremendous – huge bowls of flowers. There were also huge bowls of flowers in the dining room, bright paintings, plush chairs, full curtains with metres of fabric, huge loaves of bread…everything looked lush without being too much…there was no scrimping here.

The cover of the menu showed a paining of a voluptuous young lady and it was only we were leaving that I noticed the painting hanging on the wall. There were
Limoges plates on the table with the restaurant logo – 2 birds with large tails facing each other and the chef/owners initials in the body of the birds..and then the he appeared. He was so charming – despite the fact that we looked so disheveled he treated us like royalty. His name is Alain Renaudin and was pleased to know we were from South Africa – he had spent a great holiday in Cape Town and was very impressed with the Mount Nelson Hotel. Steve had a quick look at the wine list and his eyes nearly feel out of his head. He declared it the best he had ever seen despite the fact that some of the wines clocked in at 450 euros a bottle. Steve then started fussing with his jacket and declared he had left his wallet on the boat – truly.
He had changed his shorts and forgotten to pick it up. I must add that this was most unlike Steve – he is a shopaholic of note and he was very distressed that he didn’t have his wallet on him – lucky for us Bill had his and offered to pick up the tab. The food was fantastic. And the wine that was recommended by Alain – talk about personal service – he advised, recommended and supervised the serving. He also explained the different butters on the table, this one went with the dark olive bread best, that one with the white bread…..glasses were filled without any indication from us, water glasses always toped up. We decided to have a main course and dessert – three courses is just too much food. We were given a little beef creamy mousse soup in a little cup to get us started – different and delicious. Then we all had fish. I had turbot that was fabulous. It was served with mashed potato – the mash was done with squashed black olives and olive oil – very yummy. I think the fish was cooked with chicken skin covering the piece that side that did not have fish skin – this kept the fish moist and succulent and lent quite a subtle flavour to it – it certainly complimented the flavour of the fish. We attacked the cheese board and indulged in some superb cheeses – you don’t need a lot as it is so rich but a wonderful way to finish off a meal. When we were ready to go, we went into the bar where Alain sits behind a rickety looking desk and personally writes up the bill on a fairly ordinary stationary store pad, adds it up on an old hand held calculator and whips the page off with a flourish and presents it to Bill. He is complete control and charge of his restaurant and customers. Charming – everything done so well and he really is a bit of a showman. Bill managed not to faint and only turned a little pale. It was an expensive lunch but we all agreed it was a wonderful meal, experience and worth every euro. The restaurant by the way is called les Tilleuls.

Co-incidentally, post trip, I found this wonderful review on the Hotel Guru website.

Fiona Duncan wrote: A 10-minute drive from Auxerre brings you to Les Tilleuls in Vincellotes (8642 2213; closed Wed), where in summer you can eat beside the river under the lime trees. You need to keep your wits about you here, or the gently mocking patron, Alain Renaudin, will have talked you into foie gras, fine wines and a hefty bill without a menu ever appearing. But you will have had fun.

We were pleased for the 2km walk back to the boat – walked off some of our excesses at lunchtime. We headed for a smallish town called Accaloy that was on a canal that lead off the canal we were on. Accolay is an old town and the lock we went through just before the town was really beautiful – flowers all over the place, even up the banks of the little bridge. The town had nice moorings and we did a quick walk through the town before the rain come down. Next to the mooring was a well-preserved very old washhouse. The large rectangular pool was quite big and dotted at intervals were stones for the washing to be scrubbed on. I can only say it must have been damn uncomfortable to do washing this way – backbreaking. Next to the washhouse was a small park and the local gentlemen were playing a noisy game of boulles. I did the Tai Chi short form in the shelter of the washhouse and attracted a local audience.

Because it was Monday, the restaurant was closed so we settled for another meal on board of cheese, bread, pate and wine – not that we really needed much after our lunch. By this stage we had put together quite a nice collection of cheeses and wine.

Day 3 : Accolay to Chatel-Censoir

Tuesday, 10th July 2007

Day's progress: 24kms 12 locks

It rained and I mean seriously rained all day. I had brought along some flimsy rain macs that were like giant plastic bags with armholes and hoods – and Spur steak house logo on the front. These macs came folded up in a small zipp lock bag not much bigger than a small bank bag. I thought they would be ideal – firstly because I was expecting showers and secondly that I could just throw them away after the trip. Not for one minute did we expect the downpour we had that day or the previous day. Steve had decent rain gear but Bill and I used the plastic bag macs, pulled on over our warm clothes – 2 T shirts and jackets – it was freezing and very wet. We took shelter whenever we could – only venturing upstairs to take Steve hot tea or to work the locks. The ropes were wet and heavy and it took a bit of effort to throw them to the person waiting on the side. Bill scrambled up the lock ladders – which were wet and slimy and covered in all sorts of goo. I was glad it wasn’t me doing that task – but I threw the ropes to him – usually successfully the first time. Not only were the ropes wet, the also got covered with sand and small stones - Bill had a spectacular pair of bright blue thick rubber kitchen gloves and this ensemble together with our funny plastic bags brought smiles and startled looks from a lot of other boaters that day. We really looked very funny, street people on a boat wrapped in clear plastic bags! We looked as though we had been badly cling wrapped, our bare legs sticking out the bottom; Bill with his bright blue hands looked incredibly odd! Bill didn’t only look funny he is funny and has an excellent sense of humour. We spent most of these miserable wet days howling with laughter and were very happy to provide a lot of laughter for other boats.

We stopped for lunch at a village called Mailly-la-Ville. I must add here, that most of the towns and villages are right next the canals. Even though the canals don’t do as much commercial business anymore, these town and villages served a purpose for industry and agriculture – hence they were close to or next to the canal. They have also done a lot to promote themselves for the tourist industry on the canals now. Some of these little places might have died without this new industry. The towns and villages are generally well kept, attractive with flowers and gardens, the restaurants provide really good food and the service is superb. They are working hard at re-investing themselves.

There were a couple of bars and restaurants in the village – each town has a PMU, which is a bar where bets can be placed. The PMU serves simple food – sandwiches etc. We went to a bar/restaurant that looked OK and there were a number of locals going in there so we thought that it would be fine. We had a glass of wine in the bar first – it was served in the tiniest glasses I have every seen – really enough for a very small glug! I got to learn that the size of wine glasses in bars varied enormously.
(It was quite pleasing later on in our trip when we met an English woman who owned a bar – she asked if we would like a decent Brit size glass or a little French one!)

The restaurant was in the room behind the bar – it had quite original décor comprising what looked like lace curtains glued to the walls and huge pots of plastic plants scattered around the room. But it was spotless and tables nicely set and as soon as we sat down the waiter put an ice-cold bottle of water on the table. We had dinky little water glasses, which were finished in 2 swigs. The owner/chef informed us that we had a choice of 2 meals for lunch – lasagna or couscous. I had the couscous and Steve and Bill the lasagna. We started with a dish of cold medium poached eggs on lettuce with the most delicious home made mayo on top…and a large basket of yummy bread. This was the type of restaurant where one hangs onto the knife and fork – you give it them little wipe on a small piece of bread, eat the bread and put the knife and fork neatly together on the table mat – usually wit6h the knife resting in between the tines of the fork or balanced on top of the fork – the form being turned over so the tines face downwards. Steve and Bill enjoyed the lasagna – it was a huge serving and they couldn’t finish everything. My couscous was super – and done properly with a three-meat stew – it was tasty and filling and real comfort food. We had a lemon tart to finish – nice but a bit too sour for me – I do prefer sweet puds. Even in this small town restaurant the service and attention to detail was superb. A lot different to in the indifferent service and food we get in SA restaurants.

We got into Chatel-Censoir at about 4.30. Steve hitched the boat up to power and water and Bill toddled off to the office (this was a Connoisseur Boat Line Base) to report the broken windscreen wipers – someone came immediately to fix them and we hoped that now, by a strange quirk of fate that the rain would stop. The canal entrance to Chatel-Censoir was marvelous – a couple of chateaux by the canal and again, lovely flower boxes, neat houses and gardens and beautifully trimmed trees. The marina was almost full and we were glad to get a mooring. It had been a miserable day – apart from the lunch – and we were tired and cold. We headed into the small town for some provisions – stocked up on melons and parma ham. The small butchery (charcuterie) had the most mouth-watering goods on display; pates, terrines, sausages, hams, bacon and a good selection of meat, rabbit, pork, lamb and veal. And all beautifully presented. We found out where the boulangerie was so Steve could collect the bread and croissants in the morning. And got directions to the only open restaurant.

It was a bit of walk to there – through the town and up some side streets. It was still early but we needed a nice hot meal and early bedtime. We chose one of the formula menu’s: Pate to start, fillet en croute and I can’t remember what was on the menu for pud – which we never got. This was the only bad meal we had in France – and I think you get the picture that we ate out a lot. Firstly the pate came straight from the butchery – it was nice but fridge cold and then the fillet arrived on cold plates, the pastry was cold and hard and the fillet was the wrong side of luke warm. We called the young waitress who took the plates and came back with them some minutes later – the food had been “nuked” but only around the edges – it was still cold and even more tough and uninviting. We squished food around a bit when Steve said this was total nonsense and we should just go back to the boat. We settled the food and drinks bill – it was quite expensive – and on the way out Steve decided to go to the kitchen and speak to the chef… Steve managed to stick his head into the kitchen and this really enormous chef who was a least a head taller than Steve, pushed him back into the passage. He was definitely not having anyone in his kitchen. Bill and I were standing by the door to the restaurant and could see down the passage to where Steve and Chef were standing. It was instant altercation. The Chef had his hands on his hips and was glowering down at Steve. Steve was on his tip toes with his index finger almost up the chef’s nose. We couldn’t hear anything but we just knew what they were saying to each other. But then Bill and I had edged out onto the street and were holding the door open for a fast get-away. Steve stormed out and we charged back to boat at full speed, Bill and I in hysterics, screaming with laughter which only added to Steve’s fury. He was fuming and of course we were still hungry when we got back to the boat. Once he settled down a bit over a brandy he told us that the chef insisted that the food was not cold it was cool and that was what it should be like! Not nice hot flaky pastry and roast vegetable – who was he trying to fool?

After a couple of nightcaps it was off to bed with us. It had been a tough day all round and a very, very funny day.

Day 4 : Chatel-Censoir to Clamercy

Wednesday, 11th July 2007

Day's progress: 18kms 10 locks

This was Bill’s last full day with us – he would be catching the train from Clamercy the next day to Migennes to pick up his car. The weather had cleared and it looked like we were in for a nice day. It was a bit chilly but the sun was out.

This was the first day we really had a chance to take in the lovely countryside – instead of huddling under shelter we could be on deck and enjoy ourselves. Steve must have been relieved – fixing the windscreen wipers must have done the trick! The landscape had very gentle hills and lovely green pastures. Big fat butter coloured cows (Charolais) all over the place. The air smelled farmyardy – not too much but enough to know we were “in the country”.

We seemed to be the only boat on the canal – there was no one else around. This might be because some of the others we had started with had turned back to the base (they may have been doing a week trip) and also because we were covering in pleasure cruising terms, quite a distance each day. We were also doing a full day – we had to get Bill to Clamercy in time and we had to stick to our plan to meet our overall deadlines. Remember that we could only start at 9 in the morning when the locks opened and we could only cruise at a maximum speed of 8 kmp and the locks were closed between 12 and 1. We also worked out that it sometimes took us half an hour to get through a lock if it was against us or there was traffic in the opposite direction that had right of way. We were busy on the boat and there wasn’t much time to slack off.

Before I lurch into a description of our next meal (lunch), I thought I should tell you about our morning routine and breakfasts. Steve would get up fairly early and hose and mop down the boats’ exterior – it gets quite messy with grass and other debris from all the jumping on and off at locks and moorings. He would then walk to the nearest boulangerie for fresh bread and croissants. I would put out the breakfast things – melon and parma ham, butter and jam, orange juice and make the coffee. This became our standard breakfast for the entire trip – refreshing and not too heavy bearing in mind we would be having lunch 3 hours later. Bill chopped up the previous days bread for the ducks, helped with washing up and did his bit of housework – ie. Fluff his duvet. I would also do a bit of housekeeping. The boat was very roomy and we had enough bathrooms, the kitchen quite large and bedrooms a fair size. But we had to make sure we didn’t have stuff lying around and it was easier to clean up every day than to leave it. We usually finished breakfast and about 8.45, got ready to go and tried to be at the first lock, if it was close by, for opening time. That was our routine and so far it seemed to work well.

Running along side the canal is a well-maintained path about 2.5 meters wide. Because of the change in the weather there were people walking, running or cycling on the path. In days gone by, barges were pulled along the canals by donkeys, horses or mule and even more alarming by the bargeman’s strong wife and children. The path followed the same gradient as the canal so it was an ideal place to walk or cycle. There were groups of people on walking tours and many touring cycles, some pulling special little baby carriages or kiddie bikes. Everyone was very friendly and everyone we saw greeted us. The fishermen were out in force and we got a wave and bon jour from them.

There are many small towns and villages on the canals and rivers. They are fairly close together so quite a number of people on the path are locals. And they usually had a dog with them. The French love their dogs and after I while I felt as if I was viewing a dog show. Beautiful breeds, some I hadn’t seen for ages and so far not a mongrel in sight. The dogs are well groomed, well socialized, obedient and friendly. Dogs are welcome in restaurants and shops and waiters rush to put down a bowl of water – before attending to the owners. I saw a couple of wired haired terriers – a breed from my childhood and I had forgotten how appealing these little critters are. My mother always called them wooden leg dogs because of the way they keep their front legs dead straight.

Cats were not quite so visible – I had seen a few but they scampered away if I got too close. In the towns and villages the houses are sometimes built really close to the street – only a narrow pavement separates them from the traffic. Beautiful lace curtains kept out prying eyes. The fashionable thing is heavily patterned lace usually showing an animal, bird or flower design. Designs showing cats in various poses were popular.

We stopped at a small village called SURGY. We moored the boat next to a very pleasant park/recreation area. This park provided outstanding ablution facilities – spotless toilets and showers with soap, toilet paper and paper towels and large laundry basins. The place was well looked after and there was not another person in sight and everything was unlocked. On the other side of the canal was an old structure that would have been used as a “ water taxi stop”. It was roofed and level with the water to make it easy to jump on a barge – the villagers must have used these taxis to go back and forth to bigger towns. The village was a short distance from the canal and we had a nice walk there; past the inevitable fields of cows and now a few sheep were thrown into the picture.

It took a while to find the restaurant – no signs, and the only indication that something might be happening in a small building were a couple of rickety chairs propped up against the wall and an ancient car. There was a huge tree near the entrance that provided wonderful shade. Bill went in to see if this was indeed the restaurant. He called us in and all there was in the room was a smallish bar counter with a huge selection of cigarettes, 3 long tables with benches, a couple of large ancient pointer type dogs sprawled on the floor and a very excited Jack Russell leaping about. There was a largish lady what a very ample bosom behind the bar.

We ordered drinks, kir for me and beers for the guys. This time I got a reasonable sized glass. Steve asked her if we could have lunch and she asked “how many”. We replied that it was just us and she disappeared into a room behind the bar. Next to the room we were in was what looked like part of the living quarters. There was a big table with a remarkably swish looking laptop, papers all over the long table, old calendars and stuffed dead foxes and other small animals on the walls, a cabinet full of small trophies (probably for the dead animals), a fireplace and mantelpiece adorned with plaster angels of varying sizes and funny little ornaments. The room we were sitting in was similarly adorned with stuffed dead animals and a pheasant.

The Jack Russell had lost interest in us and was jumping up against the glass of a fish tank trying to bite the fish. He kept this up for almost the entire time we were there. The patron refreshed out drinks and we still didn’t know if there would be any food there. She went off into the adjoining room and bustled about out of sight. We thought we would just finish our drinks and push off when she called us to come to have lunch.

In the corner of the room was a beautifully set table; white tablecloth, small vase of flowers, wine glasses and nice cutlery. She brought through our first course; a finely sliced tomato with the most amazing dressing and a nice piece of crab. This came with a platter of warm bread. The bread sopped up the dressing – there was no chance any would be left. Our next course was a large steak, lightly flavoured with garlic and chunky chips beautifully cooked. We got stuck in and so did she – she cleared a space on her big table in front of the laptop. During all this time she had barely spoken a word to us. She rounded off the meal with a rather grand cheese board and more warm bread. It was a fantastic meal and we washed it down with a couple of jugs of tasty house wine. It was such an incongruous setting for such a fine meal. The cost was very reasonable and we toddled back to the boat feeling very pleased with ourselves, at one with the world and very content.

We arrived in Clamercy mid afternoon. From the canal Clamercy looked like a really lovely place. The small marina offered water and electricity, was spotless and pretty – tubs of flowers scattered around. We were in a fairly old part of the town and there was quite a bit of restoration happening with the buildings near the marina. We could see the scaffolding on the old cathedral that sat on top of the hill, with the town at its feet. Quite spectacular.

We tidied up and set off to explore – I needed to buy a hat after
losing my cap in a lock during a rainsquall. Steve wanted to get a fishing rod; there were heaps of fishermen and Steve figured he should have a go at catching supper. The streets were narrow and cobbled. Only bikes and pedestrians could manage some of the old roads going to the top of the hill. We found our way to the cathedral and town square. The square boasted a number of restaurants and we decided to come back for dinner at an Italian place. On our way down the winding streets we found a Cave – did a little wine tasting and bought a few bottles to add to the boats stock. We had a drink at a small bar, watched the locals and then went shopping. The only hat I could get was at the fishing shop – a gray floppy thing that was not at all attractive but would do. Steve got his collapsible rod and bought a few shirts as well. He commented later when he was wearing on of the shirts that he felt a bit like a picnic tablecloth – I am not saying a word.

Our dinner was quite ordinary but tasty. We had spaghetti bolognaise and nice house wine – I sloshed some fiery chili sauce on it and mine did make the meal a bit more exciting. One of the things I was beginning to crave was vegetables. I eat a lot of veg at home so was beginning to feel the lack of greens. I learnt here about ordering a “salad vert”. So I tried to always start a meal with either a green salad (which varied according to restaurant – some added tomato and other salad goodies or it was just a bowl of lettuce). If there was crudite on the menu I would have that and it was usually made up of a variety of vegetable like grated carrot, green beans and so on – usually cold and with a dressing.

We had had a good day, quite a bit of sun and good meals. We were ready for bed after a few nightcaps on the boat.

Day 5 : Clamercy to Chitry-les-Mines

Thursday, 12th July 2007

Day's Progress : 31kms 17 locks

Bill left us at about 9.30. It was now just Steve and I and we set off knowing that we would miss Bill quite a bit.

This was a really long, hard day and we worked more locks – we set our record for mileage and locks today.

We needed to make up some mileage today so that we would make it to Baye tomorrow. Everything would be closed on Bastille day (14th July), including the locks and it was quite important that we had mooring at a good marina for the 14th. This would also be our “day off”.

But we had to get through today with just the 2 of us, me handling all the things in the locks that Bill had done. Something that was quite novel on this leg were bridges that went over the canal that needed to be cranked up for the boat to get through then cranked down again – there were 3 of these! And the last one was a killer. There was definitely something wrong with the wince mechanism and in the end three elderly men were hanging of the bridge to try to help me get it down again.

I got to scamper up the ladders in the locks – bit nerve wracking but I soon got the hang of it. Steve would bring the boat slowly alongside the ladder and I would grab on with the rope over my shoulder and scamper up. I would then secure the boat, throw the rope back to Steve and then help the lock-keeper open and close the gates. There were 17 locks today and they were huge. I ached at the end of the day but felt good and knew I would be able to work off the glorious meals.

We had decided to have lunch in a town called Tannay. Steve was quite keen to go there – it has some famous wines and he was hoping we could do a little wine tasting. We moored the boat on the side of the canal. We were going to use the bikes for the first time! Tannay was about 4kms from the canal and after a bit of a shaky start we discovered it was uphill all the way – I think we rode for about 500m in total – and pushed our bikes the rest of the way. Tannay sat on top of a really steep, high hill – well, I think it was a very high hill - and anyway we were huffing and puffing by the time we got into the village. We were definatley not in any shape to have ridden up there. We had a super lunch at a restaurant in a smallish hotel. Interestingly, the owner told us that we were the 3rd South African couple in as many days. I had lightly poached fish with roast vegetables for lunch – Steve also had fish – different kind. We both enjoyed the meal. I finished off with Fromage Blanche that was to become a firm favorite. It is very like yogurt only more cheesy and and creamy. It can be smooth or chunky and is often served with sugar on the side – nice with sugar but I prefer it plain. Steve had some cheese. We had a bottle of love white Tannay wine. The restaurant had some interesting ceramic figures and the owner seemed to be fond of swan/duck type ornaments. There were 3 ladies lunching together and they had 2 dogs with them – good as gold and they had their bowl of water from the owner.

Stopped at a cave in Tannay and bought a few bottles of wine – we hung the plastic bags from our handlebars and set off for the boat. We hardly peddled at all and certainly not downhill. We reached the boat in double quick time – I am not entirely sure I would have enjoyed Tannay as much as if we had to ride uphill on the return journey

Spotted a lovely Doberman – very strong, big dog with red collar and harness. They clip the ears here – this isn’t the first one I have seen with pointy ears. It makes them look quite fierce and intimidating – I know this practice was banned years ago by the kennel clubs in Rhodesia and I am sure in the UK. But he was beaut no less and I would have liked to give him a cuddle.

The locks had veritable displays of garden ornaments –
I have seen Snow White and her entourage of dwarves and
various hangers on, squirrels, gnomes or various shapes and sizes, owls, frogs, hedgehogs and gnomes for Africa …. I mean France. There was also an almost life-size Shetland Pony at one of the locks. But cute and pretty and lots of flowers.

We cruised past plantations of oaks today and a number of sawmills. This area is apparently very good for growing oaks and hence the sawmills – this is where they make the barrels for the wine. There were large piles of enormous cut logs – they water these piles to stop them from drying out too quickly before they can work on them.

We moored for the night at a marina just outside of Chitry-les-Mines. It provided electricity and water and there was a restaurant. The restaurant was mostly under a tent and it looked like the kitchen was in an old caravan – but nice and there were locals at some of the tables. There were quite a number of boats and some of the boats that we traveled with in the latter part of the day just battened down and didn’t see them again till the next morning – I think they were turning around here and going back.

There was an impressive chateau in the surrounding area – somewhere. The only info we could get was that it was some kilometers up the road and quite frankly we were both tired and didn’t feel like unpacking the bikes. We were also told that there was a bakery about 2 kilometers away so Steve would get in a good walk the following morning.

Dinner at the makeshift restaurant was OK. Not much choice – I had the proverbial Salad Vert, Steve had a bit and we both had the inevitable steak and chips – a huge portion of chips. We smothered it with tomato sauce and tucked in.

We had an early night – tomorrow was going to be hectic – we had to make it to Baye to get a mooring for the night and Bastille day.

Day 6 : Chitry-les-Mines to Baye

Friday, 13th July 2007 (I kid you not!!)

Day's progress: 16kms 28 locks (Total to date 135kms: 90locks)

Wow, this was a hectic day – we did almost half the number of locks today than we have done in the entire trip so far. We only traveled 16kms but were on the go all day.

It was very difficult to get out of bed. Tried to laze around for quite a bit trying get rid of some of the stiffness in my shoulders and back (all those locks and bridges) – Steve decided it was too far to walk to the boulangerie so he took a bike and was back in no time. He didn’t see the chateau.

We bolted breakfast and got onto the canal before anyone else – our timing for the trip today was really tight.

Students manned most of the locks and there were sometimes 2 students working one lock. They were from the region and were there for the holidays. They all spoke quite a bit of English and were delighted to have someone to practice on. They were great and seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was a lot of laughter and they were so grateful for the cold beers we gave them – it was sweltering and they really pushed it to get us through. When we were through the lock one of them would leap on a bike and pedal like crazy to the next lock – to help the next student – then that student would take off for the next lock. They used walkie talkies to speak to each other. It was very organised and they enjoyed our participation – wherever I could I helped with the gates and would walk whenever possible between the locks.

Some of the locks were very old with enormous oak levers instead of the mechanical winches. You had to push against the levers to open or close the gates….timing was all important here – if there was the slightest bit of water coming into the lock it was really heavy, but quite easy once the water had settled.

We were climbing in altitude quite quickly and the hurdle we had to get through was a series of locks called a ladder. This ladder comprised 16 locks in a row and once we got onto them there was no stopping. Together with the students we worked like mad things to get through. Some of the locks were only 50meters apart-there was much running around, pushing shoving, wincing and jubilation when we got to the top – what an amazing sight looking back down this ladder of locks and how much we had climbed! Extraordinary engineers who built these locks and canals – a good 200 years ago.

The next and last hurdle was to go through a section that had 3 long tunnels – this was a one-way system and we had to wait a bit for a tourist boat to come through.

Again, there was communication from one side to the other via radio. There was no place to moor or turn around on this section and we were anxious as Baye was on the other side and we really didn’t want to moor up where we currently were at Porte Brule. After about an hour's wait we were given the green light.

100m along this part of the canal we found ourselves in the most beautiful setting – it could have come out of a fairly fantasy movie – the trees hung over the canal turning the light into shades of pale green with dappled sunshine coming through the leaves. The canal had been dug into a hill so there were steep sides – trees were balanced precariously, hanging over us – everything was cool, green, lots of moss and ferns, dead quite and very beautiful. The canal and old tow path was lined with bricks that had been cut from stone – each one perfect and all the same size. These had probably been laid 200 years ago. In a couple of places some restoration work was taking place – damage to the canal walls seemed to be as a result of soil erosion or from trees and roots.
The canal was dug through three hills and these tunnels were 212m, 268m and 758m long – this really was a case of a light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnels are named des Breueilles, de Mouas and La Conlancelle respectively. The tunnels are near a small town called La Collancelle. They were dead straight, very dark and towards the end we were icy cold – I was dreading the final one, which was the longest – I was shuddering with cold by the time we got to the end. It was quite eerie in the tunnels – very quiet – the only sound was the hum of the engine and the wake lapping on the walls of the canal. The towpaths were clear of debris and I expect one could walk through the tunnels. The last tunnel had 2 circular air vents spaced equidistant from the beginning and end of the tunnel. I am not sure how high the air vents went up through the hill but they must have been at least 50m high – paved with bricks all the way up. A shaft of light came down the vents making a circular spot in the middle of the canal – at first I thought it was an electric spotlight. When we got underneath it, moisture dripped in huge drops on us.

It was amazing and once again an incredible engineering feat – these tunnels were built a couple of hundred years ago and still going strong.

We arrived in Baye in good time to get a good mooring, plug into the water supply and electricity and put a load of washing into the marina washing machines. Baye or more correctly, the Etang Baye is a very interesting water/wet land and covers about 100 hectares. There are a number of lakes which are fed by 3 or 4 rivers and it is these lakes that provide water to this section of canals.

When we had hung up the washing on our little makeshift washing line we unhitched the bikes and cycled the 3kms to the small town of La Conlancelle. It was a lovely ride and we were feeling more confident about being on the open road and, for us, riding on the wrong side of the road. It takes a bit of getting used to – another thing that takes getting used is that the drivers of cars and trucks are so polite and are not going to run you off the road. This is just a tad different to what we are used to in South Africa. In fact I would not ride a bike on a public road in Johannesburg – you will either get killed by a car or hijacked for your bike!

La Conlancelle had a really small bar/restaurant called Le Martin Pecher, with a tiny epicerie tagged on the side – you could get the basics like milk, a few vegetables, some tinned food and wine. Tagged on the other side was a fishing shop, which makes sense given all the lakes and rivers in the vicinity. There were perhaps 2 dozen really nice houses and a huge church with a very beautiful WW 1 monument in the tiny town square.

The owners of the restaurant were charming and had only moved there 2 months previously. There were a couple of other people having dinner and at the bar. We had a super dinner – steak and chips and this was the biggest portion of chips I have ever seen. The local tramp was having a beer and snacks at the table next to us – Steve offered him some of his chips, which upset the owners immensely. This was not our intention – we actually felt quite sorry for the poor fellow. We also had a splendid local wine – so we bought 2 bottles and a bottle of rose. We had bought some milk, tomatoes and cucumbers and everything was bagged in very flimsy plastic bags.

We asked if we could have lunch there the following day as we were quite keen to join in the Bastille Day festivities. The owners said that although they had a big group booking it would be OK if we had lunch – they were quite happy to extras. Because there was not a bakery in this town, the restaurant owner took our order for bread and said he would collect the extra loaf when he went to the larger nearby town for their bread in the morning. They were so helpful.

On the way back to the boat I was flying down a hill on my bike, full of confidence when the rear wheel stuck – I went flying and landed, fortunately unharmed, in the ditch. The bag of wine and vegetables lying next to me – also unharmed. Steve had already gone round the corner so did not get to see this – nor anyone else thank goodness. We found out a few days later that the brake stuck on the wheel on a right turn – hence my accident. The next day I had huge purple bruises on my legs and smaller ones on my arms. They faded after about a week to a really sick mustard colour.

It was a good day and we had worked really hard. I didn’t note down what we did for lunch – I really cant remember – we had been so busy.