Visitors, the Long Village and Heatwaves

Santenay and The Long Village

I think it was writer about the English canals who christened the Canal life "The Long Village" and the name applies just as much in France.  Santenay is a small but popular mooring but with no services so most stays are short.  In our past stops here we have often encountered familiar faces and this time was no different.  Not blong after we arrived another boat showed up with Kent and Heather from Maryland (and Aspen and the Bahamas) who have appeared in this blog in 2013 in A Sunday in Besancon, and who we encountered that same year in Santenay just after we picked up Skye, Adam and 6 month old Sean.  Again, memories were refreshed over drinks.  The next morning we motored 45 minutes to Chagny to pick up Caroline and Phil from the UK, just as we did Skye and family  nine years ago.  Kent and Heather had been replaced by a Hotel Barge taking up mosty of the mooring but leaving us two bollards. 

We sat at the picnic tables under the trees catching up and reminiscing and looking down on the valley. A guy on a bike shows up and starts chatting. He was disguised in a helmet and sunglasses but I recognized the voice as Harvey from Hoep det Leven who I met with his wife Sandra (from Boston) doing a barging course in 2010 with the legendary Tam Murrell. They are not technically part of the long village having sold their barge but they can't shake France and are renting a house in Santenay. More catching up as Sandra joined us and the afternoon was soon used up. Harvey wrote one of the best blogs about canal cruising at On A Barge in France.

The next day we set off with the crack crew back on board down the 8 Locks back to Fragnes.

What is better than Juillet 14 in France?

Well two, of course. Our plan had been to stay the night in Fragnes so we could get into Chalon-sur-Saone early on Bastille day to be assured of a berth in the busy port. We discovered on the way up that they celebrated in Fragnes on the 13th. I suspect that Fireworks operators are fully loaded over these two nights. We arrived in time to get the perfect spot, just far enough way from the festivities not to be too noisy but close enough to enjoy the fireworks. 

As mentioned before Fragnes is barely a village but has a huge open air pavilion by the canal. This was filled with enough tables for at least 200 people, who all showed up for the Moules (mussels) Frites and entertainment. Caroline and Phil went off for the food and were able to enlist help from the locals as to protocols: you needed to buy tickets here, stand in line here etc., And by the way, did you bring your own bowls? Oops, dash back to the boat. For 14 Euros they filled whatever bowl you brought with mussels and provided an endless supply of frites. A  bottle of very nice Rully Burgundy wine was 12 Euros. No one went hungry. Back to the boat for the fireworks. But first we had to wait for the next village over to do theirs, that we could see very well. Make that 2 1/2 Bastille days 

Next morning we motored down the canal, to the 10 metre lock, into the Saone and a prime spot in the marina for the Chalon Fireworks. It has been two years since they have been able to celebrate the national holiday and they must have been saving up their supplies. We all felt that we saw one of the best displays we have experienced.

Heating Up.

Caroline and Phil left the next day after another very special visit. The weather had been warm but only preparation for what was to come for them.

While writing this post I went back to 2013 to check on dates, where I found a comment on how the heat was more relentless than what we had experienced before. Now it is much more than an annoyance. It is not as dramatic here as in the UK but 39C (102F) is hot in most places so, as per the previous post, took the easy way out and enjoyed our "holiday" in an air conditioned hotel for two very comfortable nights.  We got back to the boat just before a lovely thunderstorm brought rain and cooler air.

Exit Strategy

Apartment Armida has spent enough time in Chalon-sur-Saone and it is time to think of our other home.

We will leave here today and take a couple of days to St. Jean de Losne for clean up, lift out and cover on.  Then it's off to Paris for 5 days and then back to California.