Reflections

It’s been a week since we came home and life is getting back to what was once known as normal.
We both agree that this has been a wonderful year of cruising, and what we had wanted from the beginning. Last year was getting to know the boat and the waterways and moving down into France; this year was about enjoying France.  The weather was perfect for us which made a huge difference.  It was gorgeous as we came from Strasbourg across to Paris, got cooler and grey for most of July and part of August (which was perfect as we were in Paris) and then was gorgeous again for most of September and into October as we cruised up the Yonne river and the Burgundy canal. Now I look on the internet at the temperatures I know we made the right decision to come back to California.
The biggest surprise this year was how few boats seemed to be out cruising. There were plenty when we arrived in St. Jean de Losne but it seems not many of them went very far.  It meant that we never had trouble finding a mooring anywhere and we still made lots of new friends, but sometimes it was eerily quiet.

This must have been the year of the spider as they were everywhere – in the ropes and the covers and on everyone’s boats.  I only make this comment because now we have returned they seem to be everywhere here too.Could it be they are making their move for world domination?
Rosie really likes being home – we were worried it might revive painful memories of Noodle - but she settled straight back into the old routine and actually seems happier here. As for us, it is nice to have the comforts of home and to catch up with friends and family.  We don’t have to schlepp off to the grocery store every day or lug clothes to the Laundromat. Nor do I get to go searching for the patisserie and the pain au chocolat every morning, but that means we don’t eat them either (we are missing the patisseries already). It  means our day is not as full, and we don’t go new places and meet new people every day.  In short we are already looking forward to next year!
Armida is sitting on the land at H2O in Saint de Losne, about 1/2 hour from Dijon in Burgundy.  I hope she will come through the winter that can get well below freezing with snow and strong winds.  It will be her first winter outside since she was built 25 years ago but that’s the way it is in France, and we didn't want to go all the way back to Strasbourg, or the Netherlands for a covered mooring.  Below is the map of our travels this year. We ran for 250 Engine hours, went through 394 Locks and travelled 1083km (650 miles). Next year we are thinking of doing the loop through the Canal de Nivernais and then back down the eastern Loire valley on the Canal de Centre and then shooting down the Rhone and into the Canal du Midi to finish in Toulose. Still projections at this point.
This is my last post of this year – back next Season!
Rob, Terry & Rosie.

Winding Down–Reluctantly

In a little over two weeks we will be on a plane back to California but we are reluctant to leave.  It has been six months on the boat and we are still enjoying it, and still getting along, even in this cramped space.  Before we leave we have to get everything tidied,  pack the suitcases, change the engine oil, get the boat lifted out of the water, winterize her (it gets to –20C here) and concoct a cover as she will be outside.  This is a lot of work facing us but the real reason we are feeling reluctant to leave is the weather.  The last 10 days have been nothing short of spectacular, with no signs of immediate change.  Cool nights, misty mornings and still, sunny days but not too hot (26C/79F). So the thought occurs to us – why are we doing this work when we could still be cruising?

We had a nice week in Dole enjoying the weather while Terry recovered  and i got my hands dirty caulking the teak deck.  The good thing about the Sikkaflex caulk is that it sticks to everything, the bad thing is that it stick to my hands so for a couple of days I look like a real grease monkey.

Right now we are on the quay of the Saone River at St. Jean de Losne known as the centre of the French waterways as several canals converge on the river near here and there are boat builders, marinas and the best services for boats outside of Holland. As we sit on the boat we watch many boats coming up and down the river and heading into the marina for the winter – lots of English, Australians and New Zealanders, plus us and one other American flagged boat.

Of course the good weather will not last forever so it will not be long before we’ll be looking at the conditions on the internet and being glad to be in California.

Down time in Dole

It’s been a couple of weeks since the last post but we have been busy and fighting colds so the blogging has taken a back seat.

When we arrived in Dijon Terry (with cold) left for three days to visit Paris while Rosie and I worked on the boat.  Dijon is a great town but it is under major renovations while they tear up the whole town to put in a tram system from scratch – a major undertaking anywhere, let alone a medieval town.  Mind you they seem very cavalier with all their bypasses and pedestrian walkways that would have personal injury lawyers in the US falling over their clients on the way to the courthouse.
We then set off down the the straight section that is the end of the Canal de Bourgone.  Along the way we picked up my (twin) cousin Liz and her husband Bill who were touring France in a campervan.  Bill braved the clown bike to shuttle the van between boat stops as we moved down to St. Jean de Losne where Armida will spend the winter and we needed to make some preparations and line up some work to be done.
With Liz and Terry jaunting about in the campervan, Bill and I headed up the Saone and into the Canal du Rhon au Rhin, retracing the path of our first canal rental.  The patchy weather that followed us from Dijon cleared to beautiful clear and sunny days but the cool and damp nights are telling us that summer is definitely over.
Liz and Bill got to enjoy the charms of Dole before heading off back to Paris and home to Brisbane while we just sat.  Terry was not able to shake off her cold and it’s descent into her chest necessitated an encounter with the French medical system.  A jovial doctor prescribed her the necessary antibiotics along with Vin Rouge! She is following the prescription to the letter and we hope she will be feeling a lot better soon.
We head home on October 18th so we will be puttering around this region until then.
 

Highs and Lows

We have now descended most of the way down the other side of the Canal de Bourgone to Dijon, until the suburbs of Dijon and some time cohabiting with a motoroway, we have remained delighted.

The Pouilly tunnel at the top of the canal is the highest in the French canal system, but it’s clearance, at 3.10m is one of the lowest. They used to tow the big barges through here with an electric chain tug, and the empty ones that were too high they put in a big bathtub that sat lower.  Armida, with the Bimini and white canopy down was low enough but I took the windows off for extra clearance, and to see how it worked.  In the event it was no problem and one of the easier tunnels we have done.

After the tunnel the downhill locks made for easy cruising and the valleys were a little steeper and closer with some lovely views.

That is the village and chateau of Chateauneuf-en-Auxois up on the hill.  The next day we stopped at the closest lock and started the walk up the hill.  Terry hitched a ride with a tradesman leaving Rosie and me to get our exercise.  The Chateau and village were both charming, the weather was great and the views terrific. Rosie felt that she could live there.


The villages and restaurants are much more accessible and there are lots of cyclists as the tow path is well maintained.  A welcome sight was a lock keeper’s cottage that has been converted into a little store and restaurant – can’t get much more convenient than that!

The Bourgogne

First of all, thanks to you who have dropped a line or two to tell us your news.  Its so comforting to have a touch of familiar and to know that you think of us too.

The weather has done everything in the month since leaving Paris from unrelenting heat to booming storms and days so glorious you wish you could bottle them.  I don’t handle the heat well.

 

We are currently traveling the Canal de Bourgogne, southeast of Paris.  It is said to be the most most beautiful of all canals, but one of the least traveled.  The reason…there are 189 locks.  I’m the first one to whine when things get too hard and I have no complaints as the scenery is so lovely.  The countryside is green with forested rolling hills.  On the valley floor and up the hills are many farms with grazing cattle and fields of grain or corn. 

By car, we are about two hour from Paris.  As it’s also one of France’s prettiest parts the whole area is scattered with old country homes and grand chateaus.  We are limited in the number we can visit because they have to be close enough to walk or ride our bikes.   We’ve seen three so far and have been astounded by the amount of wealth there was to indulged in these showplaces.

 

We have seen 100’s of villages up and down the hills.  When I say small I meant 10-30 houses all built between the 13th and 19th century.  They are built of a beautiful limestone.  The method is called “dry stacked”.  The walls are about 20 inches thick with stone on the outside and inside then filled with dirt, water and rock.  There was no mortar used originally.  But in the last fifty years, as they’ve been renovated, it’s used.

As with the villages we saw last year in the northeast of France most took a huge downturn after WWII.  Since then things have only gotten worse and now with the recession, more than 40% of the old homes are falling into ruin with not much chance of ever seeing new life.   70% of the small cafes and groceries stores in France have closed in the last 20 years.  Poor old France is going through a very rough period and yet the people have never been nicer to us.  Once they find out that we are American/Australian, and not British, they are even more happy.  Strange, but true, the French seem to like Americans very much now.

We visited Alesia, the ruins of a Roman hilltop town that seemed quite sophisticated.  There was a amphitheater (that sat 5,000), a large meeting hall, many cobbled street with two story houses, gardens, orchards and more.  They had basements, so to speak, where they would keep fires in the winter to warm the stone floors of the home.   

The highlight in the last few weeks was the Abbaye de Fontenay, “a superb example of a 12C Cistercian self-sufficient monastery nestling in a lonely but verdant valley”.   The Abby was sold during the French Revolution and became a paper mill.  In 1906 a prosperous French family bought it.  They spent a fortune restoring the original buildings, built a very tasteful large home within the grounds and created simple gardens that create a wonderful atmosphere.  The church and cloisters are elegant and. for us, more moving than any of the many Cathedrals we’ve seen.  We loved it.

The month in Paris and this last month have been so special and interesting and all we had hoped for while on our boat.  Now that we are in a more popular area of the country we have been able to enjoy many meals off the boat.  Most cafes do a lunch meal of three course tasty meal for 11-15 Euros ($16-23).  It includes a starter (entrée), main dish  and dessert.  Sometimes a glass of wine and coffee are included.  Other times they will have a cheese course as well.   We never need big dinner in the evening and will usually have soup, bread/cheese/pate or leftovers.  I love not cooking!  By the way, the stone fruit here is soooo good this year.  Is it the same where you are?

Books:  I can not recommend Erik Larson’s, “In The Garden of Beasts.”  I found it wordy, tedious and dull.  I can recommend Jane Kirkpatrick’s, “The Daughter’s Walk”, fiction based on a true story.  I was given a paperback by Anita Shreve, “Fortune’s Rock”.  An ok book for the ladies who want an easy read.  As always, I’m looking for book titles.

Just so you know not every minute is bliss.  There are times when I am just plain bored.  I really miss being able to see a movie, driving my car and a nice glass of Californian Chardonnay.  

Terry

The back of Bourgogne.

Well summer seems to have arrived! We have had several days in the 30s (90s  F) that have sent us out to sit under trees and caused us not go very far each day, which has resulted in some very quiet and rural moorings. 
Although we are not that far away from Paris it has felt like we were really in the back of beyond.  For several days there was no cell phone service and we found a big hole in the internet.  One evening we were musing on what would happen if we needed emergency medical attention.  Then the TGV whizzed past on the other side of the valley and we remembered the modern hospital in the last town that was days away by boat, but probably 15 minutes by car – not really so isolated after all.

Armida’s Log–Start of the lock staircase

Date: 28-Aug

End Location: Marigny-le-Cahouet

Weather:  Sunny with a cool breeze – perfect

Journey Time: 6 Hours 25 min (including lunch stop)

Distance Travelled: 10.4 Km

Number of Manual Locks: 28 (uphill, our most so far)

Number of Lock keepers accompanying us:  4 (students)

Other boats passed: 1

Scenery: Bucolic

Rating: ***

Notes: This canal is so delightful it is a mystery  to us why there are not more people travelling on it.