Barging in Burgundy
To read from the beginning use this link – Barging in Burgundy
Day Twenty-One- 18th July 2017
Chalon-sur-Saône
This was yet another scorcher of a day. The French don’t seem to fear the sun much. I was the only muppet slathered in three layers of sunscreen, one of which is a fierce zinc-based white sun-block which gives me a ghostly pallor. Plus a wide brimmed hat, sunglasses and light jacket to cover my arms. People were on their decks soaking up the full force of the sun’s rays, then hosing themselves down to cool off. And going straight back into the sun. Golden old men were squeezing their bits into teeny tiny swimwear. Not a good look in my book. Must be my Celtic heritage, but I can’t think of anything I enjoy less than lying about in the sun.
Covering the boat to keep it cool
A return visit for lunch at La Vie Pierre was definitely on the cards. Their “eat-as-much-as-you-want” lunch costs €13.80. The buffet has a wide selection of hot and cold, mostly vegan, but all vegetarian foods. A plate each, plus a pichet (pitcher) of wine and a dessert to share – came to €33.00 and some change.
The whole of France was obviously marking down summer items and every single shop had sales (soldes) signs on them. And there were some real bargains to be had. Not that I need anything, but at Monoprix I succumbed to two pairs of trousers marked down 70% to €6 each. We discovered a huge Carrefour supermarket a short walk from the marina. If only we had bothered to look left when we crossed the St Laurent Bridge. Around 19.00pm when the heat was starting to abate, we took our shopper and did a shop up. A person never knows what to expect en route. Some little towns have proven to have lovely eateries and good supermarkets. Some have not.
Chalon sur Saone
And what a fabulous supermarket it is. There was an entire section of organic wines. A whole freezer with vegan frozen foods. We got well and truly carried away. Walking back with our shopper we passed the boat behind us. Poor bloke only had one arm. In the morning he was trying to cover their boat all alone, while his wife was screaming at him from inside the boat. He dropped his glasses and a few things in the water. I managed to save the glasses as they were in a pouch. The rest sank fast. He was sitting all on his own watching telly. I was sad for him.
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