Barging in Burgundy Part 5

Barging in Burgundy

To read from the beginning use this link – Barging in Burgundy Part 1.

Day Nine – 6th July 2017
Macon Ville
If it was hot the previous day it was even hotter on this day. The predicted temperatures were around 35’C. Forecasts were climbing. Although we were happy in Mâcon Nord, my mother was with us, and no way could she walk 4 kilometres to the centre of town. The bus stop was also going to be too much of a walk for her. We decided to take the boat down to Macon Ville and check out options.

The jetty in Mâcon can only accommodate 4 – 6 boats. Certainly wise to get there as soon as possible. There are a few eateries right next to the quay. And a public toilet which I would not recommend. No services available. Maximum stay 3 days. And it was free. They were gearing up for some event so we decided to explore Macon and return our boat back to the lovely marina to escape the noise.

Heading for Macon

The super friendly ladies at the Tourist Info Office gave us good advice for our travel plans. We asked if Mâcon had any vegan friendly eateries. No. We did a short walk around Mâcon and then the heat got too much, so we tried to find somewhere to eat. None of the kebab places would do a falafel for us. One nice looking place was full. The other nice looking place had only one person working there, a queue out the door, and dirty tables. No way could she take on more people. We headed back to the quay and settled at one of the eateries there. The prices were good. Too good as it turned out. Our food was disappointing.

We resolved to make a lovely meal on the boat to make up. I made spinach flatbreads, home-made hummus, with lots of fresh vegetables and crudités, plus some vegan cold faux meat slices. For the rest of the evening we sat around waiting for the sun to set and the ambient temperature to finally drop. Usually around 9.30pm. The coolest spot was on the foredeck so we draped ourselves across the deck and chatted, planning what we would do when we won the lotto.

Food on the back deck

Day Ten – 7th July 2017
Mâcon
This was mother’s last day with us on the boat. She spent 10 days with us in London and 9 days with us on the boat. Her flight out to London was 15.30pm the next day via Lyon. My favourite city in France. We’d resolved to take a taxi to Mâcon station. A train to Lyon Central Station. And the Rhone Express out to Lyon St Exupery Airport. Her plan was to take a few days off in the UK before her long-haul flight to the USA and Canada.

We had a heap of clothes washing and linen to do, so a day out of exploring was overdue. Each day was hotter than the day before and the last thing we wanted was to be hanging around in the blazing sun. A washing and cleaning day it would be. Luckily the marina at Mâcon Nord had brand new washing machine and dryer. With English instructions. And tokens. A wash or dry at €3 which was hardly expensive.

Macon Marina

Next to the marina is a bar come cafe which overlooks the river flowing past. My mother treated us to some drinks. My mother had a cafe, my husband had a beer from Louhans and I had a red wine from Corsica. All very good and one of the best wines I have ever tasted. So good my other half and I had a second round. The bill came to €28. It was so hot we weren’t hungry. I made us a salad and we ate fruit.

Read more – here.