Boating in Burgundy 4

Read from the start – here.

We had friends driving up from the south to join us on the boat. They texted us to say they were running late as traffic in Marseille and Lyon had been hectic. That gave us a chance to shower and prepare a BBQ supper which we planned to cook on the grass next to our boat. It was fiercely hot. I made tofu and veggie kebabs, a couple of cold salads and rolled some potatoes in foil to cook on the fire.

It’s always nice to have people with us on the boat. For them going through a lock is a new experience and I get a break from it. But also, they see the waterways and a country from a completely different perspective. A city break in Paris is what most people who go to France do. It’s around the 5th most visited city in the world. Very few people see historical and beautiful places on the waterways. How nice to share those experiences and see them from another person’s perspective? One would think that being in a confined space such as a boat would be awkward but when you’re on the move and doing so much a person doesn’t get to that point.

VNF remote control and Waterways Fluvial map

H2O were a no show the next morning and since we absolutely had to sort out Shangri La’s engine before we could move, my other half phoned them. They promised to come straight after lunch. We took some time out from boating and went walking along the canal to a camping area where people could swim in the river. People and dogs were frolicking in the cool water. Then we all went to have an ice cold drink up at a local cafe. My other half dashed back to our boat to meet the mechanic who re-fitted the – now fixed – engine part in no time at all and re-joined us. We had a lazy afternoon reading or snoozing.

As the day got a bit cooler I stayed back and made supper while the others went up the road exploring. They stopped for a drink and met a local woman who rather regaled them with stories. No-one was quite sure if they were real or she had a vivid imagination. She said things like her job was to find people traveling the waterways and interact with them. Back at the boat we had a potato and veggie galette with salads for supper. Then sat on the back deck chilling, chatting and listening to the world.

Cruising the canal

The next morning with extra hands on deck we untied and got ready to go back to St-Jean-de-Losne. Around lunch time we were about to enter a lock when the gates refused to open. We could see another boat coming the opposite way and wondered if they had right of way. But no. My better half tried phoning but there was no reply. A hire boat arrived behind us and tried phoning as well. No joy. Their boat was lying shallower than us in the water and two boys managed to get ashore. They spoke to the people on the opposite boat and tried to locate VNF to help. We suspect everyone was on lunch so settled down to a light meal while we waited. No idea what went wrong but next thing the lock opened. That incident caused us to lose over an hour of travel time.

But what we did discover was we had made front page of the local newspaper. A burly man came running past us on the tow path and recognised us.

VNF map of the route at a lock

Back in St-Jean-de-Losne we parked in our usual spot. It’s been our home marina for a season. Did some shopping and then freshened up to eat at a local brasserie. We all had a great meal and after supper went for a walk along the river. My husband and I like to go “boat perving” as we call it when we look at other boats. We were especially interested in how other people manage the heat in their boats and resolved to make a canopy so we could cover the windows and create shade.

Our last stop was Auxonne. It didn’t take long to get there. Once tied up the guys caught a train back to Dole so our friends could collect their hired car. Trains in Auxonne were not as regular as we thought but better than St-Jean-de-Losne. A couple of hours later they were back. Our friends packed up and we walked with them to their car. They left for a lovely cool lake near Lausanne. We stripped to nothing to try and keep cool as temperatures topped 38’C and even 42’C depending on where you were.

Lock opening

Later the afternoon we took a walk into the town to look for provisions. There we bumped into two Danish blokes who had helped us with our ropes when we arrived in Auxonne. They kindly offered to buy us a drink which we accepted. Rosé with ice. We particularly wanted to know more about the waterways in Scandinavian countries. The skipper had done a lot of boating there. He’d even been to Greenland. The big thing for us to remember is that boating costs in France are reasonable. It would be 3 – 4 times more in Denmark and Sweden. But apparently it’s incredibly beautiful. Particularly the waterways on the west coast of Sweden.

Just before dark, a huge big hire boat full of Americans arrived right next to us. They bashed and crashed and shouted and made an almighty noise until finally – they tied up. Nice enough people but I wondered why they had to shout when they were on a boat right next to the person they were talking to. All sorts of dramas ensued as their power kept failing. They asked for help and my husband checked all the obvious things. Turned out they were trying to heat shower water, cook, use the oven as well as run an air conditioner – with all the windows open. I guess there were about 9 people on the boat. It was obvious they had overestimated the available power supply and their needs. My other half tried to politely explain this to them.

Outside Auxonne

Luckily for us they went off to find a meal and peace returned. We could hear fish splashing and leaping about in the water. I often wonder how much fish the ubiquitous fishermen catch?

Our last day of boating was a short trip back to St-Jean-de-Losne. By the time we go there it was so hot that all my sunscreen had dripped off and was burning my eyes. I was stuck to my clothes and just feeling yuck. We had 3 weeks of washing to do. My better half went to chat to the boat yard to discuss work to be done on our boat. The generator and electrics stil had to be fixed. We had also grown tired of the davits that poked out forcing us to moor away from the edge of the quay. One of us is less keen on great leaps than the other one. Initially we had plans to fit a bendy bit that would allow the davits to fold in. But soon realised they could easily be removed and stored in the hull. We love free, easy solutions like that.

Meanwhile I walked to the laverie (laundry). Luckily it wasn’t too busy and I could make a start. When my husband came past we decided the only thing to do in such sticky heat – was have a glass of rosé. With plenty ice. Nothing like a tipple to take away the drudgery of chores and help forget the heat. On our way back we heard there was going to be a concert at the marina – French Floyd. France’s version of Pink Floyd.

I treated my husband to a veggie Plat du Jour (meal of the day) at Auberge de la Marine. Then we went past the concert. Wow! French France were so good. It was a fabulous evening. Until I got back to the boat and discovered I had been charged for our meal – twice.

The very next morning I marched across the bridge to Auberge de la Marine and showed the owner the transaction confirmations on my phone. She insisted it hadn’t gone off twice so I asked to use their phone. And phoned my bank in South Africa. Who were emphatic it had gone through twice. The owner wasn’t having it but I instructed the bank to remove one of the debits. Meanwhile my husband bumped into the Danes who confirmed they were joining us for a drink on the boat. I had wanted to invite them but could not remember doing so. We thought there was a misunderstanding and settled to a quiet last night on our lovely boat.

Poster advertising French Floyd

Much later who arrived? The Danes. With a bottle of wine. I dashed down below to put on proper clothes as I was wearing a sarong. We had a marvelous evening. Spoke and spoke and spoke. And drank. We did rather regret it the next morning though when we had to drag ourselves out of bed to catch the only train to Dijon. Fortunately the train was on time. No strikes. No delays. Back to city life. Pushing and shoving and an impersonal way of life. Lucky for us, we would be back on our beloved Shangri La in a few weeks.

I often wonder why France is such a special country? French people love food and eating. Can’t fault that. Long lunches with a fabulous meal and a glass or two of good wine are totally in order. Regional dishes and produce are revered. The French are fiercely resistant to change and maybe that’s a good thing. Cultures and customs continue so we can hopefully enjoy them into the next century. Quality of life is important. I love that’s it’s illegal to contact an employee after hours in France. We can’t speak much French but we’re forced to try and it’s a huge help being able to read menus and road signs.

One regret we have as vegans is that it’s almost impossible to eat out. Gastronomy is such a big part of the French experience. We made the choice to forgo animal foods for ethical reasons and are resolute that we’re doing the right thing. Luckily the on-line vegan community is huge. And global. There’s a site called Happy Cow which shares veg friendly places around the world. We know the world has to change as animal agriculture is not sustainable and look forward to easier eating experiences in time to come. And to be fair our lot as vegans in South Africa isn’t a whole lot easier.

The journet continues – here.

Boating in Burgundy 2

Read from the start – here

We made a reasonable start to the day. At Saint-Symphorien we entered the first lock and were given a remote control as the locks there are automated. This one had to be kept charged to work. Was much bigger than previous ones. And gave little messages as it did it’s job. We would be locking up all the way up to Besançon. The first 3 locks we shared with a hire boat couple. They stopped for lunch so we pushed on. En route we passed a massive chemical factory built right next to the canal. Sky scraper towers of pipes and silos with steam pouring out. Seemed such a pity to have this eye sore in the midst of such beautiful countryside.

Chemical factory

We shared the last lock with another hire boat couple. And came alongside a steep paved bank in Dole. It was the last spot. No facilities. An Englishman helped us with the ropes and invited us to join them on their boat for a drink. We first wanted to find out what was on offer before the various offices closed. So dashed off to the Capitain’s office across the water. At the Tourist Info Office we were given a free walking map of Dole. There was also a chance to climb to the top of the Collegial Church for €3 until 20.00pm. On any other day I may have considered it but all I wanted was to wash and settle down.

Back at the boat we showered and went next door to have a drink with our fellow boaters. Lovely couple. Newbie boat owners. Our problems with our generator were mild compared to their engine problems. But that’s boating for you. We could all recite the boaters mantras – “Owning a boat is like taking a shower and tearing up bank notes.” And the other one – “Owning a boat is like throwing money into a hole in the water.” They showed us their boat and we took them to have a look at ours. Always amazes me how boats can be so completely different. Even similar boats.

Tied up first night in Dole

One thing about European villages and towns is they all have at least one church. With bells. That chime. Around 07.50am the bells started. They weren’t counting out the time. Nor a tune. It seemed they wound up a coil and the bell got going furiously and slowly petered out until it all stopped about 5 minutes later. By then I was awake. We said goodbye to our neighbours, who wanted somewhere quieter, and moved our boat across the river so we could connect to shore power and water. Then hot footed it up to the local market. It’s a covered market that sells produce. Outside are street vendors selling clothes and other items.

We’re learning to not be seduced by local markets. A person can end up buying loads of food if not careful. It’s so fresh and lovely. The Burgundy region is renowned for it’s pale Charollais cows and their produce. We were happy with crisp organic carrots, fresh frilly lettuce and fragrant heads of garlic. I made us sticky soy strips, a huge finely sliced salad with fennel, white cabbage, lettuce and cucumber drizzled with a garlicky, soy yogurt and lemon dressing with our market purchases. Of course we had local wine and Cote D’Or Noir chocolate.

The second night on the opposite bank

We did the walking tour of Dole on a Sunday morning. It’s not a huge city but we wanted to do the walk when it was quietest. And coolest. By now it was hotting up. Three days of 31’C on a trot. We kept all the curtains closed and covers over the boat windows. Some people place towels and sheets over their windows to break the heat coming in. We also saw foil heat reflective panels as well as mirror film on other boat windows. How about air conditioning on a boat? Yip, it’s around this part of France that the split between the north and the south happens. Europe and the Mediterranean. The cooler and the hotter climates.

Apart from hire boats coming and going – there are a few hire boat bases in the area – other boaters were making their way from north to south. Heading off to cruise the Mediterranean countries and islands. I never saw commercial boats on this bit of waterway. Saw a few yachts but it was mostly motor cruisers.

Alley in Dole

Dole is a lovely place. Lots of heritage going back to Roman times. Light stone buildings and a moat all around. One nice thing about a town walk is, even if you don’t care for history, you get to see the best bits of a place. Back at the boat we had lunch and lazed about reading and trying to keep cool. At some point the shore power went down. I decided to take an early shower while there was still daylight. Some amenities are impeccable. Some are not. By Sunday late afternoon these facilities were ready for a clean. The place was done in that 60’s and 70’s decor. Beige basins and toilets with burnished copper coloured wall tiles. That look is most probably trendy again. The promised 7 minutes of hot water was more like 2 minutes but with the heatwave I wasn’t too unhappy with cold water.

Hire boats moored nearby

After a lazy start to the following day we untied and got going toward Besançon. It was hot, hot, hot. The radar arch was folded down so we could squeeze under bridges and was occupying space on the deck. The only cool place was on the side of the boat in a slight breeze and the shade of our awning. At 6kms an hour there wasn’t much wind. I was watching dragonflies flitting across the top of the water. Blue cranes swooping past and locals walking, cycling and rollerblading on the town path. Unbeknown to us it was a public holiday in France and all the world was out enjoying the sunshine.

We were making good progress when a lock failed to open. Double red lights came up. The remote control told us it was an “incident”. There’s always that dilemma, do you re-push the buttons or hope the problem rectifies itself? Two policemen were at the bridge and we wondered if there was a security issue. After waiting long enough to become impatient we tied up and went to see what was going on. Nothing we could see, so we pushed the Help button and called VNF. They arrived shortly and turned out a tree branch had obstructed the lock gate from opening properly. The Eclusier (lock keeper) removed the branch and re-set the lock so we could pass through.

Our peaceful mooring in Saint Vit

The heat was becoming unbearable so we stopped at Ranchot around 15.30pm. It was one of the places we had in mind for a potential stop. We took a late mini siesta and then went walkabout. There was nothing that piqued our interest and it was a tad cooler so we decided to carry on. Our next stopping place was Saint Vit. The Guide Fluvial map showed shops and a reasonable sized town so we walked 2 kilometres uphill from port de plaisance. I grabbed a pair of flip flops from the deck as we wanted to get to the shops before they closed, only to find everything was closed. Then we discovered it was a bank holiday. We trekked back downhill to the boat showered in warm water. The slow speed limit prevented the boat from heating our water. I made a big fat salad green salad. It was all we could bring ourselves to eat. We were the only people at this mooring. It was so quiet and tranquil.

We hoped to reach Besançon in a day and made an early start. The locks only open 8.30am so a person can’t start any earlier. What a difference it was travelling in the morning. At one lock we encountered a family trying to recover their house keys with a magnet. The keys had fallen in the lock. They kindly helped us with our ropes. Some of the locks were deep that I couldn’t reach or even see the bollards. We passed a lock of 3.8 metres and a double lock of 5 metres. There are slimy steps that you can climb to get out a lock but I’m terrified of heights so that job fell to my better half. One thing I do love about locks is the smell of the spray as water rushes in. It’s a fresh earthy smell.

To continue click – here.