July 6 - 7 - Still on the The Petite Saône

 

July 6 – Monday – Morning in Ray-sur-Saône: 

We depart at 9:15am and it’s 73° on the way to 90°. We stop in Port Savoyeaux to purchase two fenders and see if their mechanic can fix our tachometer. Success!! Nice to know our speed again.

Tunnel Transit Michael & Joan previous day

While underway a little house cleaning is done before the heat of the day. Keeping the bimini up as much as possible always watching for low bridges. We’re wearing the cooling towels that Julie got each of us – get it wet, snap it, wrap around your neck. Those and wet dish towels covering the helmperson’s legs make it tolerable. Pass through another tunnel, the Savoyeaux, it’s only a half kilometer long. Four écluses (locks) and about 37 km and we’ve melted our way to Gray, arriving at 3:45pm. A quick toast to Poseidon before Michael heads out for groceries. Toasting Poseidon is a ritual Joan and Michael picked up from the couple they canal boated with on a 48° North trip in the Netherlands. They always thanked Poseidon for safe travels at the end of a day’s run. A good day on the water is always worth celebrating.

July 7 – Tuesday – Lay day in Gray:

Read about a city tour with a guide that started at the

La basilique Notre-Dame de Gray

Tourist office. Not available today. Or maybe not available in English. The tour would have gotten us into buildings you only see from the outside when doing the self-tour. Okay, let’s go to Le Musée Baron Martin. Nope, not open on Tuesday. Sigh. We proceeded to do a self-guided tour using the map and visit the La basilique Notre-Dame de Gray. While we were admiring the building a priest and another person came in, knelt up by the alter and began chanting. The sound was amazing, two unamplified voices filled the entire basilica.  Followed by grocery shopping and laundry. Laundry is using washing machines in the Intermarché parking lot while doing your grocery shopping. So convenient because you’re in the air-conditioned store instead of sitting in the parking lot. Sheets and towels go in the dryer, clothes get hung up on the boat. So hot out they dry almost instantly. We treat ourselves to dinner out.

We passed a squadron of over 20 White Storks