Auxonne and French Heritage Days

The past couple of weeks have been busy - here's what's happened the past few days - We'll try to catch up on the missing ten days soon.

Friday we left Saint Jean de Losne for Auxonne, about 20km up the Petite Saône with only one écluse. What an écluse it turned out to be. We arrived to a red light and saw that there were two boats coming down, by the time it was down we had a second boat waiting to go upstream with us. As we came up in écluse we could see six boats waiting, one long enough that it was blocking the entire diversion with its bow on one side and stern on the other. Some good boat handling got him free and back in the channel by the time we reached his location in line.

Spent the afternoon revisiting our first port of call with Juniper in the Burgundy region while our guests made reservations for a train to Paris the next day. Tonight would be our last night together so it was out for a farewell meal that included many French traditional courses that were shared all round.

Saturday – Early start. Our Jeff and Anna’s train was scheduled for 6h30 and it was at least a ½ hour walk. We got up a bit after 4h00 and were off and walking by 5h15 to make sure they would not miss the only train that had room that day. Everything came off like clockwork with Joan and I walking back to the boat by 6h31, going via the boulangerie for croissants. A few more hours sleep and we were ready for boat projects – first thing laundry. Our trip to the Laundromat or Lavarie in French made our weekend, We ran into two other boating couples that told us about the French Heritage Days that were happening all over the country for two days. The town we were in, Auxonne, had quite a schedule. Everything from the church tower being open for tours, to the military base having tours including the rooms Napolean used as a cadet, to a display put on by the people of Auxonne celebrating the cultural differences and bonds with other countries that make France what it is today. We took it all to heart and had a wonderful weekend exploring what France is all about.

View form the top of the church tower. You can see the Saône heading north and little bit of Port Royal, the marina
we are in. The buildings just under the river are the military base where Napoleon started his career - still an
active base today.

View from the top of the church - Auxonne houses and street. A lovely town we always enjoy coming back to.

We'd seen the posters but hadn't translated them, or understood the countrywide celebration of what
makes France the country it is. There were open houses at historic places, écluses having open houses,
military bases open to the public, and even more fun, ethnic groups celebrating being French.

Our first interaction (much in pantomime) was with the Confrérie lde L'Oignon
D'Auxonne. The chef is hard at work poaching eggs to go with the onions,
potatoes and ham that make up the tasty piece of history that is part of Auxonne.

Joan with two members of the  Confrérie lde L'Oignon
D'Auxonne, plus Barbara one to the boating gang we met at the laundromat that filled us in
on the options we had for the weekend.

Auxonne citizens from French Polynesia shared culinary treats that make up a large part of their culture along with
telling how their culture meets with the French culture

More treats, from mango drinks to tasty treats - again, not the France we normally think of,

Celebrating the French connection were citizens from Senegal, sharing food and drumming.

The local Portuguese community also shared tasty treats and the best Porto Blanc we've ever had. Celebrating the bond
between the two countries.

More treats and culture form Lagoa Azul

More treFinished off with our first game of boules with boaters we met at the Laundromat before enjoying some wine with them, then dashing back to Juniper before the rain set in for the evening.

Great Heron (Joan's spirit animal) keeping watch on our progress up the Saône this morning. His good spirit kept
us dry all the way to today's stopping point of Port de Savoyeux.

The next two days took us to Gray and finally to Port de Savoyeux where we’re enjoying a wonderful dinner and wine, while listening to the rain pounding on the deck (we’re warm and dry).

Chalon-sur-Saône to Ranchot on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin

September 2 – Monday – Another beautiful day on the Saône with today’s port of call Verdun-sur-Doubs. This is where the Doubs river, that we will be following with the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, meets the Petite Saône to become the Saône River. The lower reaches are not navigable so we have to put in another couple of days on the Saône to reach the canal.

River town of Verdun-sur-Doubs. At the point the Petite Saône and the Doubs combine to make the Saône

A few minutes after mooring at the marina this "ship" came down the Doubs River. Happy not to meet him on a turn.

Verdun-sur-Doubs is a beautiful river town with the bread museum – couldn’t miss that. Covered the history of bread, especially the history of the Baguette in France. Did a bit of provisioning but unfortunately missed getting to try, pôchouse verdunoise a local dish that is made from several types of fish stewed in white wine. The restaurant that is known for the best version was closed on Mondays

Wine on the sun-deck for a wonderful sunset on the Saône in Suerre.

Tuesday - Arrived in Suerre. A hot day and not much happening in town. The best shade was in a small park watching the elders of the town play boules. Certainly wish I understood French a lot better. There was lots of humor going on, that we could only get the gist of. Finished the evening off with a glass of wine on the sun-deck.

Wednesday we are in our home port of Sain Jean de Losne meeting up with boating friends Jon and Bev. Helped them move their boat to the slings to be hauled for the season, then met the gentleman that will be doing painting and polishing on their boat this winter (a possible candidate to work on Juniper). We returned to the boat to host the three of them to poo-poos and wine on the sun-deck before moving off to the pub to meet with the Kiwis and Aussies for their weekly get together and finally dinner on the quay with some of the Kiwis.

A great option a couple of Kiwi Rialto canal boats used for a front cockpit bimini. Inexpensive and it works great.
We may have to consider copying this great idea.

September 5 Thursday – A much needed morning shower told us what we’d be doing for the day. After the shower we had a smell like a gas leak that meant our shower sump had overflowed into the bilge. Took the mid-cabin apart to reach the hatch then opened the sump for some testing. Luckily just a bad float switch and it was in stock in town. However once open the sump and adjoining settling tank should be bailed dry and cleaned. An awkward, slow and smelly job – we sure smell good now.

Float switch replaced - Now it's a long reach into the bottom of the smelly sump
to get a cup of gray sludge at a time. Glad to have that job over for a while

Friday morning found us taking a quick jaunt up the Saône to the Canal du Rhône au Rhin. We’ve rarely had to share a lock while cruising in France – that all changed this year. With most of the canals closed due to lack of water it’s a busy year on the Rhône au Rhin. We shared every lock on the route to Dole. Had a peaceful evening aboard.

Joan as the captain gets to handle the bow line in the écluse. While her crew gets the stern line.

Saturday we had a not so early start, leaving Dole, that almost bit us. Again we started out with a lock buddy, that wasn’t very happy to have to share. At the first opportunity they shot far enough ahead to get into a lock and close the door before we arrived. Had the last couple of locks on the way to Ranchot to ourselves, Joan took advantage of the opportunity to brush up on her captain skills (not that they are ever very rusty). Arrived to a full quay, luckily a boat was just running to the grocery store. A quick turnaround and we were ready for the open spot. We were no sooner tied up and yet another boat arrived. Biked to Fraisans, a nearby town that is big enough to have a grocery store, to pick up some much needed provisions. Slow afternoon, Joan worked on her needlepoint while I cooked dinner.

Joan working on her grandma skills - working on a needlepoint Christmas stocking for first granddaughter Emma.

September 8 – Raining – too much trouble to put on raingear. Had a second cup of coffee and braved the drizzle for 100 meters to the boulangerie for croissants and bread for lunch. Looks like another work on the boat day for the morning. Got a bit of a walk in, then more chores before settling down to needlepoint and blog. Full quay again today, with disappointed boats having to continue on.

Saône River to Chalon-sur-Saône

August 28 Wednesday – Another early departure (we’d heard Tournus was always overcrowded and we wanted a spot for sure. We arrived to a nearly empty dock yet again – and again that didn’t last long. As you move into the naïve you move into the oldest barrel vaulted church in France. The technique allowed for windows to let light in. A stop for an afternoon coffee and ice cream before returning to the boat. Back aboard we just in time to see Grelige Henriette motor past, we had met Bill and Winnie the year we took our ICC certification exam (2015). When we came back in port after the exam they invited us over for wine to celebrate. It was nice to share a glass and catch up with old friends, this made for a complete day.

Église St-Philibert - the first Romanesque church
in France to use barrel vaulting - allowing them
windows to let in light.

Spent the afternoon touring Église St-Philibert. The oldest part of the church dates back to the 10th Century.

Exploring the alleyways on Tournus.

Thursday – Being in town meant boulangeries, which meant fresh croissants for breakfast and fresh bread for lunch. We walked the town trail, running into Bill and Winnie and family again. In the afternoon we walked to the Velo Musee that traced the history of the bicycle from its earliest version to carbon fiber racing machines and finally hit the super marche for provisions. Tomorrow we are on our way again.

We have three of the larger écluse to do on the Saône. After the Freycinet standard écluse we are used to on the canals
we feel lost in the space. Plus the lock keeper sits in a tower, so all is empty except us and this large expanse of water.

Welcome to Chalon-sur-Saône - Tour de France

Afternoon coffee in the square.

Friday – Another early start, our first big écluse and our longest day, so far this year, nearly 40km. Beautiful calm morning cruising through lovely agricultural land with the occasional small town or old building. Arriving at Chalon-sur-Saône the dock is again only about half full, making it easy to find a spot in a marina notorious for being full. After a toast to Poseidon and a well deserved  lunch we were off to explore the old town, starting with another impressive cathedral. As the afternoon heat caught up with us we returned to Juniper to sit in what shade we could find for the rest of the day.

The next day was also predicted to be hot (mid 90s with high humidity and no breeze). We walked into town early to do the town walk. Enjoying the variety of buildings and houses, from half timbered houses to major stone buildings. We stopped along the way at a wedding celebration outside the Hotel de Ville, at which Joan was recruited to take pictures for them. Then finished off our in-town time at the Musée Nicéphore-Niépce. Nicéphore-Niépce, born in Chalon-sur-Saône is credited with being the inventor of photography. Back aboard Juniper it was laundry day, followed by dinner and an evening visiting the couple from Denmark on the boat in front of us.

Sunday market in the church square - We then found it extended down the side street for a few blocks

Chalon-sur-Saône Sunday Market - Buying provisions for our next few days. Getting used to fresh picked local food.

Sunday – At last a cool day was predicted. To celebrate we slept in a bit, had a hot breakfast then were off to the Sunday market happening in the cathedral square. After market and lunch, it was time for boat chores: cleaning, vacuuming, electrical work and a little provisioning as we continue up the Saône in the morning.

Saône and the River Seille

Cuisery - the village of books.

August 23 Friday – Back to the Saône for another 9km to the La Seille River and another right turn to explore 39km of river and a couple of towns that look interesting. Our first town was Cuisery, built high above the flood plain. After a toast to Poseidon we walked down the river to an old mill (wasn’t photogenic) then up a trail to town. It’s getting late so we take a few photos of l’Eglise Notre Dame dating from the 16^th century. Back aboard it was time to break out the barbeque for dinner on the sun deck.

The next morning we walked back into town and after wandering around town picked up info (in Anglais) for the town tour from the tourist information office. We began with a treat from the boulangerie and a nice sit in the shade. Cuisery is known as a book town. There is an entire street of almost nothing but book stores AND the Gutenberg center, where we watched and learned about the early days of printing. The gentleman that talked with us had four of us come in about the same time. He was very fluent in French and German but had to work a bit on describing things in English. Between the four of us in our group (two young women that spoke French plus Joan and me, we were able to all communicate with plenty of laughter and smiles at all of our attempts.

Our printing lesson - from hand setting type to inking (using the leather "inkers" in his hands.
All shown on a Gutenburg era press

Sunday – We knew that Louhans (our next destination and a major market town) would be crowded as there is a weekly market each Monday. We decided to leave Cuisery early in the morning to beat the crowd. The early morning cruise was peaceful and the morning light amazing (we will repeat this early morning stuff again). Our route passed châteaux, open agricultural land and even a Bressen chicken farm, where the chickens ran wild in the fields. Arriving at Louhans the dock was nearly empty (by dark that night, it was completely full) our plan worked.

The main street of Louhans - Arcades run the full length of the street, on both sides.

St. Pierre - with its varnished tile roof.

We wandered Louhans a city known for its arcaded main street, forgetting Sunday in France means almost nothing is open. Being unable to shop for groceries meant we were forced to go out for dinner (gee bummer – no cooking and no dishes)

Market day. We arose early, hit the boulangerie for our morning croissants then off to see what this was all about. The market stretched the entire length of the arcaded main street, then filled the side streets and spilled over the main road for the livestock section. There was everything from household goods to clothing, produce, cheeses, butchers and fresh fruit to live chickens, turkeys, rabbits and even pet birds, cats and dogs. With such a big layout you’d think there might be room to wander – nope, the whole town was packed shoulder to shoulder with people shopping. Spent the afternoon aboard Juniper relaxing and reading.

Shopping for anything you might need

Mirabelles - mini plums. We bought a kilogram and feasted on them for days.

Chickens - buy them for pets, laying eggs, or dinner tonight. Your choice.

The early start was pretty going up – let’s try it going down. Another beautiful morning of cruising back to Cuisery where we got on our bikes to search for the elusive château we had seen the towers of going upstream. A fair amount of riding got us right next to the château, but unable to through the wall and vegetation that surrounded it – still nothing but the six towers we were able to see.

Joan closing the écluse door as we start our decent of the Seille River

Our trip up and back on the Seille was an area with no éclusiers – we had to do all the work in the écluse. We would stop at the pontoon (floating dock) before the écluse and Joan would hike up to the écluse. If the last boat through was going the same direction as us she would have to close the doors, close the valves, open the valves on the other end to bring the water to the level we needed, then open the gates again by hand to let Juniper and I in. Then close the gates, open the valves to take us up or down and finally open the gates again to let us out.

Mill next to the écluse gate Joan was closing

Château de Loisy, Just below the écluse. Beautiful early mornings

The next morning - you guessed it, another early departure (we’d heard Chalon-sur-Saône was always overcrowded and we wanted a spot for sure. We arrived to a nearly empty dock yet again – and again that didn’t last long.

August 2019 Mâcon to Pont-de-Vaux

August 12  We get a ride to SeaTac for our Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. Quick trip through security and it was time to find a hearty lunch to get ready for our cheap flight. While Aer Lingus was low on food and no free booze, we did have more legroom than with any other airline we’ve flown to France.With an overnight flight we arrived in Dublin for a Quick plane transfer, then on to Paris for dinner and a good night's sleep at the airport

Wednesday morning we picked up our car and began drove to Mâcon to meet up with Bill and Christina aboard Juniper. We only made a few wrong turns, that could thankfully be corrected at the next roundabout. Drove right to the boat located at the Mâcon Port de Plaisance. Went over the boat with Bill then drove to our AirBnB in town.  That evening we picked Bill and Christina up and drove into town to walk the quay in search of a nice dinner. Found a place with good food and a fun staff to interact with despite the language differences.

The next morning we woke to find we had hit another of the many French holidays. All of the places our host had recommended for breakfast were closed. There was a paella truck just opening for business in a parking lot across from our AirBnB so we decided to buy some for dinner. With all the samples we were given we ended up having mussels and sangria for breakfast, along with all of his regular customers. Spent the day provisioning and moving aboard.

Friday we spent the day settling in and looking to see if we could possibly replace the blinds that had been bothering all of us for a few seasons. Found out the length we needed was a standard size – just gotta check whether we can customize to fit our needs

Joan in the courtyard of the Hotel Deiu, Beaune, France

Saturday was a tourist day, we still had the car. We drove to Beaune, in the heart of wine country. Perhaps the most impressive sight is the Hotel Deiu (hospital for the poor) that as built in the 1400’s and used into the very late 1900s then restored to what it would have looked like inside in its earlier days. After the hospital we walked town and enjoyed the last of the morning market by having a fromage et jambon crepe for lunch. Then on to the wine museum. Coming out of the wine museum we discovered there was also an evening market. Couldn’t find anything we needed, but did enjoy escargot and wine for our dinner entrée.

11th Century Pont Saint-Laurent. So beloved that a diversion was dug to allow larger commercial craft a route up the Saône, without having to remove, or "modernize" this historic bridge. As the Germans retreated at the end of the war they respected this piece of history and only destroyed one arch to protect their rear.

Sunday we decided it was time to see Mâcon. We rode our bikes into town then did the tourist walk seeing all the sights. It was weird walking the completely empty retail part of town. Everything was closed for Sunday.

Blinds kind of sagging - time to spruce them up

Monday we awoke to a downpour, that went on and on, not a good day for our first on the water, so we decided to buy new blinds. While Joan was off the boat I decided to try taking our existing blinds apart to see if we they could be repaired, nothing to loose, they were on their way to the dump anyway. Joan came back to a pile of blind parts scattered over the salon. Turned out there were enough good blades to replace all the bent and broken ones. We still went to the store for new ones, but found they could not be modified. Spent the rest of the day and all the next rebuilding the rest of the blinds as well as moving Juniper to the repair dock for her 6000 hour oil change.

Blinds after replacing a few (most) of the slats

A pile of bent slats removed

August 21 Wednesday – still stalling, we spent the day scrubbing and using rubbing compound to remove marks on the hull and house. Met a couple that had sailed the world before retiring to a canal boat. Turns out they had lived in the NW and we had several common sailing friends. We got together for drinks at 17h30, and the next thing we knew it was 01h30 and apparently we were talking a little loud and were still outside for a warm evening. Fortunately one of the boats on the dock gave a friendly toot on their horn that made us check the time.

August 22 Thursday – Underway at last. Beginning our cruise up the Saône. Beautiful weather and next to no other boats on the water. After 14km on the Saône we took a right turn up the canal de Pont-de-Vaux to the lovely town of Pont-deVaux. Turns out they were having a major Quad (4-wheel motorized bike) competition, with over 600 riders representing 17 nations, including the US. The highlight of the first day was a parade through town of all the competitors. It started at 22h30. We stayed up. The town was packed and like the tour-de-France spectators were within touching range of their favorite competitors.

The view from our salon, looking upstream to the old mill. This was the end of navigation for la Reyssouze

May Day a National Holiday

The écluses are all closed for May Day. While they are rioting in Paris Julie and I decide to bicycle to Semur-en-Auxois to see if anything is open. This trip we are leaving from Marigny-le-Cahouët and using the bicycle route. Wonderful road that is nearly flat and the last few kilometers into town are on a dedicated bicycle trail that parallels the road, just as it get busy.

Why I never get tired of cycling in France. This is the road we took to and from Semur and this is about how many cars you'd ever see at a time. No pot-holes, no chipseal, just smooth riding.

Semur-en-Auxois had many businesses open so we were able to window shop and then use the map we had received when Joan and I toured the town to show Julie the sights. Semur became the stronghold of the duchy in the 14C when the citadel was reinforced by ramparts and 18 towers. Today there are still four towers and much of the old ramparts left to explore. While the towers are closed the town is still like stepping back in time.

Collégiale Notre-Dame

The show piece of the town is the Collégiale Notre-Dame a church that was started in the 11C and rebuilt and remodeled and added to throughout the years. There are still parts that go back to the 13C. Like so many places in France there is a chapel in the Notre-Dame dedicated to the US soldiers of the 310^th infantry that gave their lives to help preserve the freedom of France in the Great War. We often forget how much we are appreciated for what we have contributed to the world. It’s always a touching reminder to see how much our sacrifices continue to mean to others.

Semur-en-Auxois from the river - tower and some of town ramparts visible

Chapel dedicated In Memory of US troops of the 310 Infantry in WWI that died protecting France

Our ride back took a little detour to explore Lac Pont which turned out to be one of the feeder reservoirs for the canal de Bourgogne, as well as a lake for general recreation.

A copy of our chart showing just how close the locks are together for this stretch

Wednesday we continued our climb with 13 more écluse to the port of Pont Royal. Good fortune was with us when our eclusier chose to keep working when 12:00 came around to allow us to complete our day before he took lunch.

Entrance to Saint Thibault - doors and entrance from 14C

13C St. Thibault

We’d seen the town of of Thibault in our chart book but then checked our Michelin guide and found the church there had quite a history. Jumped on our bikes for a quick 5Km to see this 12C church that has been the resting place for Saint Thibault’s relics since the 1200s and rebuilt and reconditioned many times over the centuries.

The canal as it looks from this part of our voyage.

On Our Way Back – As Slow as Possible

Having decided to return Juniper to her home port of Saint Jean de Losne to have her winter repairs, repaired. Since we are no longer behind schedule we are now taking the time to fully smell the roses, even if they are soaking wet.

Our first day we returned to Venarey les Laumes, a nice port with power and water. The power is really important since the temperatures have dropped back into the 30s at night and only making the high 40s to low 50s during the day. With power, we can run our heater.

14th Century - Château Bussy-Rabutin. From medieval residence to Renaissance château

Antechamber - walls covered  with damask (the red & gold fabric covering the walls) and decorated with furniture from the Régence Period

The Hall of the Great Warriors - featuring 65 portraits of French and foreign military figures. Many of the rooms were similarly covered with paintings, just different topics.

Julie in the garden maze

With rain scheduled for the afternoon we set off on our bikes by 9:00 to bicycle to Château Bussy-Rabutin a beautiful building started in the 1300s. The Château as it looks today is probably representative of how it looked in the 1800s. After touring the Château we set out to explore the gardens and maze. While outside the predicted rain began and we decided a nice warm cup of coffee or food sounded better than getting soaked. As the ride was primarily uphill going to, it was a much faster ride back to town.

In town we had, of all things, a hamburger with of course pom frits. Then it was off to the MuséoParc  Alésia. The museum was inside, warm, dry and a perfect place to learn about the battle between Julius Caeser and the tribal Gauls united by the leader Vercingétorix. Even with the arrival of a rescue army of over 250,000 the Roman defeat of the Gauls in this important battle allowed the Romans to include Gaul in the Roman Empire. The museum covered the story as well the archeological work that has been done to verify what really happened.

Recreations of the Roman battlements built to siege the Gaul's fortified hilltop

Very wet bikers

Even after stalling all day, the rain outlasted us and we ended up riding back to the boat, including a super marché stop, in very wet weather.

Sunday was a short day, only ten écluse and a distance of about 5km. Once again it was time to get the bikes down for a ride to a nearby medieval city, this time Flavigny-sur-Ozerain home of les Anis de Flavigny the aniseed sweets that have been made at the old abbey for over 100 years. The building itself many years older yet. The ride to  Flavigny had a 3km long climb to the ridge and we were bucking a strong headwind to help us burn a few more calories.

Fields line the road to Flavigny-sur-Ozerain

The medieval walled town to Flavigny-sur-Ozerain.

You might recognize this logo
for the anis flavored candy.

Monday was our work day – the beginning of our staircase. Today was 17 écluse in 6km. We showed up at our appointed 9am time only to find an empty écluse. 9:15, still empty, finally about 9:30 our first èclusier arrived and we got underway. A couple of locks later our second èclusier arrived and it was game on. We were averaging about 10 minutes per écluse, including the time to move from one to another. The two young keepers were opening the valves to the locks all the way, right from the start, giving us quite a ride and filling the chamber in record time. We’d no sooner leave a lock and they would be zooming past us and have the next one ready. Before our lines were on the lower doors were shut and sometimes the water would be entering. To go along with this hurried pace we had a 20mph wind blowing – this meant coming into each écluse fairly fast to maintain steerage and at quite an angle, straightening out and slowing down once you were partially in the chamber and somewhat protected from the wind. Julie got real good at snagging the first bollard as we motored  past it, still slowing down.

Arriving back in Marigny-le-Cahouët (the town we found the lovely château on our way out) we spent the afternoon again walking to the château then walked through the outskirts of this very old village.