July 9-12 Clamesy - Sardy-les-Épiry

Spent Sunday laying low after our long day of travel followed by an evening of time with new friends. By afternoon we decided it was time to get a walk in to take a look at this beautiful historic town. With everything closed for Sunday we had the streets to ourselves to admire the old buildings.

Jousters try to knock their opponent overboard. Since this was a practice we were able to watch many matches. Both male and female participants of a wide variety of ages and builds were participating

On our way back to the boat we happened to look down river and see what appeared to be joutes nautique boats. We've heard of the sport of nautical jousting being popular in France, and even seen boats tied up that appeared to be joutes nautique boats, and have tried to find a jousting match, only to find we were a month off on the date. Tonight was our lucky night. The Clamecy jousting club was practicing. We were able to watch over twenty practice jousts before deciding it was time to call it a night.

Monday we were up and moving early to get provisions that will have to last us for much of the next week. From Clamecy we spend less and less time on the Yonne River and more on the Canal du Nivernais. This is the point at which we begin to seriously climb to the top of the canal which will be marked by three tunnels we will pass through. Provisioned and drinking water topped off we began saying our goodbyes to the crews we'd spent the past few days with. A boat in front of us was also getting ready to head upstream so we talked with them and decided we'd be lock partners for the day.

We found that we worked very well as a team sharing locks with Charles and Ali aboard "Old Harry." When we arrived at the point they were planning to spend the night, we decided to also stop. They invited us over that evening and we decided we'd be lock buddies to at least Baye, which is at the top of the Nivernais.

Our second night with our écluse buddies Charl and Ali from "Old Harry"
We're in the port of Citry les Mines

Had a nice day's run the next day. Thirteen locks and seven lift bridges that we had to raise and lower. On top of the work it was hot and very humid. Fortunately we were able to take our mandatory lunch break in an old écluse that had plenty of shade. By the end of the day at Chitry les Mines we were all exhausted.

Our lunch view 

On our way to Sardy-les-Épiry we were allowed to take our lunch break in the écluse, as there was no place to tie up along the canal. Tomorrow we start the staircase.

June 6 - 9 Mailly-la Ville - Clamecy

 June 6

We tried to get an early start from Mailly-la-Ville, but two large boats managed to get to the écluse early, plus one was a hotel barge which is a priority vessel that goes to the head of the lineup. After going through the first couple of écluse by ourselves, we were asked to wait for a boat that was behind us to reduce the number of écluse cycles with the water shortage.

Joan opening an écluse gate for us to continue on our way

The canal closure for lunch found us at Merry-sur-Yonne and the beautiful backdrop of Saussol Rocks, a climbers paradise. No climbers today, but very pretty. Will try to bike back down to hike to the top.

We arrived in Chåtel-Censoir, a nice marina with electricity, water and plenty of friendly boaters to share information with. A nice walk into town to check out the Proxi-Marché to supplement our stores, then back to Juniper for a nice cold dinner on a hot night.

June 7

Bicycled back down to Merry-sur-Yonne and hiked (scrambled) to the top of Saussol Rocks. The way up was steep enough that we were not looking forward to attempting the down climb. Fortunately there was a road we were able to use for the return to our bikes. While on top we noticed a group of four young adult climbers setting up their gear. By the time we got back to our bikes they had a rope connecting two of the rocks, curiosity got the best of us, we had to wait to see what they were up up to. Turns out they were going to walk a slack line across the abyss (well harnessed in case of a fall). We watched a great show for quite a while, before taking back roads back to Juniper.

Looking down off of Saussols Rocks at the Yonne River

Michael at the top of the rocks

Slackline performer

June 8

An early start, to make sure we were ahead of the big boats for today's écluse. Had the canal to ourselves with the exception of passing a few boats going the opposite direction. We arrived in Clamecy mid-afternoon to a nearly full harbor. As we began our approach into a tight spot we had several boaters offer to give us a hand, making a difficult docking very easy. It must have been our karma for all the boats we help each year. We now know how much it must be appreciated.

Sausagefest in Clamecy. Music, food, beer and new friends

Turns out that tonight is a sausage and beer festival in town. The streets are closed. Bands are playing, tables are set up to eat and socialize and plenty of beer and sausage. A miniature Octoberfest. The people that had helped us dock invited us to join them for a pre-function aboard their boat Sadie 2 with Kimberly and John-Michael from Ziggy B. Alex and Deb are from Annapolis and have connections with Seattle. Turns out we knew their boat quite well, it had been owned by a New Zealand couple we had cruised with many years ago. It was well after midnight by the time we were back aboard Juniper.

June 9

A day in Clamecy to restock our food supplies before heading into the next section of canal. Turns out the big store is closed today, so it will be an early morning shopping trip before departing tomorrow.

Alex and Deb leaving Clamecy, this afternoon, to continue their journey downstream.
Hope we see them again, next year.
Big thank you to both of them for a wonderful night in Clamecy

July 4 Auxerre - Mailly-la-Villle

 Arrived back in Auxerre and were lucky enough to find moorage at the fuel dock. Tomorrow morning we will stock up on groceries and top off fuel before starting the Canal du Nivernais. The Nivernais follows the Yonne River into the hills. Near the top it will be fed by a beautiful reservoir at Baye, then follow the Aron drainage to the Loire River.

Ron & Jacquelyn (l'Heritage) - Joan & Michael (Juniper)
plus Susanne, Wolfgang & Harvey asleep under the table (Water Wolf)

Juniper leaving Auxerre.

Before our departure we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with the crews of "Water Wolf" and "l'Heritage" who we had shared moorages, wine and écluses with for the past week. This would be the last night before we begin going our separate ways. 

Three boats flying flags from three different countries (France, Great Britain and Ireland) Spending a peaceful night near Vincellles. All had crews including some Americans, or expat Americans.

Our first day was a repeat of our trip up the Yonne to Vincelles with Julie and Bill, but this time we stayed at a wonderfully quiet and peaceful spot just outside of town. Sharing the spot with crews we had been traveling with. Tomorrow we all go our separate ways, and we begin meeting new acquaintances.

As we continue up the Yonne it becomes less navigable and we spend more time in Le Canal du Nivernais than on the river. Our stop tonight was Mailly-la-Ville, a peaceful river village with nice moorage. During the afternoon we took a short hike into the hills behind town in hopes of getting a view of the river - no luck - it was nicely hidden in the forest that lines it.

The hills behind Mailly-la-Ville made for a wonderful afternoon walk.

Mailly-la-Ville moorage .

Migennes and time to finish some boat projects

June 24 - 26 Auxerre to Migennes

 Photos and Text Coming soon

June 21-23 - Auxerre to Vincelles and return

 Photos and text - coming soon

June 20 - Auxerre

June 20 - A day to visit Auxerre

Today was our day to explore the beautiful city of Auxerre with our guests, Joan's sister Julie and her boyfriend Bill. They'd already been introduced to a number of the people we'd met at the marina, now it was time to see the city. 

Saint-Étienne d'Auxerre Cathedral
A little later in the day

First stop was the Gothic style Saint-Étienne d'Auxerre Cathedral that was begun in the 13th century and has been a protected historical monument since 1840.

Auxerre clock tower first built in 1483

Next came the clock tower built in the 15th century on the basis of a tower from the old Gallo-Roman fortified city. First used as a prison, it was turned into a clock and belfry in 1483. When we were here last year the entire tower was wrapped up for re-construction. Seeing it this year we could see why it is one of the must see sights in this historic town.

All that walking left us thirsty and hungry, nothing like a good Italian pizza and salad to get us back on our feet.

Our final site for the day was the Abbaye St. Germain. The Abbaye was taken from the church during the revolution and now is used for cultural displays and events.

The Abbaye St. Germain

Part of the current art display.
Wooden carvings of people

Joan, Bill and Julie as we finish our walk through the old city

June 16-19 Auxerre

Friday June 16 Evening

We took an evening train from Paris to Auxerre, arriving in time to make a quick grocery run and make the bed. Before we had opened the door on Juniper Bill and Sandy (Anahita), from Australia, were introducing themselves and giving us the keys to the boat. The marina had handed the keys off to them in case we didn't have a set when we arrived. Before we finished talking with them, Rob was down introducing himself - we had met on the Dutch Barge Association website as we're both hoping to transit Le Canal de Bourgogne this season.

After getting our gear aboard, we had time to pick up coffee and cream for breakfast (to be accompanied by croissants to be purchased fresh in the morning) and then grab a hamburger from the food truck in the marina parking lot.

At last it was time to sit on the upper deck and enjoy watching the evening progress while enjoying a G&T. We spent quite a bit of time learning to use our phone cameras shooting in low light conditions as darkness fell.

One of the many photos we took of St Etienne Cathedral

Saturday June 17th

Time to finish moving aboard as we have guests arriving on Monday. Went to turn on the water in the galley and the faucet handle broke into several pieces. No problem, we'll run to the local Mr Brico store and buy a new one. Oooops our faucets predate the EU and are on an English built boat. Maybe you could bring in the faucet and we'll rebuild it with a valve stem that has the new European standard. Bike back to Juniper and crawl under the sink to remove the faucet (several colorful words were heard coming from beneath the sink). Got it out and rode back to Mr Brico. The valve was so corroded together there was no way to get it apart. Time for a new faucet. After a couple more trips back and forth, we finally had all the parts and the system back together and no leaks. 

The old

And the new

June 12-16 Paris

We started this year's trip with a stay in Paris with Joan's sister Julie and her boyfriend Bill. We rented an Air B&B in the Belleville area of Paris and attempted to see as many of the sights as we could. We certainly were able to get a feel for what it would be like to live in this city. We got around on the Metro (Paris subway system) and RER rail. We shopped in the neighborhood store for a few of our meals and were able to experience a bit of the Belleville Market, that went on for many blocks.

This was the first time Joan and I had been to Paris during high tourist season, and will certainly be our last. The sights were still amazing, but for us, the crowds were too much.

In our five days we were able to see a few of the major attractions.

Monday - The Louvre. Probably not the best time to go. We had just moved into our Air B&B and were fully jet lagged. Amazing architecture and displays, would like to give it another try in the off season.

The entrance to the courtyard of our Air B&B

Capital on one of the columns in what used to be an indoor riding arena

Crowd working its way to the lineup to see the
Mona Lisa. I think there were some pictures on the walls.

The Mona Lisa
Shot over the heads of those in front of us

Tuesday - A bus tour of Paris to get an overview of what there was to see. The Arc de Triomphe, a little bit of a concert put on by a brass band and dinner at the restaurant we were supposed to have been at for our anniversary the year covid hit.

The Arc de Triomphe

It's a long climb to the top.

View from the top

Walking around the neighborhood where Google thought our dinner
reservation was located we came across a free brass band
concert. Too bad we couldn't stay for the entire performance,
but we'd waited 3 years for this dinner.

Dinner at A la Biche au Bois. Recommended to us by our niece-in-law.
The food and service were fantastic, the location is top secret. Not even 
Google Maps knows where it is.

Wednesday - Eiffel Tower, Napolean's tomb and les Invalids Military Museum

We are really here, and we're really going to
the top on a spectacular, beautiful day.

A glass of champagne at the top.

The view from the top

The view from the bottom

Thursday - Versailles, then dinner with Julie, Bill and our boat partners Karen and Bill near the Notre Dame.

A portion of the palace

The famous hall of mirrors

Friday - Rodin's sculpture garden and a walk along the Seine before catching an evening train to Auxerre to move aboard Juniper for our two month stay.

The Musée Rodin

The Thinker

Michael had been fantasizing about a cafe au lait in the garden
from reading novels that talked about how restorative the
setting could be. It lived up to the expectations.

Back in Auxerre aboard Juniper. We're tied up on the right bank of the Yonne River looking across
at Saint Etienne Cathedral and Saint Germain Abbey. A very peaceful beginning of this season's cruising.

May 31 Châtel Censoir to Mailly-le-Château - Celebrating 36 years

 Today was in interesting journey as almost everyone in Châtel Censoir decided they wanted to leave at 9h00, the earliest you can enter an écluse. We made the first batch leaving a few boats waiting for us to go down and the écluse to fill for their turn (putting them about 15 minutes behind us). Things were going smooth, the first couple of écluse were open and waiting, in fact so was the third but no éclusier. We waited and waited, (shut our engines off) and looked back up the canal to see the next group of boats arriving so we met them and helped get them tied to the bank. By this time Joan was calling our first éclusier to see if she knew what was going on, she didn’t but would see if she could find someone to take care of us. When the éclusier finally arrived it turned out that there were way more boats moving this morning than normal, and they just plain got swamped.

Saussois Rocks & the Canal du Nivernais

About half way through our day we passed through a tight 180 bend at Merry-sur-Yonne and the beautiful limestone cliffs of Saussols Rocks. One of the more unique and beautiful settings we have experienced on the canals of France

Around one more bend and we were tied up in a beautiful cutout, complete with power. Set up for lunch, reuniting with a boat that we'd met the night before. After lunch it was time to scale yet another hilltop town. This time Mailly-le Château - now a town with a château, the Keep remaining from a 14th century fortified castle. The walk up the steep road was a bit on the hot side (we did manage to hit the heat of the day). We explored the 13th century church, then found the grocery store we were looking for. Not much to choose from but, they did have ice cream and that sounded like the perfect food for an afternoon snack. While wandering around town we found trail markers that lead to the cliff - must be a trail back to the boat. While steep, the trail offered a bit of shade, no cars and it was much quicker.

Mailly-le-Château

Being May 31, Joan and I were celebrating our 36th anniversary. We'd planned a nice dinner to cook along with a nice bottle of Crémant de Borgogne (Burgundy's answer to champagne). We opened the bottle to have a wee apéritif when Albert from the only other boat in the harbor dropped by and asked if would like to join he and Kathrin for a glass of wine - we of course accepted, bringing the rest of our Crémant with us. Wellllll around midnight we made it back to Juniper. Between crémant de borgogne, wine, conversation and the goodies that Kathrin found to eat, we didn't even think about dinner, till we were back on our boat. If I recall the 36th anniversary is the potato chip anniversary - in honor of that milestone we snarfed a bag of chips, then off to bed.

Celebrating our Potato Chip Anniversary
A toast with Crémant du Borgogne
(36 Years together)