We decided that we should get the boat surveyed and the hull repainted as it is some years since we last had it done. We had tried to get a booking at Atelier Fluvial in St Jean de Losne over the last couple of years. However due to floods, canal breaches and locks breaking, their schedule had become very disrupted and it was impossible to get a booking.
We tried again for this year, but were still rejected. Our neighbour, Peter, on Rook, knew the people there very well and had Rook booked in August. He went up to sort out the details and managed to organise a booking for us at the end of July.
So in mid May we decided to take a very leisurely trip up the Canal du Centre, and then on the Saone to St Jean de Losne.
We scurried up to Paray le Monial to catch up with our friends Mark and Mary who were heading back to Canada shortly. We had decided to meet up in Moulins, have lunch at the wonderful Art Nouveau Grand Cafe, a vision of light and space, it was only when we looked closely that we realized that it was actually not that big. Mirrors worked magic...see if you can work out the actual size of the room.
We needed the gentle walk around town, Moulins has some amazing vestiges of huge buildings, these days incorporated into more recent housing. Our ramble took us to the house called de Maitlin. . This was a house that had been closed almost 100 years ago, as the owner wanted it preserved as he left it..it was open for some years in the 1920's and 30's, and agin for a few years in the 1950's...since then it had been closed and negelected but retaining all its original features and furniture. It has recently been restored and provided a unique opportunity to see life of century ago.
After this we made a dash for their famous costume museum...and we were busted for taking Saga into the exhibition...so Andrew and Mark took the opportunity to sit in the shade and set the world right, Mary and I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the costumes...many by famous designers.
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| The Grand Cafe in Moulin with Mark and Mary |
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| It's France so of course Saga was welcome! |
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| wonderful decor - and who's that on the balcony? |
The weather had turned really hot. Our flowers seemed to love this and looked magnificent.
A new port was opened a couple of years ago at Palinges. So we met up with Debbie and Randy(Alouette) and Nico and Ianne (two boats gentry from Holland).. We spent several days there, it is quiet and peaceful with a splendid tree to provide shade . wonderful time . This was even more special as Debbie and Randy have sold Aloutte and are taking her up to St Jean de Losne to deliver her to her new owners. We will miss them.
We had a great find in Palinges. Just by the bridge is a little cafe which has a 10 Euro set menu - This includes starter, main, cheese and dessert, wine and coffee. Wow. But even better we think the owner is a fan of master chef and the food was delicious, and very different. For example a main course of chicken with a triangle of soft cheese and a herb ice cream. A dessert of Goats cheese smothered in Creme Chantilly, with delicious pearls (agar agar balls), and raspberry sorbet - yum. A repeating treat was the delicious tomatoes from his garden, if he could have worked them into the dessert l am sure that they would be there.
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| Palinges with Debbie and Randy and Nico and Ianne |
When we decided to buy a barge we did a weeks training with Roger van Dyken. Our class mates on the course were Brad and Nancy who came down to bid farewell to Debbie and Randy and it was great to catch up with them.
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| Brad and Nancy came to visit in Palinges |
We moved on to Genelard, where we got to know the fine folk at Garage Framboise....quite a lot of euros later the mean green machine was back in fine fettle...now runs better than ever. We took the opportunity whilst moored here to pop back to visit the Museum at Palinges...only open for a few hours on a Sunday. It was a credit to the small town, lots of interesting displays and examples of local crafts and lifestyle. Several items had us bemused , and the lovely lady..who must have been bored because we were the only visitors that day, came to explain that the gadget that looked like the worlds largest toilet plunger was actually the latest in laundry aids over a hundred years ago.
Whilst we lingered for a few days, we said our goodbyes to Alouette as Debbie and Randy forged ahead to get ready to hand the barge over to the new owners.
A day later were were joined by Sable, crewed by Tony and Sally.....they used their visit to take advantage of the low quay to give their barge a smart new coat of paint.
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Alouette's last trip to Genelard
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| Tony giving his Rembrant impression painting Sable. As it was very hot his umbrella became essential. |
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| The famous lift bridges in Montceau les Mines |
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| Blanzy |
We spent a night at the mooring near the hotel de Lucy, just outside the town of Montceau,allowing a trip to Grand Frais, the best greengrocer in France...amazing range of fresh local and freshly imported fruit and veg. Whilst we were moored there we heard from Tony that he would be leaving the popular little port of Blanzy the next morning.
So we scuttled off and took over his spot there. It is one of our favorite moorings. A delightful little town with several good restaurants and possibly one of the best charcuteries we know. . So we stocked up on his beautifully crafted sausages...absolutely no connection to the beloved English 'banger'....they are loaded with meat and herbs...and the variety is terrific. We stayed for several days and discovered that we could easily catch a bus back into Montceau. And so we did, including a great visit to the huge Saturday market.
The heat wave continued and we really enjoyed our aircon at bedtime.
We had made a booking for the port at Fragnes for 7 July, so decided we should head off on our way there with some leisurely stops along the way.. After a night on the new quay at Monchannin we stopped at a lovely shady spot at St Julien Sur Dheune, We enjoyed the shade - and then the weather turned, the temperature dropped dramatically, and we had huge thunderstorms and torrential rain. It is a lovely quiet spot, but there is nothing there not even a boulangerie! We decided to wait out the storm. After nearly a week, we had a slightly better day and headed of to St Leger sur Dheune, and made it most of the way before the rain started again. Thank goodness for our generator, large water tanks and big freezer! We decided to wait out the storm and leave after a great supermarket visit to restock.
