En Auxois

0th July, 2013 (Tony)

The Massif Morvan, the hills of Burgundy, have long presented a problem for travellers journeying to the East of France from Paris. In the 1600's a plan was devised to cut a canal from the river Yonne up the valley of the Armançon, almost to its source near the small town of Pouilly en Auxois. A 3.4km tunnel carved under the col at an altitude of 378m provided a link to the Ouche which flows into Dijon which in those days was a very important centre of wealth and power. And from Dijon an almost perfectly straight 35 km canal gave access to the Saône, and thus the Mediterranean. Work began in 1775 and following lengthy delays brought about during the period of the Revolution the Canal de Bourgogne was completed in 1832. 242km; 189 locks, virtually all still manual and many only a few hundred metres apart. However, the VNF ensure there are always lock-keepers to assist every vessel through every lock and at this time of the year a large contingent of students are employed to supplement the workforce over the summer holidays. There are many twists and turns along this beautiful canal — too many for todays fast railways but the TGV races up the Armançon far above the level of the canal almost to Montbard before it branches into a more direct valley via Montchanin towards Lyon whilst the line to Dijon crosses over to the Oze until it joins the Ouche a short distance from the city.

We lingered in Dijon for three weeks. It was no hardship. It is a lovely city and we had a great mooring with free electricity and water. All the other boats that had attended the DBA Rally departed soon after the rally and we were more or less on our own except for the occasional overnight stayer. The weather was mostly pleasant and we fully explored the city's fabulous new tramway system as well as venturing on bike and foot to various places. It was also an opportunity to get some painting done. Last year, in Holland, I put off painting the decks because at first the weather was too cold and wet; and later it became too hot. By the time the weather was agreeable it seemed too late in the season to be bothered. So the decks have been annoying us for more than a year but now look sparkling. And once in the mood I couldn't resist starting inside, repainting all the ceilings and bathrooms. Next job, the walls.

Gray and Suellen joined us in Dijon. They spent several days taking in the attractions of the city, including an escorted tour of the vineyards and villages of the Cote d'Or. We all took the train to Beaune one day so they could visit the must-see Hôpital and wander through the beautiful town centre. Lunch at Caverne des Arches, another restaurant featured in Shannon Bennett's book, was magnificent. The girls' boeuf bourguingnonne was to die for; whilst Gray and I thought our chicken with mustard sauce; and duckling with foie gras every bit as delicious. My apple tart was specially baked and served piping hot with made-in-house icecream... yummmy!

We departed from Dijon and meandered slowly up the Canal de Bougogne, Gray and Suellen biking most of the way, each day taking in more of the sights of the countyside and exploring the small villages nestled in the valley. At Velars sur Ouche we strolled up to the top of the village to admire the spectacular railway viaduct. A wonderful old farmhouse complete with its ancient huge barn with a monstrous cantilevered roof hanging over the farmyard caught our attention. As we peered through the wrought iron gates admiring the expansive gardens and all the animals — horses, chickens, rabbits (in hutches), ducks, geese — and an extensive range of old implements and machinery, an elderly woman emerged and struck up a conversation with us. She was as fascinated with us, from Australia, living on a boat, as we were with her priceless heritage property. Well, it deserves to be a "Heritage Property" as it was the best realistically preserved farmyard typical of a bygone era that we have seen. Further down the street all our eyes were averted to a man standing in his open garage stretching on a pair of rubber gloves. A second glance revealed a carcass of wild pig reposing on a bench. Another fascinating conversation ensued. Obviously an enthusiastic hunter, he had shot the pig in the forest a few miles away and was about to butcher it and store it in his freezer, already laden with previous 'kills'. Sadly we weren't invited to the barbecue.

An overnight stop at Bussiere prompted a pilgrimage up to the beautiful village church which three years ago was undergoing a major restoration. In the old cemetery above the church lie seven commonwealth graves, the entire crew of an RAF bomber that crashed nearby in August, 1943. La Bussiere Abbey resides in about 10ha of stunning botanical gardens. A small lake, broad stretches of manicured lawns and more than fifty varieties of mature trees create a scene of chocolate box beauty around the lovingly renovated 15th century abbey. It is now an exclusive boutique hotel with a renowned restaurant. When the British owners applied to restore the property they were met with over three thousand objections — far in excess of the local population — mainly based on outrage at the Church selling a crumbling historic property to foreigners. (Wait 'til the Chinese discover France.) Fortunately their patience and perseverance prevailed. Strolling into the grounds on our way to lunch we met a couple taking an enormous Saint Bernard dog for a walk. Assuming they were guests we exchanged greetings and in the course of a chat which followed we inquired, "Are you enjoying your stay here?" "Oh, no, we own the place..." Lunch was absolutely fabulous. Despite ordering only two courses the chef plied us with numerous tiny appertizers and amusées: calamari stuffed with coriander mousse; mushroom and escargot soup; red wine sorbet; and petit-fours. It has to rate as one of the most stupendous dining experiences ever — and not just because of the bill! We had intended to dine at the less expensive Bistro but being Sunday it was closed.

From Pont d'Ouche Gray and Suellen biked into Bligny while Sally and I took the motorbikes. We browsed for some time among the chaos of an antique dealer's premises adjoining a gracious old home built in 1840 by his great-grandfather. We interrupted his clean-up of his flood damaged cellar where many of his vintage bottles of wine has lost their labels. He was a charming fellow and was happy to chat forever but how he ever made money from his business defies belief. The home would have made a great guesthouse, or B&B. Gray bought a couple of excellent Bordeaux. Beneath the imposing castle of Chateauneuf, we rested in the delightful port of Vandensse for five glorious sunny days. Gray hired a car for their return to Dijon but before they left we spent a day touring the high spots of Auxois: Flavigny, a quaint village where the movie "Chocolat" was filmed; Alésia, site of Roman archaelogical excavations; Abbey de Fontenoy and Chateau Bussy-Rabutin. None of these should be missed by any visitor to the region. However, we fully described our visits to these places three years ago so I won't repeat our impressions here.

We've made it through the tunnel and are safely moored at Pouilly en Auxois enjoying the heat and sunshine. Boats bigger than Sable cannot fit through the tunnel, therefore commercial traffic on this canal is now rare. Some can make it by demounting the wheelhouse etc, but hotel boats only come to the summit either side and then return. On Saturday we have to move around the corner to allow the port to be the focus of a fireworks display to herald Bastille Day. To date we have not seen any harvested fields. Most years all the wheat and barley have been harvested before now. Many crops still look as if they will need another month to ripen and many lack the usual healthy vigour that French farmers produce. Next week we're off to England.

Dijon

20th June, 2013 (Sally)

Knowing we would be held up before we could negotiate the flooded Saône we took our time through the lower reaches of Burgundy. Chagny is only a few kilometres from Santenay but with a good place to pause and as it was a cold wet day, a good excuse to sample one more of the recommendations in Shannon Bennett's book. Maison Lameloise is a renowned food stop in the town, with an extensive and expensive menu which befits its 3-Michelin star status. However just around the corner is Pierre & Jean, the bistro named after the present owner's father and grandfather and a perfect place for a leisurely lunch on a miserable day. The building was an 18thC wine storage area, vaulted ceiling, timber beams with a mezzanine floor added for extra space. Our meals were superb, my veal could have been cut with a butter knife it was so tender and Tony's duck breast was equally so. We declined desert but were offered and accepted Coffee Gourmand which was a small coffee and four tiny desserts, a mouthful each but what a mouthful. Definitely on our next stop when we are there again.

At Fragnes, the last mooring on the Canal du Centre we caught up with all the other boats who had made such a rush to be here, all waiting to hear if the Saône was safe. At one stage I counted eight boats all waiting to venture out. We cycled to Chalon sur Saône on the Saturday to have a look at the river and were sufficiently reassured by the colour and the flow that it was good to go so Monday morning off we went. Of course in the meantime there had been flooding in Germany and various other parts of Europe, enough to cause some run off in the Doubs which empties into the Saône 30km north of where we entered. Instead of the green flow we were expecting it was a muddy rapid river but still able with a few more revs on the engine to be navigated. We knew once we reached the junction of the two rivers it would be easier, however about 5kms before the confluence we came upon a 1,076 tonne fully laden gravel barge stranded in the middle of the river. He welcomed us with open arms, his french was non-existent or a dialect we could not understand but it was made clear to us that he wanted us to push him 500 metres upstream to a landing we could see. Ridiculous, but with the boats tied together we attempted and surprisingly managed to move him at least to the top of his anchor chain. Another barge arrived, slightly smaller than ours and he too was co-opted but the commercial was having trouble with their anchor winch (probably just as well. otherwise we might all have ended up in the Mediterranean); and after an hour of struggling he had to admit defeat and let us carry on without him in tow. They looked to be financially struggling, as well as mechanically, which I'm sure explains why he wasn't phoning for professional help but realistically he had no choice. At the very least we provided entertainment for the hire boats passing so am sure we will feature in quite a few holiday snaps with the catch phrase, "What were they thinking..."

We made Dijon in time for the Dutch Barge Rally along with 18 other boats so there was a good display of various craft all bedecked in bunting and flags. The original total was supposed to be 27 but several never made it because of the weather, canal closures etc. One actually sunk after being holed on the river Yonne. The folk were rescued by another barge. Their loss was covered by insurance but a bit of a wake up call for all. We enjoyed the rally, various games and competitions, all in good fun, book swap, a couple of meals together and some interesting talks and demonstrations. Nice to put a face to a few of the names we see mentioned in the Blue Flag magazine; good that some people want to deal with officialdom in both countries. Monday morning most boats left and we found ourselves a nice mooring with power and water and have settled down here for two weeks to await the arrival of Gray and Suellen and to do some long needed painting. An added bonus for us was when we went to find the Capitain to pay for the mooring we found that due to some unresolved dispute they have no one in charge of the port and therefore no one to collect port fees. So here we are for two or three weeks, central Dijon, power and water supplied and completely free. Now in the second year of the dispute, with moorings for about 50 boats at 80€ a week one would think wiser heads would prevail. Tony has cleaned and repainted the side decks, and today is finishing off all the bollards. Hard to believe after the wettest Spring in 50 years we have spent the last two weeks dodging the sun. Yesterday was so hot we took the deck chairs and settled under the shade of some trees with a good book and I have a feeling today may be no different. Of constant interest to us and a good number of the townsfolk are the number of birdlife that inhabit the port. The island in the middle of the port is a wonderful nesting place for geese, ducks and coots with occasional herons. After a very late start due to the cold weather we now have a number of goslings and ducklings newly hatched patrolling the water and looking for handouts from all and sundry. The geese are wonderful parents, one youngster in particular has a family of three guardians who march around watching his every move and any other bird that comes close gets a very short shrift. An angry goose is not to be trifled with, as a few walkers with dogs have learned.

Dijon is a lovely town, the centre is a warren of little streets leading to inviting squares lined with cafes and restaurants. It was the capital of the Dukes of Burgundy who built up one of the most powerful states in Europe reaching into Belgium and parts of Holland. They supported many of the painters of the day and have an impressive collection housed in the original Palais des Ducs, now the Musée des Beaux Arts. A must-stop in the collection is the room housing the tombs of the Dukes, each one supported by a procession of carved mourners united in their grief. Unfortunately for me on a recent visit, after an hour of studying paintings I searched for the room housing the tombs only to be told it was closed and will not reopen until September. The Musée is undergoing a 60€ million renovation and in the meantime they have sent one of the tombs, on an extended tour of various galleries in USA. One presumes the body of the aforesaid Duc has remained behind. The whole Palais is included in the renovation with the courtyard being converted into a covered cafe and a facelift to the outside. I only hope it does not lose the feel of the original Palais and become a modern gallery. Today one wanders through 15th century rooms complete with creaking oak parquet floors and panelled walls much as it was in the time of Philippe le Bon.

The new tram system that has ben installed since our last visit is a great success. We have used it a few times, 3.60€ for a 24h pass. It is smooth, efficent and constantly full. One can only hope the Gold Coast system once it is in place will be as well used. The secret has to be in making it affordable. Tomorrow is the annual music day in France, where every street corner or square becomes a platform for various artists to display their musical talents. Always good fun and an excuse to sit and sip in the sun or the shade and enjoy the ambience. Dijon also supports more shoe shops than any other town. I counted 15 last time we walked through, and as the sales start next week we expect Suellen to contribute freely to the French economy.