Au Revoir Bourgogne
/7th June, 2010 (Sally)
Last night was our last on the Canal de Bourgogne; 188 locks and 242 Km have been travelled in the six weeks since we left St Jean de Losne. Today we go through the 189th and then turn right into the River Yonne which takes us on our final leg towards Paris. We stopped to spend the day here at Migennes and watch the ladies tennis final at the French Open rather than carry onto Joigny where three years ago we watched both the Wallabies and the All Blacks bundled out of the Rugby World Cup. It seemed like a bad omen to be there again when all our hopes were on the first Australian woman in thirty-seven years to be in the final, not that it made a lot of difference to the result but at least tomorrow we will enjoy Joigny.
Burgundy is a region with something for everyone and we have certainly enjoyed our time exploring it in depth. Part of the canal went past several large limestone quarries where the huge white blocks are still being carved out of the cliffs, then only a short distance later we were visiting one of the many chateaux built from these self same stones. It was becoming our ABC tour [Another Beautiful Chateau] as we visited Ancy le Franc one day and then Chateau de Tanlay the next. Both stunning examples of rennaisance architecture. The most interesting fact was the short time they took to build both these huge buildings. Chateau Tanlay was constructed in five years from 1642, but it probably helped that they employed 2,500 men on the job. The same chateau is still in private hands and the family use it regularly dividing their time between there and their Paris home.
But it hasn't all been chateaux, it wasn't too long before the vineyards of Chablis beckoned us and Mothers Day in France was a good chance to venture out to the village of Chablis. So old and picturesque with a bustling market in place. We manged to find a restaurant with table space for two (picture above), not easy on any Sunday, especially so on a celebration day. After lunch there was time for some sampling and we were lucky to find a cave with a very friendly young vintner. The same family has been making wine in Chablis for thirteen generations. We think they may have got it right by now. He had spent 1988 travelling around Australia and NZ, so between reminiscing we managed to sample four different wines and carry home a sample bottle, or two.
We made a long excursion on our little motorbikes to Chatillon sur Seine, an interesting town which has played a major part in three wars. In 1814 it was the Congress of Chatillon that tried to reach agreement between Napoleon and the allies, in 1914 Commander in Chief Joffre directed the Battle of Marne from here and in 1944 it was the meeting place for the two French armies arriving from Normandy and Provence. Today there is little evidence of that part of its history. People come to Chatillon as we did to view the Treasures of Vix. In 1952 they discovered the grave of a Gaullish princess who was buried 2,500 years ago, The contents of the tomb are displayed in a new museum and include a complete reconstruction of the chamber, her solid gold torc (necklace for holding cloak in place) and the Vase of Vix which is part of a 'drinking set'. The bronze Grecian vase is intricately carved, or beaten rather, and measures 1.6 m high with a capacity of 1,100 litres. The workmanship is amazing, even more so when you realise it was made 650 BC. Also at Chatillon, a massive freshwater spring emerges from a grotto and feeds into the Seine. The true source of the Seine is a similar spring about 50 km upstream.
It hasn't all been sightseeing, there has still been pleasant cruising down leafy canals, many rides along towpaths on our push bikes and motorbike rides into the countryside high above the canal to enjoy the endless vista of wheat, barley and other crops rapidly coming into maturity. A patchwork of greens stretching to the horizon, there will be no shortage of flour for the bread, or rye for the beer, this year.
One of the last stops on the canal is Tonnerre, rather a grubby old town but worth the visit for the old Hotel Dieu. This is the hospital founded in 1294 by Margaret of Burgundy. It is huge, 110 metres long, 18.5 metres wide and the roof is 9 stories high. It is the oldest and largest of such buildings in France and deserves to be better known. It was already 150 years old when they used it as a model for the one in Beaune. The musee attached to it has fascinating collections of old manuscripts, such neat script from so long ago. The oldest was the original charter for the hospital and also the original will of Margaret, all more than 700 years old. The will instructed that she be buried in Tonnerre but wished her heart to be buried with her husband's body in Paris. In a codecil she had changed her mind and instructed the heart could stay in-situ and in Tonnerre. Interesting instructions for the lawyer.
From Flogny la Chapelle, our next stop, it was only a short ride out to Pontigny to visit the Cistercian Abbey founded in 1114. The same order that built Fontenay and although it lacks the wonderful garden setting of Fontenay the abbey church is impressive for its simplicity and sheer size. It is still the parish church for Pontigny but today they use only a side arm of the church. It would take the population of Dijon to fill the main nave. At our last mooring in Brienon we took a final motorbike ride down what was the original roman road, Via Agrippa, not a bend in it for several kilometers, through some lovely natural forest. Still plenty of timber milling happening but it seems to be much more sympathetic with no obvious clear felling. We passed logging trucks and piles of felled timber but one could hardly see where they had come from.
So it is farewell to Burgundy where we have been enthralled with levels of history and architecture, enjoyed their food and wines and loved the quiet tree lined reaches of the Canal de Bourgogne. And now down the Yonne and into the Seine to Paris.