SEURRE AND ST JEAN DE LOSNE

Somehow the last days of holidays go quicker than the rest. Perhaps we try to fit all those things in that we didn’t do and run out of time. For David and I, today came suddenly. The water seems a million miles away and all we can think of is packing, emptying, wrapping and cleaning.

An ancient river bridge

No wonder there was a revolution

More Charolais along the Saone

'Gergy' mooring on the way to St Jean de Losne

A rather beautiful riverside house

We left Seurre with little regret. The heat wave that threatened France was a bit like Adelaide in February, excepting the boat has no real insulation and registered 38 – 40 C for 2 days.

Le Jacquemart

We broke all the rules and bought a reverse cycle air-conditioner that made life more bearable, although it prevented us from venturing too far out into the small town. The town was quite twee, with narrow, winding roads, very old buildings and the sound of children’s voices echoing between the shops and houses.

Above the old primary school front sits the metre high character ‘Le Jacquemart’, who rings the quarter, half and hour each day. Apparently he was returned to the school by Louis xvth after the town was nearly destroyed in the 1600s.

Our last lock was done like professionals, slick, no harsh words from either of us, just smiles, knowing we would not have that pleasure for at least another 12 months.

Approaching St Jean de Losne

We pulled into St Jean de Losne and found a mooring, David went on the search for beer and bread while I enjoyed our new found Air-Con friend. Our thoughts are now with planning and the difficulties which wintering a boat in a freezing, foreign land can bring.

The French pre-occupation with their dogs is still everywhere and unbelievable!

A doggie 'bathroom' in the backstreets of town

Another dog-on-table

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From tomorrow, the boat will be on the land, giving us a couple of days to wash down the hull and seal up the cabin for winter. From here we’ll travel to Dijon and then to Paris for a week.

A bientot!

CHALON SUR SAONE

What a wonderful city. We arrived early after reports from fellow travelers that the marina would be full by noon. Luckily there were a few berths left and we moored straight away, set up house(boat) and set off for the nearest cafes.

Along the river to Chalon

A cottage along the river

Sometimes the gods are with you and everything you need is within easy walking distance. We found a huge plaza(supermarket, dozens of shops) and Maccas, 5 minutes away. At last we could download emails, check bookings etc and talk to friends and family without stressing!

The Chalon marina

The entrance to Chalon marina

The old and new hospital near the marina

The city is fantastic with so much character and so many things to eat, buy and see. The day we arrived, the clothes and shoes street had their summer sales. 3 days with everything reduced 50 – 70%.  With about 100 shops to work over I was thankful for my new-found fitness level.

Only in France

There are few things about the French that confuse us. Mostly we are the same but, their preoccupation and love of dogs is ??? Often you see owner and dog in shops, banks, supermarkets, even on seats in Maccas. This picture was classic – the dog is sooo patient.

We decided to stay 3 days and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute. This morning the food market stretched for ½ kilometre around the paved streets.

The beginning of the market

Tomatoes for 1.50E/kg

So many melons (3 for 5E)

Local salami

The standard of food is quite incredible and the prices make you realise how expensive everything is in Oz. Most towns have a Sunday morning market that provides fresh, locally produced fruit, vegs, bread, cheese and meat  at decent prices.

One of the police leading the parade (the others were on bikes)

Coffee seems to be improving as we head north. The ‘café a longer’ and ‘café au lait’ are now standard fare and we no longer have to use lengthy explanations. Once more we took a break from trudging around the city. As we sipped coffee we heard a loud brass band who were followed by thousands of colourful young gymnasts representing most towns in France. We loved every minute and will not forget it.

The brass band leading the 1000s of gymnasts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the gymnasts

We’ll definitely return to Chalon Sur Saone

MACON

A lovely ‘Port of Plaisance’, disappointingly a long way from the centre ville, but there was an Aucan and ‘Flunch’ ½ a km away and so we were able to satisfy our need to shop, eat and wifi.

Coming into Macon

Beautiful buildings along the quay

Flower display near the local train station

We didn’t find much to do in the town, but as it was David’s birthday we caught a train to Bourge-en-Bress. and celebrated at ‘La Francais’ , the most wonderful restaurant in the city square.

David's birthday cafe in Bouge en Bresse

The most fabulous strawberry and raspberry dessert for Dave's birthday.

The Bouge en Bresse cathedral

We didn’t do much else because our summer colds got the better of us.

While in Macon, it was a ‘Fete de Musique’ and even though we were 3 kms away we had the pleasure of duf duf music at night. The 21^st of June is national music day in France and smaller towns celebrate a few days before.

The Macon marina

MONTMERLE SUR SAONE

Montmerle – a little slice of heaven.

Charolais on the river bank on the way to Montmerle

A chateau on the river

 

Fishermen are everywhere along the Saone

 

The locals could be found with baguette under arm, chatting to each other at 8am in the morning, drinking coffee or wine in small cafes, while the local policeman looked desperately for a crime to solve, there being no litter or graffiti to speak of. This was the classic little French town and it should never change.

View of the mooring

 

The 'Austral' at the pontoon

 

The food and clothing market along the river was amazing. When we return we’ll make sure our market calendar for all the towns is up to date so we don’t inadvertently support the big supermarkets.

The local market along the edge of the quay

Vegs and fruit at the market

We spent an afternoon in Belleville (such an unfortunate name), a large uninspiring place, but, it did have a Maccas with wifi. Oh, the things we do for technology.

Leaving Montmerle

ST GERMAIN and TREVOUX

We left Lyon with definite plans to return in May or June next year and stay at least a week to take in all we missed this time.

Leaving the Lyon marina in the early morning

Tying up to the petrol barge out of Lyon

Beautifully decorated bridge out of Lyon

leaving Lyon

cathedral along the river

an island castle

The short trip along the Saone to our first mooring was an absolute picture. Small towns lined the banks,  fish jumped  from the still water as we passed by and the occasional sand barge  gave our boat a wobble with it’s wake.

nighttime on the river at St Germain

our boat at night

Looking over the river at St Germain

The road behind the St Germain marina

St Germain Town Square

We stayed at St Germain for one only night, as we were keen to move on and we were moored a fair way from any township. Still, the stay was enjoyable. We met up again with 3 boats from Lyon and spent some time cooking and doing boat maintenance (which never seems to stop).

leaving St Germain

Yesterday we moored at Trevoux, a very old town with so much ancient heritage.

our boat in the distance

mother swan and her cygnets coming for bread

It sits at the bend of the river on a hill overlooking wide sweeping plains. Apparently this was a very busy and powerful seat of government hundreds of years ago. Most of the walls surrounding the city have collapsed but the buildings left are amazing.

one of our many walks

Up the stairs to the top of the mountain

a gite on the way to the top

Again we walked and walked, although I’m writing this in a park overlooking the river while David has ventured off to a Carrefour (Supermarket) some miles away.

An aisle of cheese and there's another opposite

We’ll stay again tonight then leave in the morning for Belleville sur Saone

LYON

Having only two locks to conquer and feeling fairly confident, we set off at a respectable hour for Lyon.

Wine blocks cover the hills along the Rhone

Mr Bricolage, David's favourite place in France

The morning passed with no problem until we spotted the Danish family moored at a small pontoon at Givors.  We pulled over to say hello , exchanged greetings, then turned out into the river to continue our travels.

Suddenly the boat pulled up with a thud and we discovered we were stuck firmly in the mud. It seemed as though all our worst fears had happened. Frank (from the Danish family) called out , signalled to the ‘Pompiers de la Rhone’ nearby who immediately set to work to tow us out. We are eternally grateful for their assistance and to Frank for giving them 3 Kronenburgs for helping.

Frank organising our rescue

So off we went, remembering to always keep one eye on the depth gauge!

Feeling rather dampened in spirits we arrived at Lyon.

Entering Lyon

The Big Cheese building on the way to the marina

Wow what a city! We decided to stay for 4 days because there is so much to see, so much incredible food to try and our marina is to die for.

Each day we’ve spent wandering around the amazing sights, visiting museums and Art galleries and enjoying  the food and culture. One day we had lunch at ‘Truffes’ in the ‘Paul Bocuse Food Hall’ and  still reminisce about the taste.

Unbelievable patisserie'

The array of fresh and prepared food is extraordinary.

The new marina at Lyon

The marina is absolutely brand new, having been opened only 3 weeks ago. The area is lined with stunning ultra modern townhouses, cafes and yet to be opened boutiques. Once this beautiful spot gets on the map I’m sure we’ll be lucky to get a berth. Anyway , we’re enjoying it while we can!

The city is beautiful, ancient, modern and hectic, and with the best transport system in the world. We speed from one venue to another, using train, tram and bus, all for 4.80E a day.

Over the river from the marina

The buildings lining the river

One of the many the squares

'Liberte'

On another square - a major 'petanque' competition

LES ROCHES DE CONDRIEU

Our two days in Les Roches de Condrieu have been a welcome break with fine, warm weather both days, good company and excellent facilities.

The marina at Les Roches de Condrieu

The trip up from Valence was easy, we again used the inside helm and were able to enjoy the scenic little towns that line the Rhone in comfort.

Our locking skills have improved immensely. We had absolutely no problems and have at last worked out how to do it. No doubt the next will prove me wrong!

At the Lock

Tied up and waiting to go into the lock

Behind the houses that line the river are hills covered in tiny blocks of grape vines. Nearly every inch of land is put over to champagne grapes in a patchwork. It seems as though even the smallest holding is making money.

Champagne country

Coming around the bend to Andance we saw 3 crosses high up on the hill above the town. The story is that 3 young women threw themselves into the Rhone after discovering their fiances were not returning from the crusades! How sad.

The three crosses

We walked for miles today, across the huge bridge to the city on the other side of the river. This is something I could not have done 6 months ago, so I feel pretty happy about my fitness. There are however, many times I’ve dreamt of a set of wheels that will carry us to all the interesting places that surround the marina.

Over the bridge on the other side of the river

We seem to run into the same people now at each stop. Sometimes we’re ahead or behind them on the river and the camaraderie has made us feel quite at home. We’re hoping to catch up some time with a delightful Danish family to see how they are and exchange travel stories.