Unexcused Absences France 2013 - Week1 Recap (he said)

France 2013 – Week1 Recap (he said)

by Kent 27 May 2013

As noted in our previous post, the rain that has plagued France since about Christmas time continues. Because the canals are tightly integrated with the local rivers (both to gain water during dry periods and to shed excess water during wet periods), the river state can have an impact on whether certain canal sections are open or closed.

Definitely NOT navigable; the flooded Yonne River in Clamecy

We continue to find ourselves in Clamecy, on the Nivernais Canal. It’s actually a perfect place to be stuck, as the town boasts four boulangerie, two kebab stands, a nice market, and bigger stores (including a professional bricolage for the inevitable boat projects) a short bike ride away. Plus the town has a very scenic old walking quarter.

The NIvernais Canal is close to 200 years old

Like many small towns in France, this place of ~4,500 souls has a quirky claim to fame. The town was founded in the 7th century by the Bishop of Auxerre, and remained in his abbey for close to five centuries, when it passed to the Count of Nevers (perhaps the Bishop lost it in a poker game). And this is where it gets interesting; Count William IV of Nevers, while out on the Second Crusade, promised the Bishop of Bethlehem that he would welcome him in Clamecy. And when Jerusalem fell to Saladin in 1187, that’s exactly what happened. The Bishop of Bethlehem duly took up residence in the hospital of Panthenor, Clamecy, which remained the continuous in partibus infidelium (Latin for “in the lands of unbelievers”) seat of the Bishopric of Bethlehem for almost 600 years until the French Revolution in 1789. Wow!

Our 2013 cruise started in our winter spot in Baye, at the top of the Nivernais Canal. Michel, owner of Aqua Fluvial, did a very nice rebuild of our upper deck to repair a large soft spot, and Après Ski wears her new deck proudly. The first few days of travel north were through a very rural section on the edge of the Morvan forest. Civilization gradually appeared at the towns Chitry-les-Mines, Monceaux-le-Comte, and Tannay. Our friends Todd and Ted joined us in Chitry and shared a few days of travel with us into Clamecy.

The original plan was to spend a couple nights in Clamecy, then continue northward and arrive in Auxerre by the end of Week 1. Mother Nature had other plans for us, and so we spent the remainder of the week in Clamecy. The good news is the Hostellerie-de-la-Poste, a small inn near the port, offered us hot showers (nice!). And we still took full advantage of all the town has to offer, like the weekly food market, beautiful evening walks, and wine tastings at Les Caves de Clamecy, our favorite wine merchant we talked about in the previous post.

Wine tasting at Luc’s place

So other than being a bit behind in our summer itinerary, for which we have a couple weeks of slack built in for contingencies such as this, we’re both very happy to be back on our little canal boat in France.

France 2013 Week 1 Numbers: