Unexcused Absences

And then summer came to Burgundy! Up through week 2, the weather was distinctly wintery; highs in the 50’s, lows approaching freezing (fortunately, Michel got our heater working again over the winter).

And then, the sun

But Dad showed up Saturday afternoon, and apparently he has the magic touch because the sun came out and by Monday we were in short pants. The French tourist bureau should consider comping his plane ticket. Rather than continuing to wait in Clamecy for the Nivernais Canal to open to the north, we decided to point Après Ski south towards Decize – at least we would be on the move again.

Lock mechanism

Our enthusiasm for getting on the road was tempered slightly because the delicious Auberge du Centre, at our Sunday night stop of Monceaux-le-Comte, was, predictably, closed Sunday. But Heather came through with a pork-mushroom-red-pepper-cream-sauce-over-rice for dinner. The wines we bought at Luc’s place (Caves de Clamecy) made an appearance, and we ate very well, indeed.

Hand-cranked lift bridge in Dirol

Monday we drove to the base of the Sardy lock staircase, a set of 16 locks in a 4 km stretch. Incredibly, Tuesday morning we climbed the entire staircase between the 9am opening and the noon closing for lunch. Quite a feat of canal travel. After lunch we cruised through the three tunnels at La Colancelle, and arrived in Baye (our winter spot for the past few years and the starting point for this year’s cruise) by early afternoon. Michel, the owner of the marina, was very kind to let me borrow his car to get a new starting battery for the engine, as our old one was showing signs of age. Fortunately, in rural France, there are tractor stores everywhere, and tractor stores mean diesel starting batteries (which cost a fraction of marine batteries).

Going up the staircase

New battery in place, we started down the south side of the Nivernais, descending eight more locks to the little hamlet of Mont-et-Marré. On Michel’s recommendation we went to the little local restaurant, La Béroalde, which turned out to be an amazing find. The place is very basic, not much more than picnic tables on a concrete floor, with the kitchen occupying a corner of the main room. But wow, the meal – Burgundy snail and hot chèvre salad appetizers, faux-filet of beef with mushroom and Roquefort sauce, magret de canard, and both a cheese course and a desert course (homemade fondant au chocolate) plus a liter of delicious Côtes du Rhône wine, and the bill for three was 66 euros.  Our only regret was missing this restaurant the last four times we’ve passed this way. The owner/cook would put many gastronomique restaurants to shame, if he lived anywhere but deepest rural France.

Après ski in Châtillon-en-Bazois

Wednesday the beautiful weather continued and we drove to Châtillon-en-Bazois for lunch and a stroll through town. With the free water we topped off our tanks, then continued down the canal to Fleury, in hopes of finally eating at the restaurant next to lock 21. Each time previously through this stretch of canal had been in either early or late season, and the restaurant is only open June through September. It was a good sign that some patrons were relaxing with drinks at a table, but when I went in to make a reservation for the evening I discovered that the kitchen was under renovation! So again, another year passes and we have yet to try the restaurant at lock 21.

Flowers in Châtillon-en-Bazois

As we approached the quay in Cercy-la-Tour Thursday afternoon we spotted our friends, David and Ondra, on “Old and Bold”, a Dutch river cruiser. We had seen them briefly in Chitry-les-Mines a few weeks earlier, but at that point we had a schedule to keep to pick up our friends Todd and Ted, so we didn’t get much of a chance to catch up. We originally met them two years ago, when we were both just starting our canal cruising lives. Now, with two years cruising under our belts, we had a lot to catch up on during our long happy hour at a picnic table by the quay.

That evening we took the recommendation of the eclusierre (lock keeper) and made a reservation at La Flambée, on top of the hill in front of the church. It was basic cooking, but there is not a better value in all of France; appetizer, main course, cheese, dessert, and pitcher of wine for 12.50 euro each. Total bill for a tasty – if not exactly gastronomique – meal for three was 37.50.

Friday morning we exited the southern end of the Nivernais canal at St Léger-des-Vignes and transited the Loire River to the boat basin at Decize. The crossing only opened two days earlier (due to flooding), and the Loire was still flowing mighty quickly for our little boat. The current was easily 5km/hr, and at our speed of 8km/hr it took us 40 minutes to motor two kilometers upstream. It was a relief to cross the river, because from Decize we can now stay in canals either most of the way to Paris (north), or almost to Dijon (east). We will decide this weekend which way to go.

Lunch spot near Cercy-la-Tour

Friday evening we strolled through the old section of Decize, with its city walls and one 14th century covered gate still standing. Heather wanted to people-watch so we settled in to a table in the main square and enjoyed a proper French evening of cafe sitting. The bar/cafe/restaurant (Brasserie le Decetia– the old Latin name for Decize when the area was under Roman rule) also served simple meals, so we stayed for dinner and had delicious moules-frites (steamed mussels and fries) and a  filet de bœuf with creamy mushroom sauce. With happy hour drinks and appetizers and desert and a liter of Macon-Villages white wine it was again a very tasty and reasonably priced evening – less than 70 euros.

Dad checks out the old stamps

Saturday morning we packed up and hopped a train to Paris, as we had promised Dad some big city living on this trip. Of course if the weather had cooperated we would have been in Paris on our boat, but this was the next best thing. We found a little apartment suite near Montparnasse for the weekend, and Heather and I will return to the boat Monday evening after sending Dad back to the US. We finished off the week with a visit to the big Paris marché aux timbres (stamp market), as Dad is an avid collector and is very close to having a complete French stamp collection (at least for the first 100 years of the French postal service, 1840 to 1940). Saturday evening our friend Dana hosted us at her gorgeous apartment near Luxembourg Gardens for a nice dinner and get-together.

I think all of France (as well as we) can be grateful that Dad came to visit; the weather was glorious this week. He leaves Monday, and it is forecast to start raining again.

France 2013 Week 3 Numbers:

• Kilometers: 115
• Locks: 74
• Engine Hours: 32
• Cost of Moorings: 0.00 euros

France 2013 Total Numbers:

• Kilometers: 162
• Locks: 121
• Engine Hours: 49
• Cost of Moorings: 0.00 euros

France 2013 – Week 3 Route

Countryside near Tannay

Countryside near Baye/Bazolles

Morning in Mont-et-Marré

Double lock at Mont-et-Marré

Stamp vendor checking inventory

Château at Châtillon

A scenic lock on the southern Nivernais