tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72164015396827601242024-03-05T22:09:56.346-08:00Skûtsje Zonder ZorgZonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-87685728893640979372016-06-14T08:44:00.000-07:002016-06-14T10:58:53.425-07:00The Old Zuiderzee Coast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjI-mtkF5xK2qSjvLIvLUvARTmQI6TYlC5tq_SbfqKHgrmIdtxqHPt7eonyAYonAU4Rs1hf-8NPS3znqBMFA-qEQZCu7y4Uj7zogYQHFzposii47cDCPcy-SgZaD2XqU1Ul9eIKn7FHCw/s1600/Blog2016Jun-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjI-mtkF5xK2qSjvLIvLUvARTmQI6TYlC5tq_SbfqKHgrmIdtxqHPt7eonyAYonAU4Rs1hf-8NPS3znqBMFA-qEQZCu7y4Uj7zogYQHFzposii47cDCPcy-SgZaD2XqU1Ul9eIKn7FHCw/s640/Blog2016Jun-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've long been fascinated by the geography and history of the Zuiderzee. It was an arm of the North Sea that had gradually evolved with the rising sea levels caused by the slow global warming and melting ice sheets from the last ice age twelve thousand years ago. Global warming is not a new thing invented by pseudo-scientists and popularised by Al Gore; it is one of the natural cycles of the earth’s climate, just as is global cooling. This map from 1818 shows the inland sea in the early nineteenth century.</div>
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At the end of the ice age, the area now known as the North Sea was dry land. About five thousand years ago, the rising sea levels from the melting and recession of the last of the ice sheets that had covered northern Europe, created the North Sea and the melting polar icecaps soon increased it to its current shape. The topography of the areas inland from the coast in what is now the northeastern portion of the Netherlands was a shallow depression. Drainage here was slow and the area filled with peat. The continued warming trend caused the North Sea levels to rise further. Gradually there were inundations over the low lands inland, and flooding during major storms accelerated the erosion of the coastal dunes. The two maps above show the approximate land form of what is today the Netherlands. The one on the left shows the coastline during the first century AD, the one on the right depicts its shape in the tenth century. </div>
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Storms in 1282 and 1287 broke through the coastal barriers and the sea flooded inland. The name Zuiderzee entered general usage around that time. The size of the inland sea remained relatively stable from the fifteenth century onwards because of improvements in dikes. There were continuing disastrous floods, one in 1421 broke a seawall and incoming waters flooded seventy-two villages and killed about ten thousand people.</div>
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Dikes and seawalls continued to be built and upgraded and around the Zuiderzee many fishing villages grew. Some of these developed into fortified towns, like Naarden in the Google Earth image above. Many established important trade connections with ports in the Baltic Sea, England and in the Hanseatic League. Kampen in Overijssel grew in prominence, as did several villages and towns in Noord Holland, such as Naarden, Amsterdam, Edam, Hoorn, and Enkhuizen. The formation of the Zuiderzee had created many large protected ports that were connected to the sea and started the ascendancy of the Dutch to the status as the world super power in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.</div>
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The Dutch continued to extend and reinforce its system of seawalls and dykes and look at ways to reclaim land from the sea. In the seventeenth century there was a proposal to harness the waters, but its concept was too ambitious and impractical for the available technology of the time. In nineteenth century serious attention was given to controlling the waters and reclaiming land. Plans were proposed in 1848, 1849, 1866, 1873 and then Cornelius Lely began serious planning in 1886. </div>
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This map was used to illustrate an article in the March 1893 edition of the Geographical Journal of the British Royal Geographical Society. The article had been written by Pieter Hendrik Schoute of Groningen, Friesland. He wrote of plans developed by a technical research team under the guidance of Cornelius Lely, who in 1891 had become the Minister of Transport and Water Management for the Netherlands.</div>
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The plan called for the closing of the Zuiderzee with a dyke running from the tip of Noord Holland to western Friesland, making the contained waters into a freshwater lake. Once this was stabilised, internal dykes would be built encircling some of the shallowest areas and then draining these to reclaim the land. It was a very ambitious project. </div>
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The project sat on the shelf through the recession of the 1890s and continued to gather dust into the twentieth century. In 1913 Cornelius Lely regained his seat as Minister of Transport and Water Management. After severe flooding along the Zuiderzee coasts in 1916, the plans were resurrected and in 1918 the Zuiderzee Act was passed. Works began in 1920 and they progressed in stages. By 1924 the first dike, just 2.5 kilometres in length was completed. Between 1927 and 1932 the 23 kilometre Afsluitdijk was built between Noord Holland and Friesland, cutting off the newly formed IJsselmeer from the Noordzee. The polders were drained between 1930 and 1968.</div>
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The newly created lands of Wieringermeer were absorbed into the province of Noord Holland. Those of the Noordoostpolder and the Flevolands were united in 1986 to form the new province of Flevoland. A total of 1650 square kilometres of new land was created. About fifteen percent of this is now used as housing, nearly seventy percent is for agriculture use and the remainder is parks, nature preserves and infrastructure. The plans to dyke and drain the southwest portion of the old Zuiderzee to form a polder named Markerwaard was indefinitely postponed in the 1980s.</div>
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During the past two weeks I've slowly made my around the south and east shores of the old Zuiderzee, visiting medieval towns and cities along the way. Zonder Zorg is currently at the end of a long, blind canal in the new province of Flevoland that half a century ago was under four metres of water at the bottom of the old Zuiderzee.</div>
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These maps show the scale of the industry of the Dutch people over the last millennium as they reclaimed land from the sea. The map on the left is the current landform of the Netherlands. The one on the right shows the areas of the country that are below sea level. </div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-46056744114612808212016-06-01T11:45:00.000-07:002016-06-01T11:45:01.066-07:00Onward from Amsterdam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unlike in France, where mooring is permitted except where prohibited, in the Netherlands no mooring is permitted except in designated areas. I had stopped on the free mooring in Dieman, five kilometres from central Amsterdam on 06 May and decided to test its 3x24 sign. These signs and 1x24 signs are common in the Netherlands and designate places where mooring is permitted and for how long. It is still off-season, so for a week and a half I was undisturbed in the moorage as I explored Amsterdam and wrote.<br />
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On Tuesday, 17 May I decided to continue eastward along the Weesper and then northward down Smal Weesp into the IJmeer to begin exploring the towns and villages of the old Zuiderzee coast. The lift bridge showed two red lights, meaning it was out of service, so I pedalled back to the previous bridge, which has a manned control booth from which both bridges are operated.<br />
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I was told that demolition of an old highway bridge had begun, closing the waterway until the first of June. That was fine, Dieman is a pleasant town and the moorage is a five-minute pedal to a huge shopping centre with two supermarkets. Another two weeks here would be fine and allow the weather to stabilise. The only problem was water. I had enough left for about another week. I pedalled the three kilometres to the demolition work to satisfy my curiosity.<br />
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A new pair of bridges had been built for a highway and the old bridges were being removed. A few days later, I called the bridge operator and told him I'd like to head west, back along the Weesper to get water at the marina at the junction with the Amstel, then return and continue to wait. I moored beside a water point on one of the marina's floats and looked for an office, but could see none, so I began filling the water tanks. An hour later, with full tanks and still nobody around, I walked to the exit gate to search further for an office to pay for the water. The gate required a code to get back in, so I returned to the barge, blew the horn a few times and waited. A quarter hour later, I assumed the water was free and left.<br />
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I headed back to Dieman and again moored between the town's two lift bridges. A few days later there was a knock on the hull and I answered the door to a man who told me he was posting signs that the moorage is being closed to set-up for a three-day music concert. I phoned the bridge operator and asked to be let through to find moorage further along. He said there was no official moorage, but I could stay in a small branch there until the waterway reopens.<br />
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Mid-morning on Sunday, 29 May, I heard the slap of wake on the hull and looked out to see two boats passing by. I went up top and saw the bridge opening for them. Seems the waterway opened two days ahead of schedule. I checked the fridge, freezer and pantry shelves and pedalled across to the Albert Hein to stock-up, then motored eastward past the destruction site and onward.<br />
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I paused for the day on a mooring in Weesp, when thunderstorms threatened and hunkered down through them. The storms weren't sufficient to keep the Havenmeister from his rounds, so I paid the €12 mooring fee. After breakfast on Monday I continued along the Smal Weesp and through the town's three lift bridges, paying the €3 bruggeld at the middle one. Weesp's €15 were my first fees of the season.<br />
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Just beyond town, I turned northward into the Vecht River, the river that flows to the IJmeer. The wind had been strong all day, and by this time was above forty kilometres per hour from the north. I decided to spend the night on a wilderness mooring in the lee of large trees to wait for the winds to abate. The forecast looked good. <br />
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Tuesday morning's weather was much improved, with light breezes and scattered clouds. I slipped and continued downriver to Muiden, enjoying the finely maintained tjalken, kilppers, Lemsteraaken and skutsjes moored along the banks. There were dozens of antique boats.<br />
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Past the swing bridge and through the lock, the antique boats continued all the way to the medieval castle on the old Zuiderzee coast.<br />
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Muiden Castle, or Muiderslot in Dutch, was originally built in the early 1280s by Count Floris V to impose tolls on river traffic. Floris was murdered in 1296 by Gerard van Velsen in retribution for raping his wife. The Bishop of Utrecht ordered the castle destroyed in 1298. Between 1370 and 1386, the castle was rebuilt in the same location and to the original plans by Albert I, Duke of Bavaria and Count of Holland and Zeeland.<br />
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Near the mouth of the river were a few ships approaching the late stages of their existence. Antique wooden ships require huge maintenance and there comes a time when it's no longer worth it.<br />
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I continued the short distance to the IJmeer, then turned eastward to follow the buoyed channel through the shallows and onward to the narrows into the Gooimeer.<br />
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I decided to stop for the day in Huisen and followed the buoyed channel to the waterway thet snakes into the town. Its three metre clearance meant I didn't have to wait for it to be opened.<br />
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I followed the narrow winding waterway kilometre and a half and under three more bridges to a small basin surrounded by a shopping area with a huge supermarket.<br />
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I'm another 25.5 kilometres along and in a comfortable spot with a good online connection.Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-2105990809727080682016-05-17T07:27:00.001-07:002016-05-17T07:36:03.786-07:00Enjoying Amsterdam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Among the reasons I wanted to visit Amsterdam, was to take my iPhone to the Apple Store. During the late winter its battery had began expanding and the pressure caused the case to exfoliate. My online presence for the past two years has been through the phone's hotspot, so I was pleased that even with its questionable appearance, the phone still worked.<br />
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I made an appointment online with the Genius Bar for 1210 on Saturday. The tram across the bridge from Zonder Zorg led with one change to a stop directly in front of the Apple Store in Leidseplein, in the heart of Amsterdam's fashionable shopping district.<br />
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I was directed up the free-standing circular stairs to the huge loft a spiral and a half up. I was received, and within minutes, my appointed Genius told me he'd replace the phone at no charge. I had anticipated this, and had done a full backup of its contents through my computer. I then spent three hours restoring the content into my new phone and updating all my apps using their wifi and my MacBook Air. Love you, Apple.<br />
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On Monday I used my museum pass to visit the Rijksmuseum. It's located at a tram stop, one change from my mooring.<br />
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As expected, there was a large crowd in the Hall of Honour in front of Rembrandt's Night Watch.<br />
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I chose my time and finally got a clear shot with only the top of one head in the way.<br />
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There are many of Rembrandt's monumental works on display, such as this brilliant group portrait, showing the Syndics of the Drapers' Guild being surprised by our intrusion into their private meeting. Using action poses, rather than stilted ones, was one of the marks of Rembrandt's genius.<br />
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Among my favourites is this 1661 self-portrait as the Apostle Paul. He shows himself at age 55 as a worn man. This was shortly after near-bankruptcy had forced him to sell his house, his huge art collection and most of his other possessions. He died as a poor man and was buried in an unmarked grave.<br />
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The Rijksmuseum is much more than Rembrandt. It is filled with great works of most of the Dutch and Flemish masters, plus those of Italy, France and other great art centres. Here's Van Gogh's 1887 work titled: Self Portrait With A Grey Felt Hat, one of three of his twenty-four self-portraits thus titled.<br />
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By the time I had left the museum mid-afternoon, the sky had cleared and it was hot, with many people enjoying mid-spring as I walked through Oosterpark on my way back toward Zonder Zorg.Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-15915623589185846452016-05-09T01:49:00.002-07:002016-05-09T01:49:44.914-07:00Northward From Gouda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Zonder Zorg's special winter moorage rates in the historic ship harbour of Gouda came to an end on 01 April, when the rate went from fifteen cents per metre per day to fifty cents. The canals were still closed until 15 April, with reservations required for each lock and lift bridge, so I decided to stay and pay the higher rate until unrestricted navigation began. Over the winter the moorage including water and electricity was €102 per month, but my two weeks of April cost €135 all inclusive.<br />
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On Saturday, 16 April, in a cold, light drizzle, I headed through three lift bridges and a lock to the Gouwe, then turned to follow it northward. The cool weather continued with overnight temperatures at or near freezing. Late April was colder and wetter than January and February. Rain was a daily occurrence, usually with blustery winds. I hunkered-down on a free three-day mooring at the edge of Alphen an der Rijn to wait for better boating weather.<br />
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In a brief spell of clear weather, on Tuesday I continued northward, then branched into the Amstel, the river which flows through Amsterdam. The lift bridge at Vrouwenakker was closed for repairs when I arrived, so I moored on the waiting station. By early afternoon, it was apparent the repairs were more complex than initially thought. I had a good solid mooring, so I decided to wait, rather than taking a circuitous route. On Wednesday, the engineers said Friday, so I pedalled into Uithoorn for groceries. The bridge finally opened on Saturday morning, so I continued to Uithoorn and moored in the centre of town.<br />
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The sign on the Havenkantoor showed that it opened on 01 May, so I stayed with free moorage and enjoyed the small city as the weather slowly improved, then continued north before moorage fees began. I found an open moorage in the heart of the small town of Oudekerk, the last isolated community on the Amstel before Amsterdam. The sign read 3x24, meaning there is three day limit, and it was adjacent to a supermarket, so I decided to stay a while.<br />
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Wednesday, 04 May is Remembrance Day in the Netherlands, marking the sacrifices during World War Two. Thursday, 05 May is Liberation Day, celebrating the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Canadian Army and ending their five-year occupation of the Netherlands. More than seventy-six hundred Canadians lost their lives in the final push to free the Dutch. Zonder Zorg's Canadian flag invited many offerings of thanks.<br />
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On Friday I continued north down the Amstel six kilometres, then east three and a half kilometres up the Weesper to a free three-day mooring in Diemen. This small town, only five kilometres from the heart of Amsterdam, is isolated from the urban build-up by fields and marshes. Across the Weesper from the barge is the stop for a tram directly into central Amsterdam.<br />
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The temperature rose to 25.5º Friday afternoon, but my shaded mooring and the light breeze made it very pleasant. The forecast shows many fine days to follow, and since the moorage isn't busy, I think I'll test the limits of the three-day signs.Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-71195352474793446932015-12-24T07:07:00.003-08:002015-12-24T07:11:31.087-08:00Merry Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. </span></h3>
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Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-75655318094110801012015-12-24T07:01:00.001-08:002015-12-24T07:03:16.952-08:00From la Bourgogne to Zuid Holland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Zonder Zorg headed north this year from the Burgundy. We ascended la Saône and la Petit Saône through Franche-Comté and over Canal des Vosges into Lorraine then across to la Moselle and down it to Canal de la Marne au Rhin, which led us to Canal de la Meuse and eventually to La Meuse and into Belgium. From the Dutch border the river becomes de Maas and we followed it, then Julianakanaal, Kanaal Wessen-Nederweert, Zuid Wiliemsvaart, Maximakanaal, de Bergse Maas, Heusdens Kanaal, de Andesle Maas, de Afgedamde Maas. de Waal, de Gekan Linge, Merwedekanaal, de Lek, Doorslag and de Hollandse IJssel to Gouda for the winter.<br />
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The total distance covered was 994 kilometres through 244 locks, 6 tunnels and 26 movable bridges. This map shows Zonder Zorg's 2015 travels in white and her 2012-2014 travels in red. </div>
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It was a very relaxing five-month trip with many extended stops along the way. Through the process I completed and published another canal boating book and a novel plus wrote two more novels that are now being edited. I've been much too busy to add much to this blog. </div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-91564064899940317592015-06-11T09:55:00.003-07:002015-06-11T10:01:59.070-07:00To the Top of the Saône<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The flooding on the Saône persisted for several days, then water level and river current slowly started easing. The temperature followed the water level down and the second week of May we were on the verge of overnight frost. After the second of the four national holidays in May, I headed down river to Saint-Jean-de-Losne to refuel to buy new mooring lines, a new courtesy flag and replace a few other things that wear-out.<br />
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I was fortunate to again find an open spot on Quai national, the same spot we had vacated in late September. In the evening I celebrated cutting loose from winter moorings.<br />
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<span class="s1">Two weeks previously I had received an email invitation from Richard Carras, a wine business colleague from the 1980s and 90s. The invitation was to a winemaker’s dinner in Vancouver presented by one of my favourite wine producers, Masi. I replied that unfortunately I would have to miss it, since I was in the Burgundy. He replied immediately that he would be arriving in Saint-Jean-de-Losne on 10 May to begin a cruise on a hotel barge. I spent a splendid evening aboard Après Tout with Richard and his wife Marion and with more dear old friends, George and Trudy Heiss, British Columbia wine pioneers.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The following morning I bade them farewell as they headed up Canal de Bourgogne and I continued with my purchases and maintenance in preparation for heading north. I was still waiting for two pieces of mail addressed to Zonder Zorg in the port de plaisance in Auxonne, so I sat through the two remaining national holidays of May and watched most of the French take between twelve and sixteen days off.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Finally, after waiting for proofs of my new novel and for mail from one of the many malfunctioning sectors of corporate France, on Friday 29 May I left Auxonne and headed up the Saône.</span> Edi was still in the Netherlands arranging a place for the off-season, so I would be soloing. One of the few benefits of the extended wait was that the current in the river was almost nonexistent.</div>
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<span class="s1">In the late afternoon I passed the very attractive village of Mantoche and was tempted to stop there for the night, but its lack of shopping of any kind convinced me to continue the six kilometres to the city of Gray. In the dozen years since my last visit there, I had forgotten that the place lives up to its name. Besides its fine old Hôtel de Ville and many rather graceless, though historic and crumbling old buildings, the main attraction is the large supermarket just a block away from the moorings. Maybe the next time, Mantoche.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I spent most of Saturday exploring the city and stocking-up from the convenient supermarket. On Sunday I continued up the river, passing through the first tunnel of the year, the 640 metre Souterrain de Savoyeux.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the late afternoon, I took winding channel up the branch of the river past the lock toward the weir to the village of Ray-sur-Saône, which is dominated by the château on the ridge above. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The château dates to the year 800, and before it was partially destroyed in the sixteenth century, it was the largest fortress in Franche-Comté. The tiny wooden mooring docks, not much more than two metres long are still unchanged from my first visit over a decade and a half ago. Unchanged except for deterioration, that is. Two of them were taped-off with plastic ribbons and danger signs.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">On Monday morning I headed back down the river to the lock and ascended through it to continue up the river. The route passed through very sparsely settled areas for twenty kilometres and four more locks, passing small villages and tiny settlements sitting back across the flood plains from the river.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The next tunnel, the 680 metre Tunnel de Saint-Aubin, has a long, narrow masonry-lined cut leading to it, so steering is interesting for much more than the tunnel.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The tunnel is well-lit and its 6.6 metre width is very generous. Zonder Zorg tracked almost automatically from the pressure waves off the smooth sides. </span>In the late afternoon I arrived in Port-sur-Saône and secured for the night on a solid concrete and steel quai in the centre of town.</div>
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<span class="s1">On Tuesday, after another five and a half hours of travelling I arrived my twentieth and final lock on the Saône this trip. I entered the chamber, and using my standard routine, tossed the stern line to loop the bollard, adjusted it on the staghorn and went forward to toss the bow line, activating the lock as I passed the control rod. Zonder Zorg came to an abrupt stop. I looked back to see what had snagged and saw a man on the rim of the chamber pulling the stern line and smiling. I told him in French and English to leave the line alone. I restarted the engine and motored slowly forward on the stern line so I could reach the bow bollard. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I tossed the bow line up and watched unbelievably as another man picked it up. I told him to put it back on the bollard. I went back to the stern to shift into neutral and shut-down the engine, then tail in the stern line as the boat swung back on its bow line. My routine has been to tail from the stern until the lock is a bit over half full and then go forward and tail in the bow line to the top of the fill. When I pulled on the bow line to adjust it, it was snagged. When I could see over the top of the chamber, I saw it had been tied to the bollard by the ‘helpful’ man from the rental boat waiting to descend. I told the two men that voluntary assistance is very often a hindrance and sometimes it can be dangerous. Do not touch another boater’s lines unless asked. Stand clear of the bollards. It took me more than five minutes trying to untie the line from the bollard, using mallet, fid and screwdriver and in the process I severely damaged it. My two week old twenty-metre line with an eye splice is now an eleven metre simple piece and an eight metre piece with an eye. Both rather useless, just like the two renters from Le Boat. Neither offered apologies no compensation. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Five kilometres later, as I prepared to toss my stern line after entering the lock at Corre to start up the Canal des Vosges, a man stood over my bollard on the rim. I asked him to move, I motioned at him to move. I cursed him with my best Anglo-Saxon. He finally got the message and left. I looped both bollards and locked-up with ease, then moored for the night, off the Saône and into Canal des Vosges. The trip from Auxonne was four days of motoring for a total of 147.9 kilometres, twenty locks, two tunnels and three overzealous lock-top hindrances. At least there’s a supermarket nearby.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-79899519894953310052015-05-04T01:41:00.000-07:002015-05-04T04:21:57.759-07:00A Flood on the Saône<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday the Saône River at Auxonne rose quickly. It has been raining heavily for several days and the runoff from upstream is having trouble keeping within the river banks. Last evening there was a break in the weather and my view out across the cockpit showed the river to have nearly overtopped the marina breakwater.<br />
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This morning the water is over the top of the breakwater and the access road along its top was under several centimetres of water with only the grasses separating the river from the Port Royal basin. Half the marina is now an island, requiring wading for access to and from barges and the mainland. Fortunately, the float Zonder Zorg is on is attached to the other side of the basin, where the land is a bit higher.<br />
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We've had some patches of nice weather this spring, but there has been a lot of rain. In mid-March I hunkered down inside and began building a wooden model of a skûtsje.<br />
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While waiting for glue to dry, on 19 March I began writing a novel. I had no idea where the story was going, I just started writing. I’ve read quite a few novels, but I have no real concept of what a novel’s structure is. Four weeks later, after about 80,000 words I arrived at its finish.<br />
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Since then I’ve done a lot of content and text exiting, I've created front pages and put together some ideas for a cover. My writing background is non-fiction and editing, so I have no idea whether this piece of fiction has any merit, or is simply a bunch of babbling. One way or the other, I need to get the characters out of my head and get on with living. It's off to the printers this week.<br />
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The flood of words is over, but the flood of water isn't. The glue on the model is probably dry by now, I haven’t checked for almost six weeks.<br />
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I'm waiting for a hard copy of the proof to arrive, and if things go well, the book will be up on Amazon and other places around 20 May. In the meantime, if the river calms and recedes, Zonder Zorg is heading north, toward the Netherlands.<br />
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<br />Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-8168002554846315272015-03-12T10:51:00.000-07:002015-03-14T03:21:04.330-07:00Another New Book Going to Print<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I finished my last book at the end of December, I thought I was done writing for a while, but then at the Vancouver Boat Show in late January, I was prompted to write another. While talking with the marketing manager of the largest of the canal boat rental companies, she told me that many of their renters ask for recommendations on a book or books to read to prepare for their boating adventure. She had none to recommend, and so it began.<br />
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I decided to focus on France, where last year there were more than 150,000 canal boat renters, fifteen percent of whom came from the English-speaking world. I figured that this should provide me with a sufficiently large focused market to provide a few sales. The book quickly came together as an overview of the geography, history and culture of the main inland boating areas of France, followed by a chapter that gives a cross-section of the boats that are offered by the four major companies.<br />
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I added some background on the canal system and an examination of the types of locks and how they function.<br />
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Then there are chapters on <i>Basic Boat Handling</i>, on <i>Line Handling and Safety in the Locks</i> and on <i>Rules of the Road and CEVNI</i>. The book contains the essential information to enable a neophyte to decide on a region to explore, to choose a rental company and to safely and confidently head out on the French canals. Hopefully it will make things a little safer for the rest of us on the canals.<br />
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I sent the copy and the cover layout to the printers on Friday, I received an electronic proof of the book on Tuesday evening and this afternoon the printed proof arrived by DHL. It looks good, so I have just approved it and sent it to print. It should be available from Amazon next week and from other online retailers in the following weeks. I love the speed and efficiency of the modern world of publishing.Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-14818658478675221312015-03-07T03:55:00.002-08:002015-03-10T10:55:54.856-07:00Back in the Burgundy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On 25 February we began the final complex series of events that would lead us back to Zonder Zorg in Auxonne in the Burgundy region of France. For days we had been sorting and packing, a task much more complex this time than in our previous five trips back to the boat. Returning to Peru, Chile, Friesland and France had been a matter of closing-up in Vancouver and heading off. This time we were moving our furniture and belongings into storage, since we had decided to rent-out the loft. For more than five years we had left the place vacant while we cruised, but the temptation of an additional $30,000 annual input to our cruising kitty was now too strong to resist.<br />
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The moving van arrived on time at 0900 just as the woman with the elevator keys appeared. By noon the last of our items for storage were in the van and we were left with only our luggage on the balcony, safely sequestered from the movers. In the car we had rented the previous day using loyalty points, I drove to the storage facility to supervise the move from van to locker. By 1430 the move was complete, the locker contracted and paid and the account with the movers settled.<br />
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Meanwhile, Edi did the final cleaning in the loft, and I made it back just in time for the 1500 appointment with the rental agent for a walk-through and key hand-over. He helped us juggle our nine pieces of luggage down to the car and we were off. So far the complex clockwork was ticking perfectly. We drove to the airport hotel that we had booked on loyalty points and checked-in. On Thursday morning the car got our luggage to the airport and we were confirmed on our leg to Toronto for a connection to Paris. So far, so good.<br />
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In Toronto, the continuation to Paris was over-booked and we didn't make it on. We saw a flight to London Heathrow an hour-and-a-bit later with many open seats, so we had our bags and ourselves transferred to it. Otherwise, we would have had to reclaim all our checked luggage, find a hotel and a way to get our selves and our bags to it and back for the flight the following day. We preferred continuing to Europe, so online I booked two seats on the Eurostar through the Chunnel to Paris. I also booked a van to transfer us from Heathrow to St Pancras to catch the train.<br />
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Our luggage was first off on the belt in Heathrow, since it was the last onto the flight. Our driver was in the designated place and got us through the London snarl to the rail station. Our Eurostar bookings yielded two boarding passes, though there were many questions and discussions about our nine pieces of luggage. Train passengers are limited to two pieces each, so we sweet-talked our way through ticketing, the gate, security and onboard. There are no luggage carts in Paris Gare du Nord, nor are there any luggage handlers, so we organised a security relay along the platform and into the terminal, where Edi stood guard on our bags while I went to pick-up the rental car.<br />
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I had changed the booking online from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Paris Gare du Nord, and our car was waiting for us on the minus seven level of parking, near the elevator. Fortunately, our luggage stash was a short distance from the elevator, and with its speaker blaring a shrill bilingual "door blocked" announcement, we crammed all nine pieces and ourselves into the elevator and back out seven levels down. I flashed-up TomTom on my iPad and we were lead efficiently out of Paris and onto the Autoroute du Soleil.<br />
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After a pause for coffees and sandwiches, we continued along to Auxonne, arriving shortly past midnight. There was a gypsy encampment in the parking lot from the small midway set-up for Carnival d'Auxonne and there were some wandering groups of men. We decided to move all the luggage aboard, rather than risk losing it from the car overnight. The marina carts were locked-up and Zonder Zorg is in the last slip at the end of the furthest finger, so we again did a security relay. It was 0100 by the time we had opened-up the boat, had everything aboard, had flashed-up her systems and fired-up the central heating. I had asked the boat be de-winterised for our arrival, and everything was in order. After some Armagnac to ease the road-weariness, we made it to bed a little beyond 0200 on Saturday morning, thirty-four hours after springing-out of the hotel bed in Vancouver. We look forward to a slightly more relaxed schedule from here on.<br />
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On Saturday morning, while Edi slept-in, I headed into town to the supermarket for fresh supplies. By evening we were back into the swing of things with a nice dinner of dos de cabillaud with spätzle and diced mushrooms and fresh broccoli. We celebrated our being back aboard with a bottle of Bailly Lapierre 2007 Vive-la-Joie Crémant de Bourgogne. Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-29076886010274815332015-01-30T09:59:00.001-08:002015-01-30T09:59:26.943-08:00Vancouver Boat Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We set-up at the Marine Authors booth during the Vancouver International Boat Show 21-25 January. Our four books were very well received and by noon of the final day we had sold-out of "Carefree on the European Canals" and were down to short stacks of the other titles.<br />
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I did three presentations in the educational seminar series, one on our adventures to Cape Horn and two on the European canals. We are chomping at the bit to get back to Zonder Zorg in Auxonne.Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-23187523884510438382015-01-08T13:52:00.000-08:002015-01-08T13:52:32.330-08:00We've Published Two New Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carefree-Through-1001-French-Locks/dp/0991955676/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FtR1lNZ3VbEe7BOSBF_cMEMP6sXvj9oRn_IYrFqT-CX06fxpytI2gRXIonvJ8TA3GSGN8LTNa4oCLp1NEfb-ltBy52WH0aZ5LzdaR4VxMzpejTlKO_1ivNgbVMNg5rEtcQkMzqBseus/s1600/9780991955671-frontcover.jpg" height="640" width="446" /></a></div>
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We have been rather busy during our slack time since we left Zonder Zorg for the winter; Edi and I have each published new books. Mine is a 520-page tome of some 135,000 words and 1500 illustrations that offers insights, experiences and details on cruising many thousands of kilometres through the French canals over the past thirty years. It is now <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carefree-Through-1001-French-Locks/dp/0991955676/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">available on Amazon.com</a> and will shortly be available on other online booksellers. The Look Inside feature should be up soon.<br />
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Edi's is offering is a beautifully illustrated children's book that she wrote to introduce her granddaughter, Annelies to her Dutch heritage. Edi created thirty-six paintings and illustrations for this book that features our skûtsje, Zonder Zorg spreading its leeboards like wings and taking Annelies on moonlit flights to discover some of her family background. It is also now <a href="http://www.amazon.com/WaterWings-Edith-Gelin/dp/0991955684/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420749138&sr=1-1" target="_blank">available on Amazon.com</a> and will shortly be available on other online booksellers. The Look Inside feature should be up soon.<br />
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The illustrations are delightful and the story is full of light-hearted fun.<br />
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We will again be set-up at the Marine Authors' booth at the Vancouver International Boat Show, 21-25 January, offering autographed copies at well below retail prices.Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-30231077146187961592014-11-23T19:44:00.001-08:002014-11-24T00:40:23.549-08:00To Auxonne and Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After four days relaxing in Saint-Jean-de-Losne, on Sunday 21 September we slipped from our moorings on Quai National and headed up la Saône. It was pleasant to be on the river again; it is broad enough for relaxed steering and we faced negligible current.</div>
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<span class="s1">Our destination was Auxonne, eighteen kilometres upstream. This city is at the eastern edge of the Burgundy region, just three kilometres from the boundary with the Franche-Comté, a position which made it very strategic in battles for many centuries.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A pleasant two hours later we arrived at Écluse Auxonne, the only lock on the route. Two down-bound boats were just beginning to enter the chamber, so we had to wait.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After manoeuvring Zonder Zorg’s bow for Edi to twist the dangling rod to signal the automatic lock system, I backed down toward a duc d’Albe, tossed a loop around its bollard and secured the bow with the spud pole. The waiting station is set-up for 38-metre barges and there is no provision for anything shorter.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Out of the lock we motored along the bypass canal back to the river and then past the centre of Auxonne to Port Royal. Four years previously the marina had been dug out of an unused copse on the northwestern corner of the city close under its centuries-old fortification walls.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It was midday when we entered the port and nobody was around, so we took a mooring on the T-head at the end of the second wing of floats and settled-in to wait for an assigned mooring. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Beside us, across the city walls were the military barracks that occupy much of the northwest quadrant of the city. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the late afternoon there was a knock on the hull. Roy, the Capitain was looking for mooring fees and asked how long we would be staying. When I said we were here for the winter, he told us that he had no notice of our coming. I told him Charles had said there was plenty of room for us, but it became apparently that he had done nothing beyond that. Roy told us there was no more room for anything above fifteen metres. I then told Roy of my email exchange with Charles many months before and of the confirmation of winter space in Saint-Jean-de-Losne and of how that ball had also been dropped. Roy took sympathy and said he would juggle a space for us.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Relieved, we began to acquaint ourselves with Zonder Zorg’s new winter quarters and we reflected on where we had been. In the twenty-five months since we took possession of our skûtsje, she had taken us a total of 4968 kilometres through 1120 locks on 121 waterways in three countries. During all this travelling, we had experienced only three problems with the barge: the house battery had suddenly died and refused to take a charge, a connection in the central heating had failed and the automatic igniter for the water heater/furnace required frequent resetting.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were waiting for the arrival of the engineers from SRF in Friesland with our 22.6 kWh battery. In July they had removed it and installed a temporary 14.6 kWh bank. Even though they suspected the problem was from a faulty connection, they wanted to ensure the battery was not damaged, so they had taken it back to Harlingen. Now their drive was considerably shorter than it had been to Capestang in July. To make their job easier, the evening before their scheduled arrival we moved Zonder Zorg to the float alongside the haul-out ramp. This would give them easier unloading and reloading.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">From a 0400 start in Harlingen, Wychard and Laurens arrived </span>mid-morning after an 875 kilometre drive, and after cups of espresso, they set to work. While Wychard began disconnecting the temporary battery, Laurens loaded the more than half a tonne of battery cells from the van to the float and moved them along to the barge.</div>
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<span class="s1">They manhandled the cells of the temporary battery out of the engine compartment, and then after a large platter of ham and cheese croissants, they began lowering the cells of our original battery back into place and connecting them. The manufacturer had bench tested each cell and all were deemed to be in top condition. By mid-afternoon the electrical system was reconnected and we load-tested it with the oven switched to microwave-convection and Edi’s hairdryer on high, for a total load of 2950 Watts. The system passed. The men then set to work on the faulty igniter system on the water heater/furnace. By 1830, after many blind leads, they had it repaired and we shared some welcomed Heinekens after their very long day.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Later in the evening, after Wychard and Laurens had gone off to their hotel for a well-earned rest, Edi and I celebrated the completion of repairs with some Arthur Metz Cuvée Speciale 1904 Crémant d’Alsace. To go with it, I prepared cumin-crusted dos de cabaillaud topped with butter sautéed pleurottes and accompanied by pommes rissolées and steamed broccoli. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">After dinner we heard the water heater start to cycle and we listened closely for it to ignite. It aborted the cycle. I emailed Wychard, hoping he would see the message before starting to drive north. There was a knock on the hull as I was pulling our first espresso the following morning. Wychard and Laurens spent over an hour in the engine compartment before Laurens finally noticed that a sensor had been installed in an inverted position, which caused it to often give wrong information on the flame, which led it to abort the start-up. He turned it over and successfully ran the system through several start-up cycles. They left mid-morning, hopeful that the last of our short list of problems from the refit had been resolved. All this service was without charge; rather it was a follow-through on SRF’s commitment to ensuring their work is satisfactory. Wychard and Laurens, both professional engineers are two of the four partners in the company. Wonderful!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Over the next several days we explored Auxonne. The first settlements in the area date to the ninth century as fishing camps along the river. The 843 Treaty of Verdun to divide Charlemagne's empire had used the Saône in this area as the boundary between East Francia and Middle Francia. This placed the site of Auxonne on the Germanic side of the line. In 1197 Stephen II, Count of Auxonne moved his allegiance across the river to the Duke of Burgundy, and forty years layer all the possessions of the Count of Auxonne in the basin of the Saône were transferred to the Duke of Burgundy. With this, Auxonne became a bridgehead of the Duchy on the eastern bank of the Saône, ostensibly on Holy Roman Empire soil. This position was progressively fortified, culminating by the middle of the fourteenth century in a wall with twenty-three towers and four gates girding the small city.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The walls were strengthened and the gates were rebuilt. One of these, Porte de Comté was built in the fifteenth century on the eastern side of the city, leading out into la Franche-Comté. It is preserved today as a national monument.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Another surviving gate is la Porte Royale built in 1775 to replace an older one on the northern side of the city, near the new marina, Port Royal. This makes a splendid play on words and on history.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the centre of the city stands Notre Dame, which was begun in 1200. Among other notable features of the church is the helicoidal spire. This rises thirty-three metres above top of stone tower. In the square beside the church stands a statue of the young Lieutenant Bonaparte. Napoleon trained as an artillery officer for a total of twenty months during his two postings here between 1788 and 1791.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Among the treasures inside the church is a statue named la Vierge au Raisin, the Virgin of the Grapes. It is attributed to Claus de Werve, who had completed the magnificent sculptures for the tomb of Duke Philip the Bold in 1410, which we had seen in Dijon. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Besides exploring Auxonne, we began preparing Zonder Zorg for winter. Among the tasks was tending to the paint scrapes from more than eleven hundred locks and two hundred moorings. There were surprisingly few, mostly on the black rubbing strake, which had been designed to take the punishment. After some wire-brushing, cleaning and a few dabs of paint, she looked like she had never left port. I moved the bicycles down into the fo'c'sle along with other attractive portable items. The bicycle cover was repositioned to wrap the stricken mast, mast step, spud pole winch and gaz lockers protecting them from both eyes and winter.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We had been steadily reducing the contents of our pantry, fridge and freezer, aimed at having nothing perishable remaining by the time we closed-up Zonder Zorg for the winter. On the morning of 7 October we took the train to Dijon and drove back in a rental car from Hertz. In the evening we had our season’s last dinner aboard. I seared some jumbo coquilles St-Jacques, smothered them with crisply sautéed pleurottes and served this with saffroned basmati rice and sliced tomatoes with fresh basil. It was deliciously accompanied by an Alsatian Gewürztraminer.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The next morning the mechanics from H2O came to do the winterising of our systems. When they had completed their work, we closed-up Zonder Zorg, placed the protective covers over the tiller and klik, the skylight and the friese and rear of the roef. We then loaded our luggage and drove to a hotel near CDG airport to be ready for our flights to Canada the following morning. Zonder Zorg was ready for winter, but we weren’t.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-46818913343755150812014-11-19T14:51:00.000-08:002014-11-19T16:59:10.417-08:00Saint-Jean-de-Losne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had arrived in Saint-Jean-de-Losne on Wednesday, 17 September and had moored along Quai National. This town is quite legitimately referred to as the centre of the French canal system, since from this hub it is possible to head in six different directions. </div>
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<span class="s1">From here boaters can choose to head southward along the Saône and Rhône to the Provence and the Midi, they can head southwestward across canal du Centre to the Loire, northwestward along canal de Bourgogne to the Yonne and Seine, northward on canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne to the Champagne, northeastward along canal des Vosges into Loraine or slightly more eastward across the Vosges on canal du Rhône au Rhin into the Alsace.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">With its location at this important barging hub, a marine infrastructure grew in the years following the 1832 opening of canal de Bourgogne. Much of this was immediately upstream of the first lock on canal de Bourgogne in the wide basin that was designed to serve both as a port and as a repair and maintenance facility.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Just below the lock, at the level of the river is a large excavated basin, la Gare d’Eau on the north side of the town. This was dug as a place of refuge for barges when the Saône was in flood. This Water Station was also used to store rafts of logs that had been floated down from the forests of the Vosges and Jura. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">With the dwindling barge trade, by the mid-1970s the repair and maintenance services had little business, so many of the skilled marine tradesmen had moved to other jobs or to other regions. As commercial use of the canals declined, pleasure use was slowly increasing. In 1972 Blue Line began offering self-drive rental boats in France and they had expanded to more than 300 boats by the mid-1980s. They had set-up in Saint-Jean-de-Losne in 1980 and I rented a canal boat from them in 1984 from their base in la Gare d’Eau. Blue Line is the small cluster of boats on the right side of the 1987 photo and the lines of floats in the bottom right of that photo are those of a newly established business named H2O. The 2012 photo shows the expansion of the marine facilities since then.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We had based our Dutch kruiser, Lady Jane in Saint-Jean-de-Losne in 2000, 01, 02 and 03 and again in 2005 and 06. Not only is it a great hub from which to explore the waterways, but it also has a dry dock, crane haul-out facilities and </span>a marine railway. There are marine chandleries, a thriving community of marine trades and a strong boating atmosphere.</div>
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<span class="s1">Two large marinas in le Gare d’eau, Blanquart and H2O offer moorage, both long-term and itinerant and there are three supermarkets within a kilometre of the basin. In addition, long-term moorage is available from H2O in l’Ancienne Écluse three kilometres downstream from town and from Bourgogne Marine between the final locks of canal du Rhône au Rhin four kilometres upstream at Saint-Symphorien.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Saint-Jean-de-Losne dates back to at least 675 and it grew to prominence with its bridge across la Saône. Taxes and tolls from the crossing allowed it to fortify itself and it is famous for its defences. In 1636 the townspeople held-off the sieges of a much superior Austrian army that had already wiped-out most of the surrounding towns and villages. King Louis XIII rewarded the town’s courage by exempting taxes. During the Battle of France in 1814, the town again foiled the attacking Austrians, this time as they chased-down Napoleon. The townspeople crossed the bridge, and after attacking the Austrian camp, they retreated, destroying the bridge behind them. The following year, after Napoleon had returned from exile in Elba, he conferred la Légion d'honneur on the town. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">On Thursday morning we awoke to heavy fog, which hid the left bank of the Saône and nearly obscured the bridge. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">By the time we had finished breakfast the fog had begun lifting, the bridge gradually appeared and navigation was slowly resuming on the river. The bridge had been replaced after the Napoleonic wars, but was destroyed again by the Germans in September 1944 to cover their retreat eastward. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">At the entrance to the bridge is a square, place de la Libération and in the centre of the square is a monument commemorating la Belle Defense de 1636. Bordering the square is Église Saint Jean Baptiste, begun in the fourteenth century, now nicely restored and maintained and resplendent under its classic Burgundian glazed tile roof.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We walked through town to the offices of H2O to find out what moorage had been assigned to Zonder Zorg. Months before, while we were in the Midi I had emailed Charles, H2O’s founder and director to ask about winter moorage and had received a reply confirming a place for us in le Gare d’Eau. We arrived in the Capitainerie to find that we were not listed for moorage; Charles had apparently omitted to inform le Capitain. I tracked-down Charles, whom I first met in 1984 and had done brokerage, repair, maintenance and moorage business with him many times since. I found him overseeing excavation work for the footings of a new building. He seemed a bit flustered when I mentioned that le Capitain said there was no more space available to fit Zonder Zorg and that he knew nothing about my request for winter moorage. Charles countered with: “We have plenty of room for you at Port Royal”.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Port Royal is a new marina with 150 moorings that was created in 2011 by H2O in cooperation with the city of Auxonne, eighteen kilometres up la Saône from Saint-Jean-de-Losne. We had moored along the wall on the river at Auxonne many times over the past thirty years and had enjoyed the town. Last year on our way down la Saône we had moored in the port and were impressed with the location and the layout. Although I had my mind set on wintering in Saint-Jean-de-Losne, I told Charles that we would take the moorage in Port Royal and that we would head up to Auxonne after a few more days enjoying our spot on Quai National.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-19433411356976080612014-11-12T16:15:00.001-08:002014-11-12T16:15:14.057-08:00Completing le Canal de Bourgogne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a break in Dijon to visit its superb musée des beaux-arts and to absorb some of the history of region, on Tuesday morning, 16 September I walked over to the lock keeper’s office to ask to be locked through after the lunch break. </div>
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<span class="s1">We had twenty more locks to the end of le canal de Bourgogne. The route runs across the flat expanse of the Saône plains for thirty kilometres with only one slight bend, less than 5º, to relieve the monotony. Initially the canal passes through several kilometres of industrial area and alongside the rail yards. It then passes close by the end of the airport runways. The first ten kilometres is not an exciting stretch.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After ten locks and eleven kilometres, we had finally left the bland and industrial behind and stopped for the night under a grove of walnut trees in Epoisse. The following morning, after a final scour of the grounds for fresh walnuts, we slipped and continued. At the first lock, l’éclusier told us there were three hotel barges coming upstream. Two locks along we met the first of these, S.Antonius as she was entering the chamber, so we had a rather long wait.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Two locks along, the second barge, Le Haricot Noir was part way up, so the wait was not as long.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Just before noon we met the third barge, Adrienne just entering the lock chamber. It would be well past the beginning of the lunch break by the time she exited, so we resigned ourselves to waiting until 1300.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As Adrienne churned past us at 1225, we saw l’éclusier waving at us, motioning us to come into the lock. We thought he was going to let us wait his lunch break in the chamber, but he surprised us by locking us through and then telling us to continue along to the next lock. The next lock was his home and since there was no more traffic expected on the canal, he could take a long break. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1430 we arrived at the final lock of the canal and passed down into la Saône.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We motored out onto the river for a look at St-Jean-de-Losne and to my surprise and delight, we had our choice of three open moorings on quai National. In some twenty passings of the quai since 1984, this was only the second time I have found a moorage spot here. We enjoyed a relaxing late lunch</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Some of the locals came by to share our lunch.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the evening we celebrated our passage along the 242 kilometres and through the 189 locks of le canal de Bourgogne.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-6872633298383155932014-11-03T23:50:00.001-08:002014-11-07T15:02:38.395-08:00The Burgundy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Sunday, 14 September we had arrived in Dijon, the capital of the Burgundy. We had entered the region in July as we ascended the Saône and we had explored along the Seille, crossed the Canal du Centre, ascended the Loire to its end of navigation, then descend it to the Canal du Nivernais, which we followed to the Canal du Bourgogne and then along it. We had done a clockwise circuit near the boundaries of the Burgundy. The boundaries of present-day Burgundy, one of the twenty-two Regions of Metropolitan France, have changed dramatically over the years.</div>
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<span class="s1">Human settlement in the area is traced to Lower Paleolithic times and one of the final phases of the Upper Paleolithic is named Solutrean for evidence of the 20,000-year occupation of the site at Roche de Solutré near Macon. The Burgundy region was later an important crossroads during the Bronze Age and waves of migration from Central Europe swelled the population. Predominantly Celtic in origin, these people were called Gauls by the Romans. The Gauls of the area around present-day Burgundy were the last hold-out against the Roman conquest. With the surrender of Vercingetorix to Julius Caesar in 52 BC, the area finally fell to the Romans after 150 years.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the fifth century, as the Roman Empire was collapsing, the Burgundians moved in from the northeast. Thought to be originally Scandinavian, these peoples had long before settled along the Baltic coast of what is now Germany before migrating and occupying the area that is now eastern France and western Switzerland. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the sixth century another Germanic tribe, the Francs conquered the Kingdom of Burgundy, but finding the Burgundians strong, they allowed them to continue to occupy and govern the area. The Frankish territory continued to expand for another three centuries, reaching its greatest extent in 814 as the Carolingian Empire under Charlemagne.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After inheritance disputes among Emperor Charlemagne’s three sons following his death, the Treaty of Verdun in 843 divided the empire into three portions: East Francia, Middle Francia and West Francia. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">West Francia was a major portion of what would become the present-day France. The dividing line between West and Middle Francia ran through the Burgundy, dividing it into two unequal pieces, the smaller being the Duchy of Burgundy, which is closely equivalent to today’s Burgundy Region.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Starting from this small base, successive Dukes of Burgundy expanded their holdings through battle, negotiation, marriage and inheritance. By 1477 their possessions included much of modern-day Netherlands, all of Belgium and Luxembourg and portions of Germany and Switzerland. This was nearly the size of the lands of the Kingdom of France, but it contained the biggest cities and the richest territories of the region. The court in Dijon outshone the French court both economically and culturally. In Belgium and in the south of the Netherlands, a 'Burgundian lifestyle' still means 'enjoyment of life, good food, and extravagant spectacle’. During the Hundred Years War and the years following it, the Dukes of Burgundy tried on many occasions and through various means to take the crown of France. Duke Charles the Bold was killed in battle in January 1477 in one such attempt. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Louis XI of France quickly moved to seize Burgundy by presenting himself as the protector of Charles’ daughter and heir, Mary. By the beginning of February, the royal army had entered Dijon and occupied the Burgundy. Duchess Mary refused the King’s offer of marriage to his son and heir, the Dauphin Charles. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">She retreated north to the Low Countries, and then a few months later she married Maximilian of Austria, the future Hapsburg Emperor, Maximilian I. By 1520 their grandson, Charles V wore many crowns, among them as the King of Spain and the Archduke of Austria and he had been elected Holy Roman Emperor. He was the most powerful monarch of the time, but he focused his efforts on the recovery of the duchy of Burgundy that had been seized from his grandmother. He was successful in regaining only the Charolais, the southwest portion. By this time, many of the loyal Burgundians had moved north to the Burgundian Netherlands and Flanders, taking with them their arts, talents, skills and wealth. During the following century, the Netherlands dramatically increased its standing as the most prosperous region in Europe.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">With this background in mind, on Monday we headed into the medieval heart of Dijon. There were dramatic changes since my last visit in 2006. A new light rail transit system opened in 2012 and much of the downtown core had been converted to pedestrian-only streets. What was once a noisy and exhaust fuming traffic gridlock is now peaceful and inviting. There are many medieval buildings and classic Burgundian glazed tile roofs throughout the city centre. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We continued through very pleasant streets to place de la Libération and past l’Hôtel de Ville, the City Hall, which is housed in the former royal and ducal palace buildings.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Through a side entrance toward the rear of a building, we entered the transept of the former église Saint-Étienne. The church was confiscated after the Revolution and became the wheat market, later the stock exchange. During renovations in the choir, remains of the Roman castrum was found beneath the floors. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">This city wall was built between 270 and 275 by Roman Emperor Aurelian. It was ten metres high, four-and-a-half metres thick and with its thirty-three towers and four gates, it circled twelve hundred metres around the city. Very few traces of it remain. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We walked back to place de la Libération and its imposing buildings. The palace of the Dukes of Burgundy and later the Kingdom of France is comprised of several interconnecting parts. Among the oldest parts are the Gothic style ducal palace from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, most prominent being la Tour Philippe le Bon. The remainder of the buildings date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and are in the Classic style. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Inside the courtyard we approached la Tour de Bar, which had been built by Philip the Bold in 1365. Beside it is the entrance to le musée des beaux-arts de Dijon, which was established here in 1787. It is one of the finest, most important and oldest museums in France. We were delighted to find that admission is free.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Among the more important pieces in the museum are the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy. Philip the Bold built a Carthusian monastery at Champmol, just outside Dijon to house the tombs of his dynasty. He gathered many artists to decorate and embellish its interior and to work on his tomb featuring his recumbent effigy. Work on it began in 1381. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Three successive sculptors, Jean de Marville, Claus Sluter and Claus de Werve worked on it for thirty years, completing the project in 1410, six years after Philip’s death. The polychrome and gilt decoration was done by Jean Malouel, official painter to the Duke. The tomb is considered to be one of the finest works of Burgundian sculpture. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Philip’s heir, John the Fearless expressed a wish for his own tomb to resemble that of his father, but as a double one with his Duchess Margaret of Bavaria by his side. Work had not been commenced when he died in 1419. Finally in 1443 a Spaniard, Jean de La Huerta, was contracted and was sent drawings for the effigies. He completed most elements, but not the effigies, before leaving Dijon in 1456. Another master was brought in, and in 1470 the monument was finally installed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Remarkable about the two tombs are the mourners standing in alcoves surrounding the bases of the biers. There were originally eighty-two of these free-standing alabaster sculptures, each about forty centimetres high and each an individual character. Following the Revolution, the tombs were badly damaged by anti-royal vandals and a dozen of the mourners were stolen. Some ended up in Dijon homes, others were marketed to museums and private collectors.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In 1819 the tombs were restored and placed in the Dijon museum. In 1945 an English collector returned a choirboy sculpture to Dijon. Soon after, the Louvre donated its mourner and the Cluny Museum returned two mourners. An American collector had bought four mourners from French collectors and after his death, his estate sold the sculptures to the Cleveland Museum of Art, where they remain today. In 1959 the museum gave replicas of its mourners to the Dijon Museum. Only two of the niches remain empty and it is presumed the missing sculptures had been destroyed during the vandalism of the Revolution.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Among the museum’s vast collection of medieval art are many pieces from the monastery at Champmol, including a splendid folding altar piece. It was carved by Jacques de Baerze and gilded and painted by Melchior Broederlam.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The quality of the 1398 painting on the exterior of the door panels is superb, particularly the scene of the Annunciation.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In addition to the medieval collections, the museum has a large collection of ancient Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, </span>Gallic, Roman and Byzantine material. We were more interested in Burgundian art, so we skipped through these quickly and on to the galleries of Renaissance and later sculptures and paintings.</div>
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<span class="s1">Peter Paul Rubens is well represented among the Burgundian Netherlands and Flemish artists, and the pieces in the museum arrived under interesting circumstances. During the conquest of the Austrian Netherlands by the armies of the French Revolution, paintings were seized in 1793 and 1794 from churches in Flanders. Two of these were transferred from the Louvre to the Dijon museum in 1803. These were the side panels from a triptych altar piece commissioned in 1632 by a parishioner to honour her dead father. One was “The Entry of Christ Into Jerusalem”. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The other is “Christ Washing the Feet of the Apostles”. These two side panels were painted on wood and appear to have been rather quickly rendered. At one time thought to have been produced by Rubens’ workshop, experts now believe they came directly from the master’s hand. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The central panel of the triptych is “The Last Supper”, which measures three metres by two-and-a-half, is oil on canvas and is decidedly more meticulously painted. It is now in Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A brochure on Rubens produced by the Dijon museum reads: “One of the greatest masters of Flemish painting, has always been admired in France. The three tables in this room, seized by French troops in 1794, are representative of that interest. They also reflect the final changes in the seventeenth century on the medieval form of hinged altarpieces.” </span></div>
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This altar, composed of a central panel flanked by two movable flaps, was commissioned in 1618 by the tailors' Guild in Lierre, near Antwerp for their chapel. It was seized in 1794 by French troops, and arrived at the Louvre. It was dismembered in 1809 and the central panel was sent to Dijon. The side flaps remained at the Louvre and were claimed in 1815 and had to be returned to Lierre. We wondered why these other stolen Rubens pieces are still displayed in Dijon.</div>
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<span class="s1">We slowly made our way through the galleries, looking at seventeenth and eighteenth century European works and then we wandered through a grand assortment of paintings by the nineteenth century French painters, including Delacroix, Courbet, Tissot, Monet, Manet, Sisley and Pissarro. We found "la Japonaise au bain" painted in 1864 by James Tissot a refreshing departure from the heavy religious themes we had been viewing.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As we made our way out from the museum and back toward Zonder Zorg, we reflected that this region was once the principal centre of art and culture in Europe. Since the departure of the last of the Dukes of Burgundy, the region has lost this reputation, but through their continuing refinement of viticulture and viniculture, when the word Burgundy is spoken today, most think of great wine. Many of the world’s finest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays come from here, but that’s another story.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-65123430565706236192014-10-26T23:25:00.001-07:002014-10-26T23:25:11.317-07:00To Dijon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTNxi8d-cgG5OVl6i5_B2MoO293QqIt5-3C-Z7xjzIKyTdcQRmGwwx0aeEE_lHmzB7IPs0z8D3zSi6f80foUe4nA8vkF5YhkYCaBhNEbQ8rKfJcixWyZJegsdqAQaIXqAZBdDk2GWC04/s1600/ToDijon-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTNxi8d-cgG5OVl6i5_B2MoO293QqIt5-3C-Z7xjzIKyTdcQRmGwwx0aeEE_lHmzB7IPs0z8D3zSi6f80foUe4nA8vkF5YhkYCaBhNEbQ8rKfJcixWyZJegsdqAQaIXqAZBdDk2GWC04/s1600/ToDijon-1.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a></div>
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We had arrived at the summit of le canal de Bourgogne on Wednesday, 10 September and had moored in the basin. We were at the highest point in the French canal system and had ascended through one-hundred-thirteen locks, forty-five of these in the past two days. We wanted a break before starting the steep descent toward Dijon. On Thursday morning we watched as the French sailboat, which had accompanied us in the locks the previous day, slipped and headed toward the tunnel, leaving only Zonder Zorg and Milo in the basin. </div>
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<span class="s1">We continued to be amazed at the lack of traffic as we watched the sailboat motor into the early morning mists.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Forward of us at the northern end of the basin was an arched structure. We walked over to take a look.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Inside is a decommissioned electric chain tug. It was used from 1893 to 1987 to haul barges through the 3350 metre tunnel. This tug had replaced steam tugs, which had operated since 1867 and they in turn had replaced a team of six men that had done the haulage from the time of the canal’s opening in 1832.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The profile drawing of the tunnel shows its restrictive dimensions. At 5.0 metres width, the vault is only 2.2 metres high, making it too low for unladen barges. However, the depth at 2.4 metres is well in excess of the 1.8 metre depth of the rest of the canal.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In 1910 a solution for unladen barges was devised. To take advantage of the extra depth, a floating dry-dock was constructed, which when partially sunk, lowered an unladen barge sufficiently to allow it to fit into the tunnel. This old postcard shows the electric tug coming out of the tunnel towing the partly sunk scow containing an unladen barge.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After looking at the old chain tug we walked the three hundred metres to the Atac supermarket to stock-up on fresh supplies. By the time we had returned, Milo had departed and Zonder Zorg was the only boat remaining in the large basin. We relaxed on board and did small chores. Among these was shelling the walnuts we had harvested along the way.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I reviewed the sheet that l’éclusier had given us. It detailed the procedure for the transit of the tunnel. This was our tenth tunnel in France with Zonder Zorg and the only one we had seen with any instructions. In addition to the requirements on the paper handout, l’éclusier told us that he must inspect our spotlight to ensure it is sufficient for the tunnel. Fortunately, I had earlier read about equipment inspections here, so the previous week we had bought a light. Rather than an expensive marine light, for €7 we got a basic home outdoor security floodlight and I wired a plug to its leads. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLctUZSM_OFa_ClRJXTXvumSHK7EuJMHB8rbpV3kHre3dIyFP2DksDo_bSp6d0d0wnWMY4X8A0FsD-KstLyeEzdOV232DVbRP_cmKW_QtSY4ATCOtpSdFAPlDG9HmFntWCFhD7EMmGjg/s1600/ToDijon-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLctUZSM_OFa_ClRJXTXvumSHK7EuJMHB8rbpV3kHre3dIyFP2DksDo_bSp6d0d0wnWMY4X8A0FsD-KstLyeEzdOV232DVbRP_cmKW_QtSY4ATCOtpSdFAPlDG9HmFntWCFhD7EMmGjg/s1600/ToDijon-10.jpg" height="414" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">At 0845 on Friday I walked back to the lock house to ask l’éclusier for a transit ticket. He gave me a radio specially set-up to allow communications from within the tunnel and then he accompanied me back to Zonder Zorg to inspect our life jackets and tunnel light. I hung our new light on the mast step, plugged it into the 220v outlet and we passed the inspection. At 0910 we slipped and motored past the old chain tug and past the green traffic light toward the narrow cut leading to the tunnel.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The six-metre-wide cut is about eight-hundred metres long, the first half of which is a gentle 45º curve toward the mouth of the tunnel. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The stone walls supporting its sides gradually increase in height as the cut advances into the ridge. There are a few places with crumbling masonry, some of these shored-up by temporary scaffolding. From the appearance of the vegetation in the rubble, it looks like it has been waiting a long time for repairs.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">When we finished the bend and caught our first sight of the tunnel entrance, we were pleased to see the traffic light was still green. It would have been an awkward reverse back around the narrow bend.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It was still early as we approached the tunnel mouth and most of the tourists were likely too busy with breakfast to watch the day’s boat traffic head into the tunnel; there was only one spectator on the viewing plaza near the middle of the town of Pouilly.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were surprised to see lights down the centre of the tunnel. Of all the tunnels we have been in, this is the best lit. We turned on our navigation lights, but we saw no need to turn on our new floodlight.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Zonder Zorg tracked perfectly down the centre of the tunnel, well balanced by the pressure waves from the sides. She needed very few adjustments to the tiller. We could see the light at the end of the tunnel more than 3.3 kilometres ahead.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We glanced back from time to time to watch the light astern gradually diminish in size.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Slowly, the ellipse of light ahead grew. I kept myself from being hypnotized by watching and keeping track of the numbers along the side walls marking the distance from the end. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 0958, thirty-four minutes after we had entered the tunnel, we came to its eastern end. Of the long tunnels we have been through, this was by far the easiest; it was easier than the 4820-metre Balesmes and easier than the 2302-metre Mont-de-Billy.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Just over a kilometre along from the exit is the first lock, Écluse Escommes, where we were met by l’éclusier, who had prepared the lock for us. He told us there were three hotel barges on their way up that we should meet by early afternoon. Only one was continuing past Vandenesse-en-Auxois, and after the fourth lock we met it.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">L’Impressionniste shuttles between Fleurey-sur-Ouche and Escommes on week-long luxury cruises, Sunday to Saturday and then reversing the itinerary with new clients the following week. We slid past each other and continued along.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Through four more locks past beautiful scenery, we arrived in Vandenesse-en-Auxois at 1130, where l’éclusier told us to stop and wait for the locks to reopen at 1300 after lunch. The second hotel barge was approaching from downstream and les éclusiers would be busy handling it.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">About half an hour after we had moored in the small basin in Vandenesse, hotel barge Wine & Water arrived and began to wear around in the basin beside us. She was completing her Dijon to Vandenesse itinerary and would disembark her clients here the following morning.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">On Sunday she would embark new clients for the six-day itinerary back to Dijon. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1250 we slipped to arrive at the next lock as it reopened after the lunch break. On the way we passed Wine & Water, which by this time had stabilized alongside at the end of the basin. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Around the bend as we approached the lock, we had the beginning of a long series of views of Châteauneuf-en-Auxois on the hill above the canal.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were followed into the lock by a strange-looking vessel that was handled even more strangely than it looked. The skipper seemed to have given-up using the engine and rudder and resorted to excessive and ineffective use of the bow thruster. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUpSDrjOpQtuJ1uttmDt3AeNxw0FEkhFRizojaXIdbZXhVuqgSYSp93IkIIKrXzCcr0e9g2mxoBp3y7VrrgDf1ZH7FDqApEou5ZdBJTioDX2U_Nh2US3y_kDcTnMylf03s2R2s3_ZQrw/s1600/ToDijon-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUpSDrjOpQtuJ1uttmDt3AeNxw0FEkhFRizojaXIdbZXhVuqgSYSp93IkIIKrXzCcr0e9g2mxoBp3y7VrrgDf1ZH7FDqApEou5ZdBJTioDX2U_Nh2US3y_kDcTnMylf03s2R2s3_ZQrw/s1600/ToDijon-30.jpg" height="392" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">He then relied on the four crew then manhandling the boat into the chamber.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0Ifg-vKPqCdN7ltikAvDmoW0iJRQ7dYON2Yl_rDpdf8fjJFfnUG9lg1E7rwewHlha3Eo-arseDyewuMc5HaJsl3EB4ig1lWC7BWpLOE0vKzBqH2U7oVswVBtiIhJEap-vzzIzAKVnF0/s1600/ToDijon-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0Ifg-vKPqCdN7ltikAvDmoW0iJRQ7dYON2Yl_rDpdf8fjJFfnUG9lg1E7rwewHlha3Eo-arseDyewuMc5HaJsl3EB4ig1lWC7BWpLOE0vKzBqH2U7oVswVBtiIhJEap-vzzIzAKVnF0/s1600/ToDijon-31.jpg" height="416" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">At the first lock we thought he had simply blown the approach, but when he repeated the same incompetence at the next lock and the one after that, we realized we were in for a very slow passage. In the beginning l’éclusier assisted with the manhandling, but after a couple of locks, rolled his eyes and gave-up.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2Ep7tKy_ajL96GtCMCioYmwOuGPyAgmuXkA1k9EnEvexcmX-mz-cGlLGIlJzlf_jKiEWJXIxP8E1qf_9z8-mXuR9Rs_sI7b6GEQYH6AlBvkMTSjPYZh3aKtu8oURVD6IY90-eTWdmas/s1600/ToDijon-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2Ep7tKy_ajL96GtCMCioYmwOuGPyAgmuXkA1k9EnEvexcmX-mz-cGlLGIlJzlf_jKiEWJXIxP8E1qf_9z8-mXuR9Rs_sI7b6GEQYH6AlBvkMTSjPYZh3aKtu8oURVD6IY90-eTWdmas/s1600/ToDijon-32.jpg" height="384" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">We were delayed fifteen to twenty minutes per lock and we thought of stopping for the day to let the boat continue its bumbling on its own, but with the crumbling canal banks with generally foul bottom alongside, there were no suitable places to moor. We resigned ourselves to watching the passing scenery.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLC2hJq_NfqOtopMhCGRux9qnODdKCZ1UjylJA_5kYVJKR0MeNyffF3qNy_wftkbiGoqym8xX_ZrsIHdpWmA_Pq2G710Dq8lzUmmZDP-dGoxHh0lUvTBzQ1M8zd70KkeqYoR3JriZqcJc/s1600/ToDijon-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLC2hJq_NfqOtopMhCGRux9qnODdKCZ1UjylJA_5kYVJKR0MeNyffF3qNy_wftkbiGoqym8xX_ZrsIHdpWmA_Pq2G710Dq8lzUmmZDP-dGoxHh0lUvTBzQ1M8zd70KkeqYoR3JriZqcJc/s1600/ToDijon-33.jpg" height="432" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">A couple of locks along we met the third hotel barge, Prospérité and we waited as it cleared the chamber and then the bridge hole.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi818HnRJkVwGJVPCFsM7wq_iXvD7gHNuyaQqBUDcKolocq9tbJ07aezimnHCkbyQ4F-5BKxVc9XD942mSiNJZ0nvFn7yWpQS3ENBJO0R_9tL66OwiTrvaGPBDK7wp7j2SoEVcJREBwC40/s1600/ToDijon-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi818HnRJkVwGJVPCFsM7wq_iXvD7gHNuyaQqBUDcKolocq9tbJ07aezimnHCkbyQ4F-5BKxVc9XD942mSiNJZ0nvFn7yWpQS3ENBJO0R_9tL66OwiTrvaGPBDK7wp7j2SoEVcJREBwC40/s1600/ToDijon-34.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">The lock keepers along this stretch operate several locks and travel between them on motor scooters. After they have finished with the gates and sluices of the previous lock, they often passed us before we got to the next lock.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkKGnQsOEyggX64O03CrTtkGBuUQGwZ10weC3lY0WxEsdv8aV-gRrcHxJQyJFucMUPc2Bxr5JB6kY1zGRoA-qMVbA3SdUAPJHg5U-7iBxyqhnmho_cmqOLv3MX7AmBbULy7To3VFveDk/s1600/ToDijon-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkKGnQsOEyggX64O03CrTtkGBuUQGwZ10weC3lY0WxEsdv8aV-gRrcHxJQyJFucMUPc2Bxr5JB6kY1zGRoA-qMVbA3SdUAPJHg5U-7iBxyqhnmho_cmqOLv3MX7AmBbULy7To3VFveDk/s1600/ToDijon-35.jpg" height="466" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">To control the water levels in the pounds, the lock keepers often leave sluices in the locks opened a crack to bleed water downstream through a series of locks. We arrived at one lock to find the downstream sluice had apparently been left a bit too widely opened and the chamber had partly drained. L’éclusier was still refilling it as we arrived.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCX8TJSzYEijqVG9g1aMnBaq-wsIsOSu1Ych-SlZxK0UeV8CtX-BJ-5gS8G6m0ZYFazocIpuZv9iAS29yHPqZTAUhbeQwXUMHmVL7D2hJMB5icq4GXpeWTO5hlE10yZ3nFccLvzQFDwE/s1600/ToDijon-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCX8TJSzYEijqVG9g1aMnBaq-wsIsOSu1Ych-SlZxK0UeV8CtX-BJ-5gS8G6m0ZYFazocIpuZv9iAS29yHPqZTAUhbeQwXUMHmVL7D2hJMB5icq4GXpeWTO5hlE10yZ3nFccLvzQFDwE/s1600/ToDijon-36.jpg" height="640" width="592" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">We had intended stopping for the day in Pont d’Ouche. L’éclusier told us it was very crowded with permanently moored boats, itinerant hotel barges and visiting cruisers. She phoned the port to see if there was space for us and was told there was none. Fortunately, there was space for the smaller boat that had been delaying us in the locks through the afternoon, so we decided to continue along through three more locks before stopping for the night. We told l’éclusier that the following morning we would be at the next lock when it reopened, ensuring we wouldn’t have to share chambers with the bumbling boat. At 1750 we secured in the village of Veuvey-sur-Ouche. The water along the quai was rather shallow and rubble-strewn, so we held ourselves off a metre with our spud pole and boarding plank. We had come 21.8 kilometres and through twenty-two locks, eleven of them with frustrating company.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMc7wD8r_UDJRkrTvBqBvZWlJHq8U-7TEHcvhLkTYwbc3AF27-4jHADkCuLFgn9MtblkOJ61bx6xNuV4RG2vpEOgnC5ISnLX_ohlHoOtPnJ-XI_2DgFVorCc4Q1m1ST0meZIaronYZfcU/s1600/ToDijon-37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMc7wD8r_UDJRkrTvBqBvZWlJHq8U-7TEHcvhLkTYwbc3AF27-4jHADkCuLFgn9MtblkOJ61bx6xNuV4RG2vpEOgnC5ISnLX_ohlHoOtPnJ-XI_2DgFVorCc4Q1m1ST0meZIaronYZfcU/s1600/ToDijon-37.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">There is no bakery in the tiny village and we had no croissants, so we slipped without breakfast. Just beyond the bridge we passed a new quai that appears to have good depth alongside, though no mooring rings or bollards. It is too new to be in the guide, and would have been a better place to have spent the night.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJnRwSLiuQs66EfqhyphenhyphenN7U7-tunJb8ZsvXfpiWKk0Tq_-VAqKdU8aC4DYlb_nljpOBFAMcvPaLlgEKCS_Wn2A2qxsTR9OIWzhnDJDjVe8GaQ3eJslFVy7V5fXx-iexWtBUPD2ksZczxFg/s1600/ToDijon-38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJnRwSLiuQs66EfqhyphenhyphenN7U7-tunJb8ZsvXfpiWKk0Tq_-VAqKdU8aC4DYlb_nljpOBFAMcvPaLlgEKCS_Wn2A2qxsTR9OIWzhnDJDjVe8GaQ3eJslFVy7V5fXx-iexWtBUPD2ksZczxFg/s1600/ToDijon-38.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">At the first lock l’éclusier replied to my query with information about a bakery a hundred metres from Écluse la Bussière, three kilometres and four locks along. While Zonder Zorg was lowered in the chamber, I walked into town, made my purchase and made it back in time to assist with opening the gates. By the time we had arrived in the next lock half a kilometre along, Edi had prepared ham and cheese croissants and had pulled fresh cups of espresso.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As we rounded a bend a few locks further down the canal we saw three barges. At first I thought we were meeting a parade, but soon saw they were all moored.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNDje5smVq7Dx922Mo7MQfy-fVoT3wt2UI6U03zhPdtok7zMCLPghm5Ev8zELab-na7ZeSIULC6WcDiAZXx0lYEJCH2MRdGQ_59HC4KmmDcQZON70BY5_jsRSkpHpFNEFzPFpc2hY1_0/s1600/ToDijon-40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNDje5smVq7Dx922Mo7MQfy-fVoT3wt2UI6U03zhPdtok7zMCLPghm5Ev8zELab-na7ZeSIULC6WcDiAZXx0lYEJCH2MRdGQ_59HC4KmmDcQZON70BY5_jsRSkpHpFNEFzPFpc2hY1_0/s1600/ToDijon-40.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">The first appears to be a long-abandoned dream of converting an old péniche into a hotel barge. As we passed, we could see that work on the project had long since ceased. This was likely when the owner grew aware of how huge the conversion task was, both in time and expense. There are many broken dreams like this moored along the canals.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmX-WJ6lacfv5p3CEBFRhm87VHawYE1hqkTEqazh3i_ZBxeGJab1n920_sgXU3YzBiKkHQZPzjKrnRQbh_SWekEspO6A-YkpuT97dzzsV-CN3gMyzDTnsXc4gXq1lYUAuvY7sYc_yDiy0/s1600/ToDijon-41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmX-WJ6lacfv5p3CEBFRhm87VHawYE1hqkTEqazh3i_ZBxeGJab1n920_sgXU3YzBiKkHQZPzjKrnRQbh_SWekEspO6A-YkpuT97dzzsV-CN3gMyzDTnsXc4gXq1lYUAuvY7sYc_yDiy0/s1600/ToDijon-41.jpg" height="402" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">The next barge in the line-up appears to have completed its conversion, but apparently has no business. Vaillant is not listed among the more than fifty active hotel barges in France, so either it is new or simply has failed in its marketing.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The third barge in the line-up appeared to be another incomplete conversion project that has run out of energy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uy3YP4lyfLLLwKT8l2QkcRInXFtpGzDhRYIhx3jJXr2k6e82XOVCemCBmRCxkEo8iKdoB9tXMAVAqjhdNrDLI2jUm_Gy4Jgc_-rj5DmSsCb50dMm_ixGcd_lSN-wLaGUIBE48Jmr5zs/s1600/ToDijon-43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uy3YP4lyfLLLwKT8l2QkcRInXFtpGzDhRYIhx3jJXr2k6e82XOVCemCBmRCxkEo8iKdoB9tXMAVAqjhdNrDLI2jUm_Gy4Jgc_-rj5DmSsCb50dMm_ixGcd_lSN-wLaGUIBE48Jmr5zs/s1600/ToDijon-43.jpg" height="442" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Shortly before noon we arrived at a lock filled with a luxemotor, so we moored on the bank to wait. We recognized L’Escapade as she began rising in the chamber and chatted with David and Evey as they locked through. We had moored next to them in May in Sérignac-sur-Garonne and in July in Carcassonne.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Even though it was striking noon, l’éclusier invited us into the lock and worked us down a few minutes into her lunch break. She then told us we could wait in the next lock during lunch. Just above the lock were two boats, including Xenia, and as we were waiting in the lock, Charles came over and chatted. We had been sharing experiences on the DBA Facebook group for many weeks, and it was fun to finally meet face-to-face.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After l’éclusier returned from her lunch break, we continued through the lock and down the canal. We were following the valley of l’Ouche, in places rather steep-sided and desolate. A few of the lock houses were unoccupied or used only as waiting places by the roving lock keepers.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Most, though were occupied by tenants who obviously took pride in maintaining the buildings and their surroundings.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Limestone crags appeared more frequently above us as we neared the end of the ridges coming down from the back side of the Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. Just across these ridges, near the bases of their eastern slopes are such famed vineyards as Morey-St-Denis, Chambertin, Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and Corton, the home to some of the world’s greatest Pinot Noir. I fondly remembered my many years of barrel tasting and selecting wines to import. I salivated at memories of the spectacular old bottles and the exquisite cuisine the wine growers so proudly and generously shared.</span></div>
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Around a few bends we passed the junction of the road beginning its wind over the ridge toward Grvrey-Chambertin and the great Burgundy vineyards, but Zonder Zorg insisted on staying in the canal. <span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Very soon we passed under a large divided highway, which then followed closely beside the canal. Seven locks further along we stopped for the day just below the lock in Velars-sur-Ouche. It was not a pretty place, but it was along a short loop away from the noise of the highway leading into Dijon. Beside the concrete quai is a supermarket that is so new its exterior sheathing was not yet completed. During the day we had passed through twenty-three locks and had made just over twenty-seven kilometres.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the evening to celebrate my seventieth birthday I prepared dos de cabaillaud with a cumin crust served with gnocchi in a mushroom, garlic, shallot and armagnac sauce and fresh Peruvian asparagus. The bottle of Champagne Canard-Duchêne complemented superbly.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">When I had gone to the bakery for breakfast croissants, I had also bought an entremet glacé de mousse à la framboise. With a candle on its top, it made an appropriate birthday cake. We enjoyed it with some wonderful Alsatian Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Around 0845 on Sunday, as I was pulling our second cups of espresso and Edi was nearly ready to plate our pain perdu au lardons, madame l’éclusiere knocked on the hull to ask when we wished to continue through the next lock. I told her we would depart directly after breakfast and be there by 0915. We had nine locks to Dijon and the last one was a little over eight kilometres along from the first, so to make the last lock before it closed for lunch, we needed about two and a half hours.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Shortly after 0900 we slipped and were in the first lock seven minutes later. The locks were all in our favour and we moved along steadily until the ninth and final lock, where we had to wait for an up-bound boat.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At noon we were motoring past the collection of moored hotel barges on the northern rim of the D-shaped basin of Dijon. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">A semicircular island sits in the middle of a larger semicircular basin and moorage is around its periphery. The basin is within a kilometre of the medieval heart of the city.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We motored past the crowded moorage in the port. We had no reservation and we were hoping that there were still open spaces along the quai along the right bank. The previous day both David and Charles had reported there being plenty of open spaces when they were there a couple of days earlier.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were in luck. There were several open slots. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1210 we secured to solid bollards on the stone wall a couple of boat lengths short of the next lock. There are no water or electricity points on the quai, but neither are there charges for mooring. </span>We were within a hundred metres of the tram line to downtown and a block away from a large supermarket. We decided to pause for a while.</div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-83468083216961058372014-10-24T13:06:00.001-07:002014-10-24T13:12:35.174-07:00To the Summit of Canal de Bourgogne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6C0ZeAEDntZm_r1-SetYGiQnWHiIZs12Z6VaRXBiH9fOl3BsO2AZHt4U81d6bARouXeZFQjOuZFm1foIxB7rb0ZM7Te3fmaWfex0sz5s0A00ZL5wuHPeaesC88hosPd4Jst0TcckKmM/s1600/0Pouilly-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6C0ZeAEDntZm_r1-SetYGiQnWHiIZs12Z6VaRXBiH9fOl3BsO2AZHt4U81d6bARouXeZFQjOuZFm1foIxB7rb0ZM7Te3fmaWfex0sz5s0A00ZL5wuHPeaesC88hosPd4Jst0TcckKmM/s1600/0Pouilly-1.jpg" height="640" width="626" /></a></div>
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Having paused for the day in Pouillenay on Monday to celebrate our one-thousandth lock, on Tuesday, 9 September we slipped and headed up the canal to begin our second thousand. Immediately ahead of us was a quick start; there are thirty locks in the next ten kilometres. Again we were alone in the locks, so passage through them was routine, uncomplicated and rather quick. By mid-afternoon we had made 6.1 kilometres and had ascended nineteen locks to arrive in Marigny-le-Cahouët, the recommended stopping place. We secured for the day and walked into the village to the l'épicerie and boulangerie for fresh supplies to discover that Tuesday is their closing day. We walked back empty-handed.</div>
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<span class="s1">On Wednesday we slipped at 0855 and were followed into the first lock by a small sailboat owned by a French couple. We fell into a routine with the sailboat skipper closing one of the downstream gates and me opening one of the upstream ones, making the job of l’éclusier lighter and speeding our progress.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first series locks was in our favour from down-bound traffic on the previous afternoon and by noon we had made four kilometres and twelve locks to reach the end of the steep climb. As l’éclusier took his lunch break, we dawdled along toward the next lock in our first long bief in forty locks.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Ahead of us was a gentle climb through four locks in twenty kilometres before the final steep eleven lock rise to the summit of the pass. We were well above the river and the countryside had become noticeably less steep.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After the lock keeper rejoined us, we passed through the next lock and entered a narrow section. Here the trees hang far out from the banks, and in places constrict the passage to little more than a boat width. This half kilometre narrowing is a trench across a ridge to allow the canal to make its way more directly through gently undulating terrain.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After passing through two more locks we entered another narrow section. This one is 1130 metres long and is cut so deeply into the ridge that the sides needed to be reinforced with masonry walls. This cut allows the pound between locks to be over ten kilometres long.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Along the way we were challenged by a swan. With its wings raised to make it look bigger, it swam aggressively toward Zonder Zorg as we approached. Maybe it thought our leeboards were raised in challenge.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After we had passed it chased us furiously to ensure we kept going. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The long bief is rather desolate. This is confirmed by a caution sign along the towpath. It warns of a habitation.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1725, after a final steep climb we arrived at ÉclusePouilly, the 112th and final lock up to the summit. L’éclusier gave us a sheet of paper with instructions on passing through the tunnel and asked if we intended to continue in the morning. We had done twenty-six locks and nearly thirty kilometres since morning, so we told him we wanted to take a day off and would probably leave early Friday morning.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We motored into the summit pound and took a mooring on the stone quai next to an electrical and water pylon. In the evening, to celebrate our reaching the summit, I prepared dos de cabaillaud with sautéed mushrooms, potatoes rissolé and steamed green beans and we enjoyed it with a bottle of Crémant d’Alsace.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-64814317079068895842014-10-22T00:22:00.001-07:002014-10-22T00:30:23.902-07:00Continuing Up the Bourgogne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2Km_dEC4IO7YrmnjXoQiAOp3iEPNKztKDlnfmF7671MptJaCZyGWLxMXi1nK1qsWebyaTHM8hxIk5de17VhpK67yvQGpdMXx3bt6fRIulvut2neB7WRlncxcAT4n0961oTe46-jf_yc/s1600/0Pouillenay-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2Km_dEC4IO7YrmnjXoQiAOp3iEPNKztKDlnfmF7671MptJaCZyGWLxMXi1nK1qsWebyaTHM8hxIk5de17VhpK67yvQGpdMXx3bt6fRIulvut2neB7WRlncxcAT4n0961oTe46-jf_yc/s1600/0Pouillenay-1.jpg" height="472" width="640" /></a></div>
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At 1240 on Wednesday, 4 September we slipped from our moorings in Tanlay and continued up le canal de Bourgogne, timing our departure to have us at the next lock as it reopened after lunch. A couple of locks along we had to wait for the arrival of l’éclusier to prepare it for us. As we waited, we wandered up to the lock to see it full of grass clippings. We continue to be amazed that the only apparent maintenance along the canals is the grass cutting, which dumps clippings into the canals to clog the gates and sluices and the cooling water intakes of the boats.</div>
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<span class="s1">At Écluse d’Argentenay we asked l’éclusier about nice mooring recommendations in the next few kilometres. He told us there was little to choose from; the moorage four kilometres along at Lézines is close to a railway bridge and noisy. Ten kilometres further is a quiet stop at Ancy-le-Franc. We decided to head there.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Shortly after 1800 we moored with the spud pole and a pin pounded into the grassy bank. The local ducks came over to guard our mooring line as we relaxed with a bottle of rosé to revive us from the day’s twenty-one kilometres and eight locks.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We plugged into the electrical pylon and filled our tanks with water, but nobody came to collect moorage fees, and we could see no port office nor any indication of where one might be. The ducks settled-in with their guard duty.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">On Thursday morning we worked our way through seven locks on our own to Cry-sur-Armançon before we picked-up another boat to accompany us in the chambers. Fortunately, it was a private boat, and the owners were experienced, so we moved through the locks efficiently. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We wound along through very pleasant rural settings with a scattering of small villages. Most of these are many centuries older than the canal and had been built along the course of the Armançon River. The canal followed beside its course when it was built in the 1820s and 30s. After a total of twenty-nine kilometres and sixteen locks, in the late afternoon we moored in Montbard.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Our moorage was in the centre of the town, across from some huge metal fabricating plants. It is difficult to find a place in the town that is not close to a metals plant, since there are nine large metallurgical companies here. From the canal, their grimy and bleak façades hide vast building complexes that are best seen from space.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Fortunately, there are also some other sights, such as the Parc Buffon around the remnants of a tenth century château, once the property of the Dukes of Burgundy, on the hill above the centre of town. In 1733 the king authorized the young Georges-Louis Leclerc, naturalist and future Count Buffon to be the custodian of Château de Montbard and for the next two decades Buffon systematically demolished most of the château to make terraces and gardens for his exotic trees and plants. Buffon became a world renowned naturalist, mathematician, biologist, cosmologist, philosopher and writer. He is equally famous as a pioneering metallurgist and built a state-of-the-art industrial forge in the nearby village of Buffon, where he conducted experiments.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After a three-day pause to relax and replenish our fresh supplies, on Sunday morning we continued up the canal, arriving at the next lock as it opened at 0900.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Unhampered by any other boat traffic in either direction, we moved along through placid waters in the early slanting sun.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The countryside was becoming more hilly as we moved up the valley. Charolais cattle grazed in the sloping pastures, which were occasionally punctuated with ancient farm buildings and tiny villages.</span></div>
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Some of the lock houses, like this one at Écluse Venarey were unoccupied and rather forlorn looking.<br />
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<span class="s1">After nine locks and just short of fourteen kilometres, we decided to stop for the day in Venarey-les-Laumes. In a basin off the canal is a Nichols rental base and we were pleased to see so many boats in port, leaving that many fewer out there to endanger us. We moored along the canal bank, plugged into the shore power and topped off our water tanks. Through the remainder of the day and into the following morning when we left, we could find nobody who was interested in being paid for the moorage and services, nor anyone who knew who might be.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We had moored astern a hotel barge, which was facing up canal. On Sunday afternoon it appeared to be storing ship in preparation for departure the next morning. I had walked over and asked the skipper his intentions and was relieved to hear they were heading back downstream at 0830 Monday. We watched as the barge slipped and wore around in the turning hole.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As they were maneuvering, we prepared to continue up canal.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Shortly after they had passed, at 0850 we slipped and headed toward the next lock. We were about to begin a steep ascent with forty locks in twenty-four kilometres. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Fortunately we were on our own again in the locks, and the passages all went smoothly and quickly.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Shortly before noon, after only 4.6 kilometres we arrived at Écluse Pont de Pouillenay, our tenth lock of the day. It was also our one-thousandth lock in Zonder Zorg. In just short of two years since we left Aalsmeer, Noord Holland on our maiden voyage, we had been through one thousand locks.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">There is a good mooring basin just above Écluse Pont de Pouillenay, which is a standard stopping place before the next steep series of locks and we had decided to stop there for the day. The guide shows an épicerie and a boulangerie in the village of Pouillenay the better part of a kilometre east of the canal. We waited aboard giving the shops ample time to reopen after the noon break and then walked across the bridge overlooking the lock and continued into town.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We arrived at the épicerie to see signs in its window indicating Fermature Hebodomadaire le Lundi, its weekly closing day is Monday. We wandered the tiny hamlet looking for the bakery and finally found a man who directed us back to l’épicerie, saying it was the only retail business remaining in the village; it does everything. We walked back to Zonder Zorg empty-handed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the late afternoon we began taking on a list to port. After a quick check of the bilges, I realized we were aground; the water level in the pound had quickly receded and was nearly forty centimetres down by the time we noticed it. Our starboard side was on the sloping bottom.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I phoned the VNF office to report the water level problem and then we set about getting Zonder Zorg off the bottom and away from the sloping bank. We loosened the mooring lines and I gave the bow thruster a long kick to port. The bow slowly swung out away from the bank. When it was a good metre off, I dropped the spud pole. We rocked the barge and slowly pushed the stern off the crud and away from the bank. Once we were in deeper water, we held the stern off with the gang plank tensioned against a line to a bollard. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">With the excitement of a spontaneous grounding over, we relaxed. In the evening to celebrate our thousandth lock, I prepared scallops sautéed in Normandy butter with diced shallots, garlic and red peppers with a liberal splash of Bas Armagnac served on a bed of saffron basmati rice. The Wolfenberg Crémant d'Alsace complemented the meal splendidly and the full moon added to the occasion. We were looking forward to our next thousand.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-9244880092841753992014-10-18T15:19:00.001-07:002014-10-18T15:19:07.105-07:00Château de Tanlay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a relaxing pause in Tonnerre, on Tuesday, 3 September we continued up le canal de Bourgogne. Eight kilometres along we came to Écluse Tanlay, our sixth lock of the day. A couple hundred metres beyond the lock we moored and walked through the town of Tanlay to visit its famous château.</div>
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<span class="s1">We arrived at the gate to see a sign indicating that the grounds and the château are closed on Tuesdays. We have adopted a new meaning of the expression WTF: What the France? We decided to remain in the mooring overnight and try again on Wednesday.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After a sleep-in and a leisurely breakfast, mid-morning we again walked across the bridge and through the town to the gates. This time they were open.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Château de Tanlay was commenced in 1550 on the foundations of a thirteenth century château-fort. During the Wars of Religion, Tanlay became a centre of Huguenot resistance and the construction project slowed. It was finally completed in 1649. In 1704 the property was acquired by the Thévenin family and still remains in their hands. It sits in vast lands on the northern edge of the town. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Inside the outer gate is a large courtyard. Off to the right is an arched gateway leading into a large quadrangle 65 by 85 metres in size.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The buildings that form the quadrangle are the former stables and workers’ quarters.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">These all appear well-maintained and several of the larger rooms are now used as art galleries for visiting exhibits. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">After a look around the stables quadrangle we headed back out into the courtyard and headed through the stone arch of “le petit château”. On approaching the château grounds from the town it is easy to assume that this building is Château de Tanlay. What in many other settings would be considered a large three storey chateau is only the triumphal arch leading to the inner courtyard.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Through the arch we caught our first look at Château de Tanlay.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It is a wondrous mix of architectural styles and elements that the designer, Pierre Le Muet managed to blend into a harmonious whole.</span></div>
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We walked across the broad inner courtyard to the high stone wall on its far side. Through an arch lie the gardens.<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Looking back past one of the corner towers of the main château we could see “le petit château” and it was easy to see why it is so often confused for the real château by those peering through the bars of the locked gates on Tuesdays. If I hadn’t researched beforehand, we wouldn’t have waited overnight.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The main structure of Château de Tanlay is set in a broad rectilinear moat and access to it is across a bridge.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We headed to the bridge over the moat and walked up to the entrance booth. It was closed for lunch; it was 1135 and the sign said the next visit will commence at 1415.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As we walked back across the moat bridge, which is flanked by a pair of intricately carved obelisks, we muttered another WTF. Having spent more than two thousand days cumulatively in France since my first visit in 1966, I am still trying to comprehend its mysterious opening and closing rituals.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-20221835564991801162014-10-13T18:29:00.001-07:002014-10-13T19:09:07.140-07:00Starting Up the Canal de Bourgogne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Thursday afternoon, 28 August we had entered le canal de Bourgogne, passed through the first lock and had stopped for the night in Migennes. Ahead of us were another 188 locks and 242 kilometres back to le Saône.</div>
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<span class="s1">After a relaxing breakfast on Friday morning, we headed up canal. We were delighted to see so many rental boats in the LeBoat base as we left Migennes and even more thrilled to see a full house at the Nichols base in Brienon two locks further along. This meant that there would be few bangy boats endangering us along the way.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The lock houses along this section of the canal are small, but very attractively designed and many of them are well-maintained and decorated by their occupants. We got into a relaxed routine passing through the locks, tossing our lines up to loop the bollards, stopping beside the ladder so I could climb up to help close the gates, then help opening the gates before motoring out toward the next lock.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were looking forward to some pleasant locks on our own, but when we arrived at the next lock, l’éclusier told us we had to wait for another up-bound boat. After a few minutes, a rental boat came zigzagging toward the lock.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The skipper continued to oversteer all the way into the chamber, managing to hit both corners on the way by. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We resigned ourselves to an extra five to ten minutes per lock as our new companions bumbled in, fumbled with their lines and then scraped their way out of the chamber. Waiting for them caused us to be too late to make Écluse St-Florenitn before the lunch break. We had planned on stopping for the day in St-Florentin, but the moorage is through the lock and we had to wait an hour for l’éclusier to return from the noon break. We locked through and at 1320 stopped beneath some large trees just upstream of the lock.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We heard what we thought was a stone hitting the boat and looked around to find the responsible kids. There was another thunk on the deck, but no stone throwers were in sight. Then we saw a walnut bounce off the roef and onto the side deck. We were sitting beneath walnut trees with a heavy, mature load. We grabbed the boathook and assisted the nut fall.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">On the hilltop of St-Florentin sits a beautiful gothic church, which was begun in 1500. On its doors are signs indicating that a door key is available in l’office de tourisme.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Saturday morning we got the key, let ourselves in and as instructed, locked the door behind us. We were the only people in the church and we wandered in awe of the spectacular interior. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Église St-Florentin is famous for its many stained glass windows of the Troyenne school, which was reaching its high point as the church was being completed. Very few intact examples remain outside this church.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Troyenne school is notable for its use of bright reds, rich blues, emerald greens and silvery yellows. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">It also used subtle grey tones to add shadows and dimension to bodies, clothing and objects. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The organ dates to 1620. It has been restored and is still in use with its cabinet and many of the pipes original.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">For over an hour we were totally alone and undisturbed as we absorbed the beauty of the church interior. We then locked-up, returned the key to the tourist office and went shopping for fresh provisions in the Saturday morning street market. We arrived back at Zonder Zorg shortly before noon and harvested more walnuts while the locks closed for the lunch hour.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1240 we slipped and continued up canal, timing our departure to have us at the next lock as it reopened. Écluse St-Germigny is a former double lock reworked to a single one over five metres high. Fortunately, l’éclusier was on the chamber top to take our lines; it would be nearly impossible to loop lines around unseen bollards from Zonder Zorg’s low decks.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Among the things we have noticed with canal de Bourgogne is that there are very few waiting facilities at the locks. The banks are usually very shallow and rubble-strewn. There is seldom a safe place to moor to await the preparation of a lock. Fortunately, Zonder Zorg has a spud pole, which allows us to be very creative in mooring and in waiting for locks. We’ll often drop the spud and grab overhanging branches to stabilize the stern.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Where there are no branches, a pole lashed to the aft gunwale and jabbed into the bank will keep the stern off the crud. Here, a bollard is nearly all that remains of a collapsed wall and the pole keeps our stern off the rubble with a line holding us in while we anticipate a huge wake to be set-up by a down-bound rental boat. We have no idea why they all seem to want to get up to hull speed immediately out of the lock.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">While we were waiting for a down-bound boat to lock through, a zigzagging rental caught up to us. It was the same one we had shared locks with the previous day. After slowing us again for a few locks with their incompetence, while exiting Écluse Flogny they appear to have collided with two down-bound boats that were waiting to enter the lock. We didn’t see the collision happen; we just heard the loud crashes and turned to see the jumble of the aftermath. With the lock keeper close at hand there was no need to call authorities, with the shallow water a holed boat wouldn’t sink very much and even the injured could step ashore. We decided there was nothing we could offer that wouldn’t add to the confusion, so we continued along under the Flogny-la-Chapelle bridge. We had the remaining five locks of the day to ourselves.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the late afternoon, after twelve locks and twenty-five kilometres, we secured to bollards in the basin in Tonnerre.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Tonnerre is on the Armaçnon River and was established at a crossroads: north-south between Auxerre and Troyes and east-west between Dijon and Paris. The settlement was enhanced by the Romans and called Tornodurum. The following morning we headed into the centre of town, about a kilometre south of the canal across bridges over two branches of the river and the railway tracks. The focal point of the old town is the imposing structure of l'Hôtel Dieu de Tonnerre, the largest civil monument in the Burgundy.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Construction on the charitable hospital began in 1293 and in 1295 the first patients were admitted. La Grande Salle des Pauvres housed the poor in forty wooden cubicles along its walls, and at 96 metres it is the longest medieval hospital in Europe. Its immense roof is supported by massive curved wooden arches. For several centuries the building served as a model for architects and in 1443 the famous Hospices de Beaune was based on its design. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The hospital was built by Marguerite de Bourgogne, Countess of Tonnerre and Queen of Sicily, Naples and Jerusalem. She was the widow of Charles of Anjou who was the brother of the King of France, Saint Louis. Besides donating the hospital, she became a servant of the poor, nursing invalids and comforting the dying and she was broadly respected and admired. Her original tomb was destroyed during the Revolution, along with other vestiges of royalty and the revolutionaries used the building to store hay and straw. In 1826 a fine white marble replacement of Queen Marguerite's tomb was erected. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Fortunately, the fifteenth century sculpture of the entombment of Christ was not destroyed. This magnificent piece is considered one of the most beautiful and best preserved representatives of mid-millennium Burgundian art.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Carved into the floor stones and spanning the width of the great hall is a set of meridian lines. The light of the sun projected through a pinhole in the south wall falls on the meridian line at noon. There are also indications of 1145 and 1215, and the instrument is a very precise measure of time.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The position of the spot of light along the ellipses across the floor, which represent the sun’s progression along its ecliptic, indicates the day of the year.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In display rooms at the western end of the building is a wonderful scale model of the roof structure. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The model is about four metres long and is set on trestles to allow close examination not only of the exterior, but also of the interior. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We did an extended examination of displays that include Queen Marguerite’s favourite ring, the golden cross she wore around her neck containing a piece of wood from Christ’s crucifixion cross, the original 1293 charter for the hospital and her last will and testament.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It was late morning by the time we had left the hospice and headed along narrow, winding streets toward l’église Saint-Pierre perched on a rock high above the medieval centre of the town. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Along the way we came to la Fosse Dionne. This circular basin is fed by a spring in the hillside behind it and once served as a public wash place. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We climbed a steep trail with winding stone stairs leading to the church and were soon well above the rooftops. We had a splendid view across town to the huge roof of l’Hospice de Tonnerre.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We arrived at the church at the top of the hill to find it closed. Parts of the church date to the ninth century, but the literature reports that it has undergone many modifications and restorations over the centuries. We wound our way down the hill, through a park and along the streets back to Zonder Zorg. Our minds and souls were so filled with images and information that we decided to take the remainder of the day off.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-68479055755304407322014-10-01T04:35:00.000-07:002014-10-01T04:35:05.209-07:00To the Canal de Bourgogne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5uNVWsG7RHQZlTuMF9Qk80GcmanCJaMB9QfnignMxswXTXzY7nK2T9hAdiTasofVNbwaNmWhOIVogRWyvHc46YqjRdEN-giaCVohWtk1sfnsTzMQDakRezh2oip-CHed8KAcYSMSjDxi/s1600/Aux-Burg-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5uNVWsG7RHQZlTuMF9Qk80GcmanCJaMB9QfnignMxswXTXzY7nK2T9hAdiTasofVNbwaNmWhOIVogRWyvHc46YqjRdEN-giaCVohWtk1sfnsTzMQDakRezh2oip-CHed8KAcYSMSjDxi/s1600/Aux-Burg-1.jpg" height="520" width="640" /></a></div>
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We had arrived in Auxerre on Thursday, 28 August after a two-week transit of Canal du Nivernais. We moored to iron rings on the stone wall beneath Cathédrale Saint-Étienne in the historic heart of the city and relaxed.</div>
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<span class="s1">On Friday we went exploring the old city. Off our stern was Place Saint-Nicolas with a large statue of the patron saint of mariners set into the wall of a fine old building that once housed Yonne boatmen. We paid our respects and continued up the hill to the cathedral.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A Christian church has stood in this site on the crest of the slopes above the Yonne River since St-Pelerin built a basilica here at the end of the third century. Around the year 400 the basilica was replaced by a cathedral, which lasted 500 years until it was destroyed by fire. The replacement lasted only until 950, when it also was destroyed in a fire. The cathedral was again reconstructed, only to be destroyed by the great fire of Auxerre in 1023. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">A new Romanesque cathedral was immediately begun and completed in 1059. In 1215 construction began on the current gothic cathedral, replacing the Romanesque structure gradually. By 1478 the vaults of the nave were completed and all that remained of the former buildings were the crypts.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">From the cathedral we wound through a maze of streets and arrived at la Tour de l’Horloge, one of the old city gates dating to the fifteenth century. In its base are vestiges of third and fourth century Roman structures.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We walked through the old gate and into Place des Cordeliers, the fashionable shopping street.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">On Saturday morning, suitably rested and with our larders fully restocked from the nearby supermarket, we slipped and headed down the Yonne and into the first lock.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">From Auxerre navigation is along the Yonne River, which flows another 108 kilometres to its junction with la Seine. It was a clear, calm day as we made our way downstream. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were following the river for only twenty-three kilometres of this, heading to the junction of le canal de Bourgogne. There are nine locks along this course and we soon came to one with a vertical wall and a sloping one. I chose to secure on the vertical side, but as the basin began to drain and we handled the lines, we watched floats on the other side gently slide down rails on the slope. I made a note to myself to select the floats the next time we came to a similar lock.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We continued down the river through mostly very pretty scenery. We did come to another slope-sided lock and used one of its convenient floats.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Approaching the bridge hole leading into Derivation de Gurgy, we saw an up-bound that appeared to be ignoring our down-bound priority. Not only were we the priority vessel, but we were also closer to the narrow passage. I sounded five short blasts on Zonder Zorg’s air horn: “You are standing into danger” or “I don’t understand your intentions”. Whether the skipper of the boat understood the meaning of the signal or was just cowered by the authoritative, deep toots, he immediately took action, slowed and veered toward the bank.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1530 we arrived at the junction and turned to starboard into the basin below the first lock of le canal de Bourgogne. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We waited for down-bound boats to clear the lock and then we started up the first of 115 locks toward the summit. At 1610 we secured in the basin in Migennes and called it quits for the day. Ahead of us were another 188 locks and 242 kilometres back to le Saône. We reflected that in the Netherlands there are only 186 locks in its 6000 kilometres of canals.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-33035445769135845832014-09-30T02:27:00.002-07:002014-09-30T02:28:51.804-07:00Down the Nivernais to Auxerre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh7sEv4NCpry4lf_dLwx4yOzzGj04ZmlzqWQXBaSMTZFXJektBqL9Sb0RI_Kff9IMgL3jWzoXIRT91mBINRYPyHSJLxRJJA2COz55WS50v27O15x89loGwz_RsCYXcO8FeWhzHzbgJdL4/s1600/Auxerre-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh7sEv4NCpry4lf_dLwx4yOzzGj04ZmlzqWQXBaSMTZFXJektBqL9Sb0RI_Kff9IMgL3jWzoXIRT91mBINRYPyHSJLxRJJA2COz55WS50v27O15x89loGwz_RsCYXcO8FeWhzHzbgJdL4/s1600/Auxerre-1.jpg" height="510" width="640" /></a></div>
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On Tuesday, 19 August we had crossed the deep trench and three tunnels of the summit pound of Canal du Nivernais and arrived at the beginning of a steep descent. Ahead of us were eleven locks in the next two kilometres before the slope began to ease.</div>
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<span class="s1">At the first lock we were received by a young couple that obviously had the hots for each other. As they efficiently worked the gates and sluices, their body language was a mutual seduction and we watched in fascination as they shared a telepathic foreplay.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">They opened the gates for us and indicated they would see us at the next lock. The romancing continued through the next two locks. Not only did they give excellent service, but they were also a joy to watch. We left them warmed by memories of our own unfettered youth.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We continued down the series of locks with a new éclusier, who was very efficient, though not anywhere near as entertaining. I assisted him by closing the second upstream gate and opening the second downstream one so he didn’t need to walk around the lock to do them. This sped the locking procedure by four or five minutes and we moved through quickly. However, because the next lock was empty, we had to wait as l’éclusier prepared it for us. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Our luck turned with the following lock; an up-bound barge was coming out as we arrived, so it and the subsequent locks would be in our favour.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We waved at Rival as she passed and we happily slipped into the prepared lock as she equally happily headed to the waiting one we had just left. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">With each lock now ready for us, we made very good time down through the series.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The lock houses along this section are rather small, but very pleasingly designed. Many are well maintained and tastefully decorated.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The residents of some have extended their maintenance and decoration to the locks, often with gate railings matching the paint scheme of the house.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We arrived at a section where the lock gates were the original style with large oak beams as operating levers. Many of these basic levers have now been replaced with rack-and-pinion, chain windlass or bell-crank lever. Operating the beam was akin to handling Zonder Zorg with the massive oak tiller. I continued to close a door behind us to assist l’éclusier and help speed our passage.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As each of the chambers drained, I climbed up onto the wall to open a downstream door, often closely supervised by passing tourists. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Closing the sluice on the door also eased the load of the lock keeper.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1455 we secured to bollards on a low wall in a basin near Sardy-les-Épiry. There are no facilities at the moorage, nor in the village a kilometre away. Although we had come only 8.3 kilometres, we had passed through three tunnels, sixteen locks and one lift bridge and it was good place to stop for the day.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Shortly before 1000 on Wednesday we slipped and continued along the canal. Though we were in the Burgundy, we were had left its Charolais region. The Charolais cattle did not seem to pay heed to the boundaries; they grazed all along the canal. This is the another of the Burgundy beef areas. Boeuf Bourgignon à la pied.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4VCcjuZtt_eHbWvplOF3ERpUenbJ3P8sgiP5YazPxPLtLHikTllTsElBzXfw1j45amh2R_WQwSLkXyVS1zB3LuP44-Iq3o8sA82dzo9oNkdTIdWtfjBG79lifDWO1zYW0NgyWiSZAJEK/s1600/Auxerre-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4VCcjuZtt_eHbWvplOF3ERpUenbJ3P8sgiP5YazPxPLtLHikTllTsElBzXfw1j45amh2R_WQwSLkXyVS1zB3LuP44-Iq3o8sA82dzo9oNkdTIdWtfjBG79lifDWO1zYW0NgyWiSZAJEK/s1600/Auxerre-15.jpg" height="624" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">A couple of locks along we were picked-up by another hot couple. Though not as hot as the couple near the canal summit, they still exuded a rather fluent erotic body language. As we locked down, an up-bound boat approached the locks, so again, we would have prepared locks ahead. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">A few locks further along we met two more up-bound boats, bringing the count to four in two days in what is one of the most popular canals in France in the middle of its high season. Besides the moving boats, we had seen only five moored boats. We wondered where everyone was.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Some of the lock houses along this section are too simple to lease out, so they have been restored to a basic waiting station for the roving lock keepers.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were greeted into one lock by a very curious dog, which watched our every move. With a pan face, it continued to monitor us as we left.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Shortly before 1400 we secured to bollards on a wood-faced quai in Citry-les-Mines. We had come another 8.8 kilometres and had passed through twelve more locks. Our fuel gauge was down to about 65 litres. When le Capitain came by, I asked about the fuel pump beside the quai. He said it was no longer in use; the next canal-side fueling facility is in Auxerre, 86 kilometres and 52 locks along. We had a little over fifteen hours of motoring remaining before we ran out of fuel, so I eagerly paid the mooring fees and plugged into the port’s shore power so we didn’t need to run the generator to top up the house bank.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Three kilometres east of the canal is the town of Corbigny, which the guide shows as having a supermarket. I asked the port captain about it and he said it is uphill both ways, across a ridge and down into the next valley. We were out of bread and our fresh supplies were near gone, so I unlocked my bike and ground up the hill. I found the supermarket on the far side of the town. Fortunately, the return hill with the loaded pannier is slightly less steep. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1040 on Thursday we slipped and continued down the canal. Just around the first bend is the first of a series of lift bridges. We secured to the short quai and I got off to crank open the span. We were fortunate to be followed by the first down-bound boat we had seen this side of the summit. After we had both passed through, they stopped to close the bridge.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first lock was not ready when we arrived and we had to wait for l’éclusier to prepare it for us.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the next pound, the water was covered with freshly cut grass, which clogged our cooling water intake. It appears that the only canal maintenance that is done is grass and weed cutting, and the clippings are dumped into the canal to foul lock gates and sluices and clog boat engines. The rotting mass that sinks to the bottom accelerates the pace of lessening the depth of the canals.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were fortunate a couple of locks later to meet an up-bound boat in the chamber, which meant the following locks should be in our favour. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We came to a pair of lift bridges in quick succession, and since the boat that had been following us had stopped, Edi got off to crank open the bridge and close it after I had passed. Instead of picking her up at the landing, I continued along while she walked the 300 metres to the next bridge.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Both these bridges have electrical winches operated by push buttons, so other than the walk, it took little effort.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">By the time she had lowered the bridge, I was waiting on the landing downstream. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We continued through locks and lift bridges and past cute little lock houses.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Along the canal banks were herds of Charolais cattle grazing and watering.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguGfkdfsuUaG5VJynJW9i7_-7xEGYfaA8grgeMGnvVqAo4ltgFDCW0cQ45hHdE_Fuk3R-K0UcUsQF1kVf_b3RJbNTMR_ID2FWQmJJTzAVlHIx-mptEOguMd0Odn_aBxhdfgSdM2oBLlXu/s1600/Auxerre-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguGfkdfsuUaG5VJynJW9i7_-7xEGYfaA8grgeMGnvVqAo4ltgFDCW0cQ45hHdE_Fuk3R-K0UcUsQF1kVf_b3RJbNTMR_ID2FWQmJJTzAVlHIx-mptEOguMd0Odn_aBxhdfgSdM2oBLlXu/s1600/Auxerre-32.jpg" height="500" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">The next lift bridge spans what appears to be an old lock. There is no landing upstream of it and the water along the banks is shallow and foul. There is no ladder in the chamber and its walls are high. This presents no problem for most boats, but for me to climb up from our very low skütsje, I need my to draw on mountaineering background. It was too much for Edi to do.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OIXxRrKmKBt9ZMEmT1t-8GAxQMCRpGLDjZF0jhKLHJU22LNhxL9CY2TaDDW3U-GwLjFeXjMx-OHQijpHsb-7eyL3ScZJD510-0TR7heqQJeHVrAPHld0reAwEf1gx_Q9TMNDhFdMMcm6/s1600/Auxerre-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OIXxRrKmKBt9ZMEmT1t-8GAxQMCRpGLDjZF0jhKLHJU22LNhxL9CY2TaDDW3U-GwLjFeXjMx-OHQijpHsb-7eyL3ScZJD510-0TR7heqQJeHVrAPHld0reAwEf1gx_Q9TMNDhFdMMcm6/s1600/Auxerre-33.jpg" height="500" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">After I opened the bridge, climbed back down to Zonder Zorg and motored her through the bridge hole, we saw the landing is across the canal from the bridge operating mechanism. We had to pick our way onto a rubble-strewn bank, drop the spud pole and land the boarding plank for Edi to get ashore to close the bridge. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODSVusMdmkcYKHjZkEWg5JKSSXA8WouDEKr298Y-0g8MN0s7U2qW0md15GxNuDdOK3YpeNrgdOATWJHfkcMFI5d1zsbXrwrpFLIgaDuW4bcs2M74i_ByTveizYEcgDk3NFTzfNfu1j8yh/s1600/Auxerre-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODSVusMdmkcYKHjZkEWg5JKSSXA8WouDEKr298Y-0g8MN0s7U2qW0md15GxNuDdOK3YpeNrgdOATWJHfkcMFI5d1zsbXrwrpFLIgaDuW4bcs2M74i_ByTveizYEcgDk3NFTzfNfu1j8yh/s1600/Auxerre-34.jpg" height="640" width="594" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">We came to our last lift bridge of the day to see it being opened for us. We thanked the man who had opened it and seeing that he remained at the crank, we continued the last 300 metres to our intended mooring for the night in Flez-Cuzy. We secured at 1615, having come 13.7 kilometres through eight locks and six lift bridges. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the small basin is a Le Boat hire base — they call it Tannay, likely because Flez-Cuzy doesn’t market well. I spotted a fuel pump on their wharf, so the next morning I walked across the bridge to the office to inquire about fueling. I was told it is for the rental boats only. Shortly past 1100 we slipped and continued down canal and were delighted to see the next series of locks ready for us.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We worked our way down past attractive lock houses, one using nothing but overgrown ivy as its decor.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eWSkUPluUkEgC6ZqAeWmJv92cSftLzFa15mj4psRYs3WclOPtjzxA-OYEyxFBavQgA5iOyQDpYET4LQEVrXuVbmnrBRJkU7GaWhH5CSS_rBZfSK2egvwUNA6YPOprIZ6BTnQwSXxlgIh/s1600/Auxerre-37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eWSkUPluUkEgC6ZqAeWmJv92cSftLzFa15mj4psRYs3WclOPtjzxA-OYEyxFBavQgA5iOyQDpYET4LQEVrXuVbmnrBRJkU7GaWhH5CSS_rBZfSK2egvwUNA6YPOprIZ6BTnQwSXxlgIh/s1600/Auxerre-37.jpg" height="528" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">We passed under many bridges and had only two that we needed to open and close.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhco7nxrs7SgDPtY2BDuNVuz9T9fhcoauTeq53DlsN365h1duOA_mJX0u-_RMnaOaUT8aVXB63fAiQHDB6_Lcg68jZqC73ecGAs9mJmxhWsLm-4wkaAvakeDh7YNIkLuumz0diC8cmkUOAb/s1600/Auxerre-38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhco7nxrs7SgDPtY2BDuNVuz9T9fhcoauTeq53DlsN365h1duOA_mJX0u-_RMnaOaUT8aVXB63fAiQHDB6_Lcg68jZqC73ecGAs9mJmxhWsLm-4wkaAvakeDh7YNIkLuumz0diC8cmkUOAb/s1600/Auxerre-38.jpg" height="328" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">A few minutes before 1700, after 18.1 kilometres and nine locks, we secured along a masonry wall at the edge of Clamecy. The last three locks were operated by a friendly éclusier. When I had asked him about fuel had said there were two supermarket filling stations about two kilometres from the moorage in Clamecy and he immediately offered to drive me to one after he finished his shift at 1900. He arrived at Zonder Zorg shortly before 1900 and we took our two gerry cans across town for filling. The forty litres took our fuel gauge from below the sight glass to about the 75 litre level. We had been down to about ten hours remaining.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRlWqFeIhxBbkaICfTZXDd4LgKriJe_MbR-g8KaXGNnzk1hU2AqMwd9vPYcq8FgRbaOKTjic2VNHR9oaPUPPedp6sfcybB43Q-pWxRcAZOFcxvwlr4MbbaSyQZ1PNhi2fX-u-ZQ825tuj/s1600/Auxerre-39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRlWqFeIhxBbkaICfTZXDd4LgKriJe_MbR-g8KaXGNnzk1hU2AqMwd9vPYcq8FgRbaOKTjic2VNHR9oaPUPPedp6sfcybB43Q-pWxRcAZOFcxvwlr4MbbaSyQZ1PNhi2fX-u-ZQ825tuj/s1600/Auxerre-39.jpg" height="640" width="462" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">With twenty hours of engine time now in the tank, we were able to relax. We spent two days in Clemacy wandering the winding, narrow streets.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRzrZKMdVMJPOyZqUR0EUHguRYeJ_BtZ0IWrovnZpVvu8cwX8z2OmGaGThuZ6ml8bVBVyGPtmfwog0CUWtYXd13p0AZ-NUIVuPvQ0ncgBJ7sFC_JxLzLzg3oQQ7tmApbiS5I5PiRVIcTS/s1600/Auxerre-40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRzrZKMdVMJPOyZqUR0EUHguRYeJ_BtZ0IWrovnZpVvu8cwX8z2OmGaGThuZ6ml8bVBVyGPtmfwog0CUWtYXd13p0AZ-NUIVuPvQ0ncgBJ7sFC_JxLzLzg3oQQ7tmApbiS5I5PiRVIcTS/s1600/Auxerre-40.jpg" height="640" width="454" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Many thirteen to sixteenth century buildings still stand on the slopes leading up to the church and the market hall and the entire area is a French protected historical sector.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLamexhl5kg7H4LJ8ol7yP4Yvoxhn_flJFivnXS_NQT-1iXGz5XnM3Qvt06CzEQSeV56advwcwPV1YE4r1UwVHOHtMA558wg4BYYkljdGCXIW7ve8mm362XWj77iauf1ABrlVq_NkxJ1xg/s1600/Auxerre-41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLamexhl5kg7H4LJ8ol7yP4Yvoxhn_flJFivnXS_NQT-1iXGz5XnM3Qvt06CzEQSeV56advwcwPV1YE4r1UwVHOHtMA558wg4BYYkljdGCXIW7ve8mm362XWj77iauf1ABrlVq_NkxJ1xg/s1600/Auxerre-41.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Église Saint Martin dominates the town from the hilltop. It dates to the thirteenth century and after years of neglect following the Revolution, it was named an historic monument in 1840 and restored. We searched in vain for attractive fresh produce in the weekly market that fills the square and streets around the church on Saturdays. Finally, we pedaled the two kilometres to the supermarket for a wonderful selection. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1000 we slipped and motored the 100 metres into the next lock, which we had arranged to have ready for us.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It was a wonderfully warm and clear Sunday morning as we headed down a section of the Yonne between locks. Sharing the water with us were a few rowers. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Along the river and canal banks were imposing old châteaux, many of them more like tiny fortified farming communities from an era when such protection was needed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Effectively there were home, farm buildings, staff quarters and stables for an extended family; a centuries-old beginning of a village.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As we worked our way down the locks, we increasingly came to rock outcrops along the canal, which here follows the course of the Yonne River, mostly beside it, but sometimes in it. As we progressed, the size of the river increased and we were into the beginnings of its meander through a limestone cap.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdxi2RJnZ8Is3ctzea9tDPCP1y6jlUzLuL1LfN7LucwJ_h0wt-CiFFJnYmOCMTFYFLDh5OyDxKrC_nnRXfTVJxiFnQMo_px4UnNf65DMjxS2lbDUk_L1qNgk7Yme8I_9TjVaD4Ss9ytB0/s1600/Auxerre-47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdxi2RJnZ8Is3ctzea9tDPCP1y6jlUzLuL1LfN7LucwJ_h0wt-CiFFJnYmOCMTFYFLDh5OyDxKrC_nnRXfTVJxiFnQMo_px4UnNf65DMjxS2lbDUk_L1qNgk7Yme8I_9TjVaD4Ss9ytB0/s1600/Auxerre-47.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">After twenty-three kilometres we passed through our thirteenth lock of the day and entered a stretch of the Yonne. This led us for two kilometres and around a sharp bend with sheer limestone cliffs soaring from the banks.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1600 we secured to a new float beneath the centre of the escarpment. Edi prepared a nibbling tray as a late lunch and we enjoyed it with a bottle of Rebmann Crémant d’Alsace. We stuffed our faces as we watched the climbers working-out routes on the faces above us.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3u2k05TlJi6XM5_YfnmIcRCjY0hyzRcn2ZGp9SYUgM1SWjD-cYYjSQ7z21vbMbkT5lS12SV6iTZib9qy-k6hEJTjUfi8dx5a2wc5X5p05c3lo5IVVCfZa1xZtGIDndW_0m_x6NKOXo3c/s1600/Auxerre-49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3u2k05TlJi6XM5_YfnmIcRCjY0hyzRcn2ZGp9SYUgM1SWjD-cYYjSQ7z21vbMbkT5lS12SV6iTZib9qy-k6hEJTjUfi8dx5a2wc5X5p05c3lo5IVVCfZa1xZtGIDndW_0m_x6NKOXo3c/s1600/Auxerre-49.jpg" height="640" width="580" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">We had a leisurely breakfast on Monday and it was nearly 1030 by the time we slipped and continued down the river. Within a kilometre and a half we were back in the canal and working our way down the locks. It was an absolutely calm day with a low overcast, which rendered wonderful reflections in the water.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1634, after 23.4 kilometres and thirteen locks, we secured to large iron rings set into a concrete wall along the banks of l’Yonne in Vincelles.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were greeted by a cat, which after an appropriate pause, hopped aboard to do a mouse inspection. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">As Edi prepared a tray for our late lunch, I headed off to the bakery for a baguette. I followed the quayside sign to the bakery and was pleased to see on its placard that its closing day is Wednesday, so I tried the door. It was locked. I again checked the sign for its afternoon hours: 16h00 à 19h00. It was 16h45. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I tried the door again and noticed a small note indicating the bakery was taking a break and would close on Monday at 13h00 and remain closed this week from Tuesday to Saturday.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I walked along to the other bakery to find the sign on its door indicating it was closed Mondays. I then walked along to where I had remembered the guidebook indicated there is a supermarket. Because it had the only bread in town, it was nearly out of stock, but I did manage to score a baguette.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In my wanderings through the small town, I spotted a BP sign in a courtyard and a sign indicating heating and motor fuel delivery. On Tuesday I went to their office to ask whether they delivered to boats. I was delighted with the positive response, and even more delighted with the quoted price; it was 4 cents lower than at the supermarkets. The office clerk said the earliest possible delivery was late afternoon on Thursday and I quickly agreed. It was barely past lunch break on Wednesday that the fuel truck rolled-up astern of Zonder Zorg.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We filled our tanks to the bottoms of their fill pipes.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1015 on Thursday, 28 August we slipped and continued downstream. From Vincelles, much of the remainder of the Canal du Nivernais is actually in the course of the Yonne, with short canals leading to and from locks bypassing the weirs.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In some places, the canal runs along beside the weir, the other side of which runs the river two or so metres below.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Shortly before 1400 we were in the 116th and final lock of Canal du Nivernais, looking at the skyline of Auxerre.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We motored past the congested marina and spotted an empty mooring space at the extreme downstream end of the left bank quai. We turned and stemmed the current back up to it and secured. We were directly below Cathédrale St-Étienne, the heart of the ancient city. In two weeks we had worked our way up 35 locks and down 81 as we navigated along 175 kilometres of spectacular river and canal scenery. We were ready for a break.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-50114815905638810742014-09-26T03:44:00.002-07:002014-09-26T03:44:46.870-07:00Canal du Nivernais<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibc-5fkDFKjbXNFhTcxs0W4aUcvU_I5rIHbfCE_9DT736uSJNPMGuihsvJD46ekOpUQe7NRAOpIdadofvx-bd_mdxTROloI07K1DEgiJTZmROrporAKOfYnMiHv_vDBEmrM6fm4wn52sIj/s1600/Nivernais-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibc-5fkDFKjbXNFhTcxs0W4aUcvU_I5rIHbfCE_9DT736uSJNPMGuihsvJD46ekOpUQe7NRAOpIdadofvx-bd_mdxTROloI07K1DEgiJTZmROrporAKOfYnMiHv_vDBEmrM6fm4wn52sIj/s1600/Nivernais-1.jpg" height="636" width="640" /></a></div>
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On Wednesday, 13 August we arrived in Decize and moored on the Loire River just upstream of the entrance to Canal du Nivernais. We had arrived in a torrential downpour as a line of thunderstorms moved through. After it had cleared in the late afternoon, we walked across the bridge and along a little over a kilometre to the supermarket to stock-up. We had a long distance to cover with very few large communities along the way.</div>
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<span class="s1">When we had arrived in Chalon-sur-Saône at the beginning of August, we were just two locks and less than ninety kilometres from our winter moorage in Auxonne. With two good months of cruising weather remaining, we had opted to wander west across Canal du Centre, then along le Loire to Decize and from there follow Canal du Nivernais and Canal du Bourgogne back to la Saône. This loop added over 800 kilometres and more than 400 locks to the 1831 kilometres and 375 locks we had done since leaving Carcassonne at the beginning of April. The Nivernais and the Bourgogne are rated as two of the prettiest canals in France and we were looking forward to them.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The unsettled weather continued with a cold, bleak day on Thursday. There was a light drizzle as we slipped at 1000 and headed to the beginning of the Nivernais. Intermittent rain showers continued, so at 1255 we decided to stop for the day on a float in the river at Cercy-la-Tour. We had passed through three locks and had come 16.9 kilometres along a rather bland section. The canal was beginning to become pretty.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">On Friday morning we awoke to dead calm with the early sun just beginning to burn through the fog. The decks were thick with dew. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Our fuel gauge was showing about 100 litres remaining in the tanks, so we had about 30 hours of motoring remaining before running dry. The next fuel facility shown in the guide is 180 kilometres and 111 locks further along the canal in Auxerre. With very careful engine use we could just make it, so as we continued along the canal we kept our eyes out for earlier possibilities.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The locks are manually operated along much of the canal, and many of the lock keepers live in the lock houses. Many of these have been tastefully restored and enhanced by the lock keepers. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">It is a pleasure to see that in many instances their personal pride has spread into well-maintained grounds and locks.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIvTqSqD1Vg9hwW665YJqjlpftYIGksnQlYyR5hSa2azghF4zuj8MyiUul5TVezkJo5ZQ4xdeNtj6cr3GpPjiaWTqOLZNaFxY_auRcpu-fIOUu-iOUaYl_SDl7juy3KDNkfxyoX2vZr0G/s1600/Nivernais-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIvTqSqD1Vg9hwW665YJqjlpftYIGksnQlYyR5hSa2azghF4zuj8MyiUul5TVezkJo5ZQ4xdeNtj6cr3GpPjiaWTqOLZNaFxY_auRcpu-fIOUu-iOUaYl_SDl7juy3KDNkfxyoX2vZr0G/s1600/Nivernais-8.jpg" height="468" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">In the more remote areas, the lock keepers are students on summer employment and they operate a series of two or three locks, traveling between them on motor scooters or by bicycle.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmi46OOnzHGSQ5wLjnQsz58xpk3y_eCk_3CAhHnNEIpBF_I8NN39s4SNFLXCMZTa2-nsbJzm8xD-NA0mcftK9xuWDCfU-HvyCtL_7q7MeOW4BXPvICAg_ha9MplIsmkkehdHW2Sq-GyJqJ/s1600/Nivernais-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmi46OOnzHGSQ5wLjnQsz58xpk3y_eCk_3CAhHnNEIpBF_I8NN39s4SNFLXCMZTa2-nsbJzm8xD-NA0mcftK9xuWDCfU-HvyCtL_7q7MeOW4BXPvICAg_ha9MplIsmkkehdHW2Sq-GyJqJ/s1600/Nivernais-9.jpg" height="492" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Along one section, the locks all needed to be drained before we could use them so with the short distances between locks, we generally had to wait five or ten minutes while the lock keeper scooted ahead, closed the upstream gates, closed their sluices, opened the downstream sluices, drained the chamber and then opened the gates. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In most locks I was able to moor next to a ladder so I could climb out of the chamber to close one of the downstream doors. Also, I always opened one of the upstream doors once the chamber had filled. This made the job much easier and quicker for the keepers and seemed to encourage them to pass a good word along the canal as they contacted the next lock keeper to announce our coming. We enjoyed very good receptions all the way along.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Mid-afternoon we stopped for the day along a low wall with bollards just short of Écluse Fleury. We had come 30.1 kilometres and had worked our way up nine locks. Ahead of us was a very winding course taking fourteen kilometres and eight locks to make five kilometres up the slope.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After a leisurely breakfast, at 1015 on Sunday morning we slipped our lines and continued along the canal. We continued past beautifully restored and maintained lock houses, most of them built in the mid-1830s as the canal was being completed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I assisted les éclusiers with the gates and we moved along quickly. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">After pausing for an hour at noon for the lunch closure of the canal, at 1405 we arrived in Châtillon-en-Bazois and secured for the day below the imposing château.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">On Monday morning we explored the area and restocked our fresh provisions from the mid-town supermarket. Shortly before 1300 we slipped and continued up the canal, timing our departure to have us at the next lock as l’éclusier returned from lunch.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Along the way we passed wonderful old structures.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelKbFMD8_TX-0XSA0mdC7AU3RhxI7iX2-6egMt8tYLJAKPnOU3vQLj6kCtFPiGeeH-n5og1QW4n94lHGMyZWxd_kM2e_sZkTXFhBUp4zy1w5B0po7tznv7ofyGFJu58zYKuh1ADzAQq8z/s1600/Nivernais-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelKbFMD8_TX-0XSA0mdC7AU3RhxI7iX2-6egMt8tYLJAKPnOU3vQLj6kCtFPiGeeH-n5og1QW4n94lHGMyZWxd_kM2e_sZkTXFhBUp4zy1w5B0po7tznv7ofyGFJu58zYKuh1ADzAQq8z/s1600/Nivernais-18.jpg" height="640" width="556" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">We wound our way through tranquil pastoral settings…</span></div>
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<span class="s1">… and beneath peaceful villages on the hills, both in the foreground and in the distance.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After sixteen kilometres and fourteen locks, at 1830 we secured to a stone wall on bollards and rings. The wall is the dike between the canal and Étang de Baye, the main reservoir of Canal du Nivernais. We had reached the beginning of the summit pound.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">To celebrate, in the evening I seared some huge noix de St-Jacques and served them with girolles sautéed in butter with minced garlic and shallots and a liberal splash of Bas Armagnac. Saffron basmati rice, steamed green beans and sliced roma tomatoes with shredded fresh basil completed the plates. The accompanying Rebmann Crémant d’Alsace rosé complemented splendidly. We love wilderness boating.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The following morning, As Edi prepared pain perdu for breakfast, I walked the 200 metres back to the previous lock to inform l’éclusier that we wished to continue across the summit, through the tunnels and begin descending the other side.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1010 we slipped and motored along the canal beside the reservoir toward the beginning of the one-way section.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This narrow section is 3800 metres long and passes through deep cuts and three tunnels. The light was green for us as we arrived.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We approached the first of the tunnels and found it unlit. Fortunately, it is only 758 metres long and we could easily see the light at its far end.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We were quickly through and heading into a deep, narrow cut.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This led to the next tunnel, a shorter one at only 268 metres.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVnNvnclIS7yj9cl9IyxvYQ0mjJVdxJlamaGCPSjYejLgffoFRwx5KUXE2swKEY6WOwk0GAZo5Dy3A9Qjk4rZV89ajPqwEz59ntS9WIi8Gm__TD5Vwd29ebTteIYe0qB4A4H_4Zfk1bNz/s1600/Nivernais-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVnNvnclIS7yj9cl9IyxvYQ0mjJVdxJlamaGCPSjYejLgffoFRwx5KUXE2swKEY6WOwk0GAZo5Dy3A9Qjk4rZV89ajPqwEz59ntS9WIi8Gm__TD5Vwd29ebTteIYe0qB4A4H_4Zfk1bNz/s1600/Nivernais-27.jpg" height="640" width="552" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">The third tunnel quickly followed and we passed through its 212 metre length and out into a long and wondrously serene trench through overhanging trees. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The trench is close to 1500 metres long, interrupted only by an abandoned bridge. As we neared the end of the trench, faint images of an arched bridge began to emerge in the glare of the light at the end of the vegetative tunnel.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As we approached, these slowly resolved into a graceful stone bridge.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Through the arch we could see the beginning of the regular width canal, the end of the wilderness of the summit pound and the beginning of the descent.</span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216401539682760124.post-90185674767053817372014-09-21T05:47:00.000-07:002014-09-21T05:47:03.649-07:00Along the Loire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcZg489-GM0qhOMLhzCdD6h78Vm-Jxe-sG8-Z65qDJ6iGD2n1Dlqs5oiA701zuOqILloLTS0QCgz5muu4WVat-DyZ3-DzjJvxqYb-jqNi2g-o4HXHFKSUsLHvPLlcTei6mfgXCG_O7vRH/s1600/Loire-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcZg489-GM0qhOMLhzCdD6h78Vm-Jxe-sG8-Z65qDJ6iGD2n1Dlqs5oiA701zuOqILloLTS0QCgz5muu4WVat-DyZ3-DzjJvxqYb-jqNi2g-o4HXHFKSUsLHvPLlcTei6mfgXCG_O7vRH/s1600/Loire-1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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On Saturday, 9 August we motored through Digoin looking for the supermarket I had used several times in the past. Before I realized that the former supermarket had been converted into a building supply store, we had committed ourselves to the single-lane traffic of le Pont Canal de Digoin, the aqueduct across the Loire. The next turning basin was in le canal lateral à la Loire, beyond the lock at the far end of the aqueduct, so we decided to keep going and find food for the weekend somewhere along the way. </div>
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<span class="s1">Just over a kilometre past the lock we turned left off le canal latéral à la Loire and into le canal de Roanne à Digoin. This 56 kilometre canal was completed in 1838 further upstream along the Loire to link the city of Roanne to the rest of the canal network. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHagcuH8E3Y3Zk3yHTC2GYp9NyJyYb0Pr3brdBGjGJhL2Z05x0Mv_Cx3dgmIVht8oNHz2TrHuycVNh6A4_X3wsIZ-_C-2_Vayxy_xbV9yDPK7TQY7XBeRl87dnoaRrKqrn6Hxf68IrH0G/s1600/Loire-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHagcuH8E3Y3Zk3yHTC2GYp9NyJyYb0Pr3brdBGjGJhL2Z05x0Mv_Cx3dgmIVht8oNHz2TrHuycVNh6A4_X3wsIZ-_C-2_Vayxy_xbV9yDPK7TQY7XBeRl87dnoaRrKqrn6Hxf68IrH0G/s1600/Loire-2.jpg" height="562" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">The map panel on the door of the first lock house showed us where we were and gave the names of communities around us, but there was no indication of any shops or services that might be in any of them. L’éclusier told us the closest supermarket upstream was a few kilometres east of Chambilly, across la Loire in the town of Marcigny. Our map showed Chambilly to be twenty-two kilometres and two more locks along the canal. It was just after 1400 and we saw there was sufficient time to make it before the store closed for the weekend, so we decided to press on. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The next two locks are rather high at five and seven metres and neither of them was ready when we arrived, so it took a long time to work through. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The second of these locks is so high that the downstream doors close against an upper jamb and the water fills to more than three metres above the door tops. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1745 we secured in the small basin below the fourth lock in Chambilly. I unloaded my bike and pedaled across the river and found the Atac supermarket to restock our fresh supplies before France ground to a halt. Shortly after I had returned to Zonder Zorg, the skies opened up with a torrential downpour. As the evening progressed, the lightning became closer, many thunder claps occurring within a few seconds of the flashes, some almost simultaneously. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">After a sleep-in on Sunday morning, I walked the kilometre to the boulangerie for a breakfast baguette and paused at the lock on the way back to inform l’éclusier that we wished to pass through his locks at 1100. There are three locks in quick succession and he began preparing them for us. When we slipped forty minutes later he was opening the last gate for us.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We passed through the three locks, and just before the system closed for lunch at noon, we entered an eighteen kilometre pound to the next lock. In many places the banks of the canal have collapsed and there are shallow shoals well out into the channel. The grazing cattle take advantage of the easy access to drinking water. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Along the banks we also saw signs of lightning strikes from the previous evening’s storm. At one place there was a mature tree fallen into the canal, nearly blocking it. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We coasted over the upper branches of the tree with the engine off. This allowed the momentum of the hull to depress the limbs as we passed over and prevented snarling and possibly damaging the propeller.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nnSJaDYBtzuznVPXHQJtUIdZtZbiVxMcY1m1xw8OPpmhk5Y6ka9-PZBoFm_gdy2LCUqLsE1nvQGECxA4SOfNeQuFMgr-9Mq1TnsJjRSkRyJwzQpTbH2ccnVjJeQX5vKlEKltGlcSh0es/s1600/Loire-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nnSJaDYBtzuznVPXHQJtUIdZtZbiVxMcY1m1xw8OPpmhk5Y6ka9-PZBoFm_gdy2LCUqLsE1nvQGECxA4SOfNeQuFMgr-9Mq1TnsJjRSkRyJwzQpTbH2ccnVjJeQX5vKlEKltGlcSh0es/s1600/Loire-10.jpg" height="474" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Below and to the east of us flowed the Loire with Charolais cattle grazing beneath riverside farms and hilltop villages. It is a very tranquil canal. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We passed through peaceful villages. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuVDdu83KMeFedZTh9xi7GEgR4Wz45tMwHDqSeuknLRNlaN-2T17VV8zSusmXlJ6VvW38hSnEFrsY0ioz1E2ZtTR48frKlQgYfMLNL4K7-w_riYAfnInozJtZC4kKgU1jdcg6DIgyxLyj/s1600/Loire-13a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuVDdu83KMeFedZTh9xi7GEgR4Wz45tMwHDqSeuknLRNlaN-2T17VV8zSusmXlJ6VvW38hSnEFrsY0ioz1E2ZtTR48frKlQgYfMLNL4K7-w_riYAfnInozJtZC4kKgU1jdcg6DIgyxLyj/s1600/Loire-13a.jpg" height="516" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1645, after another three locks, we entered the basin in Roanne and secured to rings on the masonry quai. We were at the blind end of the canal. Moored along the quai were many barges, a couple of them named rather like the words we used to describe some of the horrible and a-hole boaters along the way. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXDo5YGGKPDmSUyBxWdxIydFy-RKwzAnqQi-i5mZhT3IbY_3fcBTY_PGPe4XORS_0vqcLzECu8OtFfkwsce5lhG2kQH9FfgOOpkEWPVBRj49j9ZZB6AGUc_UxW628MKljr7qD1GmfJpJw/s1600/Loire-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXDo5YGGKPDmSUyBxWdxIydFy-RKwzAnqQi-i5mZhT3IbY_3fcBTY_PGPe4XORS_0vqcLzECu8OtFfkwsce5lhG2kQH9FfgOOpkEWPVBRj49j9ZZB6AGUc_UxW628MKljr7qD1GmfJpJw/s1600/Loire-12.jpg" height="514" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Moored astern of us was a small tjalk, which we recognized immediately. It was the online brokerage listing of this particular barge that moved our thinking from another modern cruiser to a converted tjalk. On our way up the Brazilian coast from Cape Horn we had pored over her photos and details and had exchanged many emails with the broker. The photos showed the interior to be chaotic and in need of gutting, but the broker remained firm with the price. Seeing her here in Roanne, still listed by the same broker but with the price now slashed dramatically to well below what we had been willing to offer two and a half years previously, we were delighted the broker had been firm with the price. It was a great lesson in patience.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The following morning we walked across to les Halles, the covered the market to find it closed on Mondays. We asked a passerby where we could find a supermarket and were directed around the corner. Inside we found a wonderful selection of fresh produce, including the finest pleurottes we have seen in France. Here was more evidence that the supermarkets are bettering the traditional markets, not only with selection and price, but also with freshness and quality. Also, they are open.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We could find very little of interest in the city to keep us longer, so shortly before 1300 we slipped to head back through the lock and down the canal out of the urban environment and back into the pastoral. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwlXIr6wTKUeEe_ce2F9C80eWrLToj_2wRWs45p0Ogklk5EwZF_B6RPbo_8EfU6ozeYrQ7LGmdecDMaqHCwkqVH7czyfVp1hCbbB7jJMSOu1xK3Nro5o7jh_fvLlKczXdDPVv8amHXEfu/s1600/Loire-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwlXIr6wTKUeEe_ce2F9C80eWrLToj_2wRWs45p0Ogklk5EwZF_B6RPbo_8EfU6ozeYrQ7LGmdecDMaqHCwkqVH7czyfVp1hCbbB7jJMSOu1xK3Nro5o7jh_fvLlKczXdDPVv8amHXEfu/s1600/Loire-16.jpg" height="496" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Along the way we passed fine agricultural estates that had obviously been built, expanded and operated by many generations.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdyvRMIo3ciu2HX4CtpL6fDMEQ3ZvAS_C-hDGbPC9PgUTwfPYIzDcC9-sq9_A0b2uw62-HIzc7M_oiFCi8mkHQ9fXuUh3OYB-zmcJI8JVCQoU9wne8ZlGtWZM3M4u4cx96f3j-V3_WoBr/s1600/Loire-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdyvRMIo3ciu2HX4CtpL6fDMEQ3ZvAS_C-hDGbPC9PgUTwfPYIzDcC9-sq9_A0b2uw62-HIzc7M_oiFCi8mkHQ9fXuUh3OYB-zmcJI8JVCQoU9wne8ZlGtWZM3M4u4cx96f3j-V3_WoBr/s1600/Loire-17.jpg" height="488" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Here and there we passed more modern seventeenth and eighteenth century homes that had been built to add to the farmers’ comforts. There is a look of longstanding general prosperity through the area.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSisue9djHfGQnKgVNdNoAB6vJoKb6EmiIHG4wd2B2R8F7Xsc9Ne8YZXh3PNr6P5D6AiyyqiwRj8V8dBead70esn8GIRvhM8lYICAvhJf6lo2n4OLt9ZwyTgHXbdG0Osxh2_hFZN9dV8mh/s1600/Loire-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSisue9djHfGQnKgVNdNoAB6vJoKb6EmiIHG4wd2B2R8F7Xsc9Ne8YZXh3PNr6P5D6AiyyqiwRj8V8dBead70esn8GIRvhM8lYICAvhJf6lo2n4OLt9ZwyTgHXbdG0Osxh2_hFZN9dV8mh/s1600/Loire-18.jpg" height="640" width="408" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">At 1820 we paused for the night just above the series of locks leading down to Chambilly. L’éclusier came by to ask what time we wished to continue down through the locks; we said 0900. On Tuesday we waited for the lock to be prepared and after half an hour of no action, I went looking for l’éclusier. He had drained all three locks in preparation for an up-bound Zonder Zorg. It took him a while to realized he had misread the instructions in the lock book. He had to refill all three locks and we were delayed well over an hour.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We met very little traffic on the canal, both coming and going. When we did meet the few boats, we had to be very careful not to run aground on the shoals that often extended far out from the banks. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKCFO4BEKu1OZK3nHEv4VA-tC6h1DfEGck4ewChhqmy8Nuhx4H57G-TgRwnflmZXZ8uWKobidp-x-Gv22lzY31vfjAswpGWfEUmzON_pIA1h8jGoLgUrJgM28ikDIo6j-z6IcRmyyH-U9/s1600/Loire-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKCFO4BEKu1OZK3nHEv4VA-tC6h1DfEGck4ewChhqmy8Nuhx4H57G-TgRwnflmZXZ8uWKobidp-x-Gv22lzY31vfjAswpGWfEUmzON_pIA1h8jGoLgUrJgM28ikDIo6j-z6IcRmyyH-U9/s1600/Loire-21.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Shortly after 1500 we came to the mouth of the canal and reentered le canal latéral à la Loire. We turned to port and continued downstream. The unsettled weather of the previous few days appeared to be settling on being cold and wet. We were still in the first half of August and we were wearing multiple layers of fleece. Shortly after 1700 we secured to bollards on a quai in Pierrefitte-sur-Loire and scurried below as the first wave of thunderstorms hit.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">On Wednesday, after a leisurely breakfast we continued down the canal another nineteen kilometres and five locks to Beaulon, where we secured for the day at 1410. We walked the long kilometre into the town to find the bakery and épicerie advertised on the canalside signs. The town appeared abandoned. Both bakeries were closed, one for August holidays and the other for its regular Wednesday closure.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We strolled around the very pretty village looking at the sights and searching for the épicerie. It was also closed Wednesdays.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzC7Py7LqpUJQBD-q7bBJQN8EUiWBFNtYQzfQwCiaO_pcwqlk_D6pWhs_hL9KTau6oDHB8fccMIIVmFcT3JZA86wH5h6xou3LiPjMnzjc8majuudcdY6CeV8b2vPGKT8itJbcTYi9V0e7G/s1600/Loire-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzC7Py7LqpUJQBD-q7bBJQN8EUiWBFNtYQzfQwCiaO_pcwqlk_D6pWhs_hL9KTau6oDHB8fccMIIVmFcT3JZA86wH5h6xou3LiPjMnzjc8majuudcdY6CeV8b2vPGKT8itJbcTYi9V0e7G/s1600/Loire-24.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">On our way back to Zonder Zorg, the local Charolais cattle seemed curious to see if we had had any success with our shopping.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Thursday morning we slipped at 0945 and continued through another seven locks before leaving le canal latérel à la Loire and passing down through two locks into la Loire at Decize. As we left the second lock the skies opened in a torrential downpour. Edi scurried below while I navigated down the swiftly flowing river, under the bridge and found an eddy on the right bank to help me make it alongside a concrete quai in the blinding rain. At 1520 I secured to bollards, shut down and went below out of the storm. Less than a kilometre ahead was the beginning of le canal du Nivernais. </span></div>
Zonder Zorghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574972773270929030noreply@blogger.com0