Histoire d'eau DIARY - May 2010

We spent two days along the Burgundy canal before reaching Dijon. We have been here a few times now, over the years, and so know it fairly well. We have a few days here before Peter & Lee arrive and join us for the trip back down to the river, which should be sufficient time to do some shopping and ... well, read a bit, eat a bit, etc.

We both are due for a haircut. While this is not normally a traumatic experience (in most peoples lives), it does cause us some unsettled moments when we front up at a new hairdresser and try to explain what we want. We can normally avoid major errors in communication - we haven't yet had our heads shaved or be thrown out (although I believe I did once ask if they could "cut my horse" ... an easy error if your pronunciation of the French language is as excellent as mine).

For me, the trick is to get both the top and the sides cut fairly equally; there is real danger ending up looking as if you are either coming out of a monastery or going into the US Marines, if you don't get this little bit of communication exactly right.

This year my haircut has more of a military look to it! (We keep trying).

Peter and Lee, friends from Melbourne, have now joined us and we are headed back down the Burgundy to St Jean-de-Losne. The weather hasn't been the best since we left port on April 30th. In fact, after an excellent April (sunny and temperatures in the 30's on some days), May has so far turned out to be a shocker. Rain, windy, cold! Not what we signed up for. It makes the crew grumpy.

Burgundy Canal - back to St Jean: Monday 10/05/2010 to Tuesday 11/05/2010:

The weather has improved marginally and we have enjoyed the cruise back to St Jean. Peter tells me I'm overstating how bad the weather has been. He might be right, but I've still felt bloody cold over the last two weeks.

Anyway, there is plenty of water in the canal now - no worries as in previous years that they may close it for lack of water, so I can't complain (too much).

Besides, Peter is so optimistic that we will soon return to the hot summer days of last month, that I'm starting to feel warmer already.

(I don't think I mentioned it before, but Peter is a stock-broker. Not sure if his current optimism is just the un-bridled release of pent up emotion after the GFC, or if he really knows something I don't about the weather. We'll see!)

In St Jean we had a hearty (hot) meal at the campground restaurant. Very good, as usual. We sat outside, but again, I feel like I'm being hood-winked over the weather ... still cold.







Auxonne on the Saone: Wednesday 12/05/2010:

Auxonne is only a small place, but has a good pontoon to moor at, and good facilities; electricity & water. The mooring is free, but if we want the electricity then we have to pay (an easy process - you put your credit card into the machine and enter the number of your mooring - presto: 16 hours of electricity & water for €8).

Again we've been to Auxonne before, and while it's not large or lively, I like it a lot. It has an old feel to it. The streets are interesting and the town is surrounded by amazing defensive structures designed by Vauban (who was a Marshal of France and the military engineer for Louis XIV). The town was also the Artillery School at which Napoleon received his first training.

It is also the only town I know with such a twisted and distorted church spire (Peter pointed it out to us - never noticed it before).











Along the Saone and up to Dole: Thursday 13/05/2010 to Saturday 15/05/2010:

Dole is another fascinating place - a real hidden gem in the French countryside. Originally a Roman settlement, there are still surviving remnants of the original Roman bridge. Two arches still exist, set in the wide ford in the river, just as the Romans built them two thousand years ago. Even today the town is not large - about 24,000 people, but punches above it's weight in charm and atmosphere.

The town is also the birthplace of Pasteur (not, to quote a friend of mine, "Pasteur - the famous painter", but the micro-biologist).

We plan to spend a couple of days in Dole, so that Peter and Lee can see it and visit the Saturday market.

We have also paid another visit to "Le Chateau du Mont Joly" for a Saturday lunch. Excellent as always.

Peter & Lee left us at Dole to continue their holiday in the south of France. We then took the boat back to St. Symphorien. We were fortunate to meet up with Janet & Malcolm (on "Antonia") before they also headed off for the summer (they are taking their boat to Strasbourg this year). We had a great meal and a great evening with them aboard "Antonia".


Paris: Monday 17/05/2010 to Monday 24/05/2010:

We took the train to Paris this morning (May 17th) for a week there with some friends, formerly from the UK, who now live in Malta (Iain & Helen). They have tickets for us for the Heineken Cup (European rugby's club championships). This year the match is in the 'Stade de France' stadium in Paris, and as it happens the two sides in the final are both French teams; "Biarritz Olympic" and "Toulouse".


(It's interesting to see the advertising for the game; because it is not legal to advertise alcohol on French TV, the game is referred to in all media presentations as the "H Cup".)

It was good to catch up with Iain & Helen. We all stayed in a double apartment for the week in the Marais area. The location is very good as it's not too busy, has plenty of restaurants and charm, but is also is an easy commute to anywhere in Paris via two nearby metro stations.

We also caught up with a few other people we know from Reigate in England, who came over for the game.

The game was a beauty! Toulouse eventually won, as expected (they were the favourites with half the French squad in their side), but they only came good at the end and Biarritz could easily have won it in the dying moments of the game.

As for the rest of the week, it was the usual Paris stuff; eating, drinking, museums and heaps of walking the streets and lanes in the different arrondisements. A great city and a wonderful place to be with friends.

This year, as well as visiting the usual English book shops (W.H.Smith and Calignani), we also visited the Shakespeare Bookshop which is over the river from Notre Dame. It's well worth the visit. It houses plenty of new and second hand books (English language publications), and the place itself is almost a medieval museum; or at least something from a Dickens novel.

As well as having thousand of books to sell, all located in little rooms and nooks and crannies, they also have a reference book reading room, where you can sit and read any of the books there. A remarkable place.

Pete & I bought too many books again (we need another suitcase to get them home).


(I should add at this point; the weather this week has been stunning ... sunny, warm, no wind ... just beautiful!! I guess Peter's optimism was well founded after all.)








Back to the boat and up to Dole: Monday 24/05/2010 to Thursday 27/05/2010:

At the end of our week in Paris we returned by train to St. Symphorien and the quiet of the French countryside. We've taken the boat up to Dole, where we think we'll spend the week ...


... need some quiet time!