Chalon-sur-Saône to Saint-Jean-de-Losne – 60 km

We set off in good time, expecting a long day. The harbour was tight, but we eased out without problems. There was little traffic on the river, though Jumbo’s appearance, charging round a bend, reminded us that this is a commercial waterway.

Naturally there were plenty of cows to photograph, whether standing or sitting. But birds were limited to a few swans and the occasional heron. I seem to remember far more bird life in earlier years – egrets and oyster catchers, kites and cormorants. Now it seems to be just swans – very elegant, but quite boring.

There are quite a few handsome houses along the river, like this one.

Also fishing encampments. Sometimes families, sometimes groups of friends.

We negotiated the first lock of the day in company with a luxury hotel barge, which passed us soon after we all emerged, guests engaged in pre-lunch cocktails. We then found a convenient tree to tie up to for our lunch.

After lunch, we soon found ourselves at Seurre, where we had envisioned spending the night. Although it was only early afternoon, the hotel barge had packed it in for the day. On reflection, however, we decided to press on to St Jean.

A young German couple in a sailing boat was waiting in the lock, our last of this trip. As the water rose, the thunder began rumbling ominously all around. As I remarked to the lady lock-keeper on the radio as we departed, “Aprés nous la deluge”. And indeed it was. Lashing rain for about half an hour. We felt quite sorry for the young Germans as we overtook them. The awning over their cockpit did not look very effective. But young people are tough, and sailing people are used to getting wet, so I expect they were OK.

As we approached St Jean, we saw the barge Minstrel, which overtook us so abruptly going into Chalon yesterday. It was loading at an impressive  grain elevator.

We also spotted Saskia’s winter quarters, but couldn’t see the car, which we left in a nearby car park a couple of months ago. We'll collect it tomorrow.

Coming home to St Jean once more.

And turning into the port under the bridge. Just then, of course, the rain came on again. But we found a berth on our usual pontoon, despite the appalling weed infestation. The electricity works, and also the WiFi.

So that is the end of another happy cruise. We calculate that we covered some 1,600 km. Not too many locks this time. Highlights were certainly the great cities of Avignon and Carcassonne, Narbonne and Montpellier, Macon and Louhans. Some people complain about the hire boats and their often inexperienced crews, but we welcome them. Thanks to them, and the financial contribution they make, facilities everywhere have improved, and we benefit greatly from that. There are more pontoons for mooring, with electricity and water supplied. Hire boats can also provide a certain amount of innocent entertainment! Of course, the increased automation comes at a cost - less personal contact with lock-keepers, for example. 

We haven’t made any plans for next year, but will be examining the map of the European waterways to see what takes our fancy. One thing we have decided: no more Rhone/Saône for a while. It would have been nice if we had had the time to get through to Bordeaux this time, and also explore the Baïse and the lower Lot. But that will have to wait for a few years. These two big rivers do have their longueurs, particularly going upstream.

Thanks to those who have followed these meanderings. Now we sign off till 2018.

La Truchère to Chalon-sur-Saône – 37 km

The friendly harbour-master at La Truchère, next to whose (floating) office we were moored, takes bread orders for breakfast. He told me he was born on a working barge, and well remembers the difficulties his mother had trying to find places to buy provisions.

With little shopping available in the village, he also stocks many basics for passing boaters.

We felt we deserved a proper breakfast – croissant and pain chocolat – after expending so many calories on the self-service locks. They were absolutely delicious, and still nice and warm.

Then we were away, past the bridge spanning the small dam at the end of the river that keeps the level up and diverts traffic into the final lock.

We were a little early but didn’t have long to wait: the two lock-keepers arrived punctually at 9 a.m. The lock has quite a fall and would have been difficult on our own.

Then it was back onto the big river, passing through Tournus without stopping this time. It has to be said that this stretch of the Saône, like the one from Macon to Tournus, is otherwise rather featureless.

Such details as the washing hanging out in the sun catch the eye.

The main excitement of the day occurred as we were coming into Chalon. A cursory look in the rear-view mirror unexpectedly revealed a barge charging upriver starting  to overtake us. In front of us was another barge coming fast downstream. We scurried out of the channel to let them do their thing.

Chalon looks good from the river: that may be all we see of it. The afternoon turned extremely hot – too hot for culture.

The port is tucked away in a side channel off the river behind the Saint Laurent island. On the tip of the island they have planted this tribute to the entry of the United States into World War I exactly 100 years ago. 

The port boasts an efficient team of five guys who wait on the terrace and pounce when a boat appears, guiding it to an appropriate berth and helping with mooring lines. Very impressive.

Once we were installed, it was on with the fans and out with, first, a late lunch, then plenty of chilled mineral water. Also, taking inspiration from that house along the river, we did a bit of laundry.

Tomorrow we think we will stop for the night at Seurre, a couple of hours short of our base at Saint-Jean-de-Losne, making our final day short and easy.

Louhans to La Truchère – 37 km

As threatened, today was market day in Louhans, which means the famous marché de volaille, or poultry market.

There were live chickens of every conceivable shape, colour, breed and age, plus ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits, song birds, even a peacock! Quite an experience. It wasn’t quite clear to us whether this was really a farmer-to-farmer event or a producer-to-consumer one. Certainly, we concluded, the animal rights people might not be very happy.

So we moved on to the regular food market, finding a genial cheese man on the way.

After that we felt it was time to leave Louhans, so off we set. The Seille is supposed to be a haven for endangered species, but we have really seen very little birdlife. This white stork (?) was an exception.

This flock of geese following their gander down to the river had avoided the market – this time. Though they may be endangered in due course.

We went through three self-service locks today ... closing the gates ...

And the upper sluices.

Going down – crew in full control.

We lunched on the pontoon at Loisy – plenty of space today, unlike last week. It was the same story at La Truchère, where we had trouble getting in last week, but found only one other boat on the pontoon this afternoon. The harbour master agreed that the river has an end-of-season feel about it.

Tomorrow we will get back onto the Saône, heading for Chalon-sur-Saône for the night.

Louhans (day 2)

Among the many things that Diana and I have in common is a background in journalism. For many years her family published a newspaper for the Italian community in Newark, New Jersey. And Diana’s sister Giovanna and her brother-in-law Joe pursued lifelong careers in journalism. As for me, I calculate it was almost exactly 48 years ago that I ventured nervously through the portals of 85 Fleet Street, the imposing headquarters of Reuters (in those days – probably a bank now!) to embark on a career as a journalist. So it was a delight for us both to discover a museum of journalism in Louhans.

The premises of the local newspaper l’Indépendent have been preserved intact, with the addition of some early printing machinery.

Drawers of type in different fonts for hand-setting.

This is the editor’s office, which could have come from the Front Page movie.

The print shop beyond has classic hot-metal linotype machines, with what the French call saumons, fish-shaped bars of lead and tin that are melted and cast into the typeface.

The press still has a newsprint roll in place.

The reporters’ room has an early Macintosh – the death knell for traditional newspapers – as well as some wonderful old typewriters. I had one of those and loved it dearly.

This was a great nostalgia trip. The smells of the newsroom and the printshop still seemed to linger. And although at first we were the only visitors, later a family arrived, and the children seemed to be intrigued by these strange machines.

But Sunday lunch is a serious matter in France, though we found the dining room at the Cheval Rouge hardly crowded.

This blog was supposed to have a gastronomic flavour this year, so here is the amuse bouche – mini moules marinières with cheese puffs, followed by:

Escargots, smoked salmon and salmon terrine, and, of course, the famous Poulet de Bresse à la crème. We needed the longish walk back to the boat after all that.

Tomorrow is the big poultry market, and then we will head off down river. Not far from base now.

Louhans

I realize that we forgot to report yesterday on the Menu des Grenouilles at Cuisery. Here they are: surprisingly complete frogs not just their legs. Quite a challenge, with lots of little bones and garlic, but delicately flavoured and worth the effort.

We also had a Menu de Perches – fish and chips – just in case.

A preliminary excursion into town revealed a fascinating old place. The town hall is good-looking.

But the most unusual feature is the Grande Rue, Main Street, boasting arcades on either side with a total of 157 arches.

Plenty of shops and cafés, including the turn-of-the-century Bar St Martin, which we patronized.

But our main focus this morning was the Hôtel Dieu, established in its present form in the 18^th century as a hospital for the poor and indigent. Amazingly it continued to operate up to 1977.

It contains a remarkable pharmacy, with an extraordinary collection of porcelain and glass jars and containers for medicines. Many show moorish work by North-African migrants who moved to the south of France after being expelled from Spain.

An early wheelchair was a reminder that many of the residents will have been elderly.

The two vast wards are 8 metres high: the idea being to ensure that the volume of air was healthy. This is the women’s ward. The men’s is just as big, and between them is a chapel that the great and good of Louhans would also attend.

These were not nuns sworn to poverty, and evidently many came from wealthy families, and they did themselves pretty well. During the revolution, they temporarily ceased to be Soeurs, and became Citoyennes. The Hôtel Dieu became the Hotel de Humanité. A mediaeval carved wood Pietá was buried in the garden and eventually found by gardeners a hundred years or so ago.

This photo shows one of the last nuns climbing the stairs to their sleeping quarters.

More unexpected treats from Louhans tomorrow.