French Cruise - 2016......Summary

It has been a particularly busy cruise this year, fairly heavy on the partying!!  We started off as a party of six with four boats, us, David and Janet, Henk and Arthur, ostensibly to help the two lone sailors with the ascending locks but enjoying a few party nights on the way!  We had a lonely night in the middle of nowhere trying to fit a new impeller with Henks' help.  He was also our saviour when we forgot to take our canopy down and crashed into the tiny bridge in Capestang, by attaching the broken strap with a special sailors' knot (still in place as I speak!).  Our bilge pump also gave out in Capestang and had to be replaced.  After going back to Blighty for four weeks we resumed our cruise in Colombiers, where we had considerable trouble removing ourselves from our mooring, so stuck in the mud were we!!   It was a very happy surprise to come across our friends, Quentin and Denise just after the big round lock in Agde - a lovely catch up since we missed our rendezvous with them last year due to a breakdown!  Then the memorable 60th birthday party of our friend, Peter - fantastic do.....took two days to recover though! Carol and Frank stayed with us for a couple of nights for the party.   The mistral found us on the Petit Rhone - luckily not too harsh but a bit uncomfortable.  We then fell into a comfortable routine just cruising with Cornelis k. and enjoyed some lovely meals and laughter!
Next years' cruise is not yet fully decided but Crew feels a definite pull towards the Champagne area....can't think why!!
So thank you for your attention (if indeed you have been paying attention) - Crew has occasionally been distracted by the entertainment side of this cruising life!!
I'll be back sometime after mid-May 2017!

Saturday 24th September - St. Jean de Losne

We planned on a lazy day today as we still had more than a week to pack up for home.  A good idea we thought was to test drive the new restaurant recommended by our friend Carol called Sauconna for lunch. Henk came with us and we all agreed that , although a little on the expensive side, it was very good, particularly the pichet of Chardonnay which was €11 per 50cl.  On the way to the restaurant, Crew spotted a notice announcing Dragon Boat racing on both 1st and 2nd October....might be fun!  

We had tried to get some of our long list of jobs registered with Blanquarts but we're told, in no uncertain terms that nothing could be done about anything until Monday - it was around 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon.......all the French can think about at that time is 'Le Weekend'.  Why did we ever teach them that word!!!  So, to sum up, we have no fridge, no heating and now no hot water (boiler has finally died on us!) - not a very auspicious ending to our 2016 cruise!  It looks as if Crew is going to have to wrestle with the unfriendly shower in the marina in order to finally get her hair washed.  We had a quiet evening watching TV and bed.

Friday 23rd September - Seurre to St.Jean de Losne

Our final day cruising to St.Jean de Losne - our overwintering port.  We left port at 10.30 and after a twenty minute wait for the lock in Seurre started our last cruise of 2016.  An uneventful cruise saw us onto the fuel pontoon in St. Jean - we need to fill the tank full of diesel for the winter otherwise condensation will get into the tank and result in contamination of the fuel.  We took on 550 litres of fuel and are now €680 the poorer but that is what it has cost for a whole 3 months cruising!  We then said 'au revoir' to Henk and left him to fill up himself and then moor on the town quay.  We tied up on the Visitors' pontoon to await the re- opening of the Capitainerie at 2 p.m.  Skip went up just after 2 and we were assigned a berth, which thankfully, was closer to the Capitainerie and indeed the town.  For six years we had moored in H2O but although the marina is nearer the town we found it very expensive for repairs - lots of people have highly recommended Blanquarts, the marina next door, as the quality of workmanship is better and less expensive.  As we have quite a long list of jobs to be done it could be financially advantageous!
We settled ourselves into our mooring and relaxed for a while.  Crew cooked more duck breasts for dinner, with vegetables, a cheesy potato dish for Skip and Crew and a jacket potato for Henk.  Lazy chat and bed.

20km 1 lock 2 1/2 hours

Thursday 22nd September - Seurre

We decided to stay another night as it is a nice peaceful mooring.  Skip spent a long time cleaning the hull as it was relatively easy to get to, Crew put the washing machine on and Henk put the final coat of varnish on our table - they are looking like new!!  Another disaster......the heating has packed up!!  Crew tried to put it on for some warm towels but no.......another job for the list and, as the mornings and evenings are rather chilly, not a happy Crew!!!  No fridge and no heating!  After lunch Crew attempted her usual siesta but felt unwell and was subsequently sick.......we had some nice warm white wine in the fridge that had been open for some time - am blaming that!  We are managing by having the use of Henks' fridge and by making ice cubes in our ice machine.  The plan was for Crew to cook dinner - duck breasts and vegetables but she had to cry off sick so we had some bread, soup and cheese and a quiet night in front of the TV.

Wednesday 21st September - Verdun sur le Doubs to Seurre

We left Verdun around 10.30 and cruised 7km to the lock.  Unfortunately a very large commerce in front of us took up the entire lock so we had to tie off on the waiting pontoon with Henk rafted alongside.  Altogether we waited an hour to pass through the lock!  We arrived in Seurre around 1.30.  The pontoon is hidden behind a little island - normally we treat it like a roundabout and go round the island and onto the mooring but as we were following Henk we approached from the other direction......plenty of depth, luckily!  We had some lunch, Skip went ashore to check restaurant opening times and some shopping and Crew had a siesta.  Our usual restaurant Les Negociants (also a hotel) was closed down.......dommage!!  Skip has been trying to set up a French bank account so that we can recharge our wi-fi by credit card and phone - and indeed has been trying for about five weeks.....what a saga!!  As he had run out of wi-fi he went to the Capitainerie to pay and sort out his e-mails, etc.  When asked where was best to eat the Capitaine suggested Le Grilladine on the edge of the town, where we had eaten before.  After aperitifs around 7 p.m. we walked to the restaurant - we decided to be brave and sit outside!  A very cheerful, cheeky young waitress served us efficiently and we enjoyed a good meal.

19 km 1 lock 3 hours

Tuesday 20th September - Gergy to Verdun sur le Doubs

An even shorter run to Verdun so we didn't leave until 11 a.m. - could get used to this lazy cruising!  We arrived at the long pontoon to a very warm welcome from the friendly Capitaine who helped us in.  Cornelis k. has a little green dinghy on davits which makes it difficult to moor stern to.  If there are no finger pontoons which is the case in Verdun, it is impossible for Henk to get to shore unless he can moor alongside another boat, so luckily he was able to tie up against us.  Having settled in, we decided to look for some lunch in town for a change.  Yet another quaint old town, Verdun has most of the amenities required very close to the port.  We remembered having a good meal in a restaurant a little further into town but of course, found it closed so we had a beer in a bar on the way back to the hotel nearer the port........mistake - by the time we got to the hotel it was 'complet'.  We are now in the land of lunch at12.30 on the dot - or no lunch!!  This system doesn't exist in the south of France......find it very frustrating!!  Back to Aphrodite for a spot of lunch then, having booked dinner at 8 p.m. in the hotel!  As we now have lovely sunny, autumnal weather during the day with cold mornings and evenings, lunch is a better option - we just need to work on the 12.30 thing!!  Dinner was pretty good in the hotel, then back to the boat for a digestif and bed.

Monday 19th September - Chalon sur Saone to Gergy

Left Chalon at 10.30 for our short run to Gergy.  We have stopped in Gergy many times - it has a rather ropey pontoon but a very good restaurant on the waterfront.  Unfortunately as it was Monday, as usual, it would be closed for the day, which means that, having not cooked for a long while, Crew would be on galley duty for the third night in a row.......feel a mutiny coming on!!  We tied up behind a nice German couple, with Henk mooring behind us.  The ropey pontoon was even more ropey as it was now broken in the middle, making it difficult for us to get Henk secured since he was straddling two parts of the pontoon!  We got there in the end!  After our usual lunch Skip took a walk into the village to find all the usual amenities including a bar, a coiffure, a small supermarket and a hotel/ restaurant - which was closed down!  Although not raining, we have now lost our summer climate and are well and truly into autumn and as Crew was only doing a cold supper, found some soup to warm us all up!!

17 km O locks 1 1/2 hours

Sunday 18th September - Chalon sur Saone

Skips' first words to Crew this morning were 'I have some bad news'.  On enquiry, it appears that the fridge is no longer working......catastrophe!!!  No wonder Crew got her feet wet whilst cooking dinner!  Henk took our duck breasts to put in his fridge but we had pork too.....looks like Crew is cooking again tonight!  The forecast for today is very bad - rain all day.......it didn't let us down!!  After several hours the noise of the constant rain on our canopy was rather wearying and after doing a few chores and all his puzzles, Skip got a bit edgy!  Around six o'clock there was a it of a lull so he took the opportunity to take himself for a walk to the centre of town.  Again Chalon was occupied by the Romans and first began to prosper in about 250 BC.  In the Middle Ages it was famous for its'  game fairs, selling foxes, badgers, polecats, mink and otters.....presumably to eat!!  There are many beautiful old buildings to be seen and a good number of churches and museums, including a museum celebrating the famous Nicephore Niepce, the father of photography, exhibiting an important collection of photographs, cameras and picture post cards.  We were unable to visit, sadly as by the time there was a break in the weather, it was closed!  This year the beautiful sculpted garden, welcoming boaters to the port was indeed celebrating Niepce (forgot to take a picture on arrival unfortunately).  The rain had finally stopped whilst we enjoyed our pork dinner and we chatted a while afterwards with a digestif - we played another DVD after Henk returned to his boat.  Better weather tomorrow so we are travelling the short distance to Gergy - can't afford to stay here any longer!

Saturday 17th September - Chalon sur Saone

We decided on staying for three nights, although Chalon is pretty expensive at €23.50 per night but the weather forecast was very bad until Monday.  Skip and Crew found a slot to visit the huge supermarket for supplies and indeed, as we exited the sun shone for a millisecond, making us hot in our coats!!  A few chores, the usual lunch and a promise from Crew to cook a chicken roast for dinner!  Cooking in a ships' galley is not the same as in a domestic kitchen - everything is on a smaller scale and when Skip is on drinks' duty, the constant interruptions to get to the fridge are not conducive to cheering Crew up at all!!  Just before Crew started the operation, Skip decided to defrost the freezer part of the fridge so Crews' first job was to soak up the water on the floor and clear out the shelves of the fridge.....not a good start!  Somehow a meal was put on the table, after many mopping up operations and wet shoes for Crew!  The 'boys' we're enjoying a box of Cahors wine, which is a very rich dark colour - finally Crew got a chance to try it for herself......Mmmm, very good!  Digestifs, a DVD and bed - we do actually have TV now but, as usual, nothing on!!

Friday 16th September - Gigny to Chalon sur Saone

Although it was still raining we thought we should set off at our usual time of ten o'clock for the two hour run to Chalon.  At least it dried up somewhat a little later and we arrived in the port at 11.45 a.m.  Searching for space to moor was the next problem - we found one space which we were doubtful would be big enough but the charming Capitaine appeared and, along with a nice Englishman squeezed us in safely, moving the two boats either side of us slightly.  Then we needed to find a space for Cornelis k. - the Capitaine said there was a space near the fuel pontoon but it meant that Henk had to go round again as it was a one way system.  Skip went off to find bread, not telling Crew. I assumed that he had gone to the Capitainerie to pay his dues but, not finding him went to see if Henk was aboard - he was and we shared a drink together, whereupon Skip came back brandishing a baguette!  The Capitaine then came to tell us that a place would become available near us in a while so we waited and Crew stayed on board to help moor while Skip prepared some lunch.  We got Henk settled with the help of the Capitaine and repaired to Aphrodite for lunch.  As the evening weather didn't look too bad we thought we would dine in town.  Chalons' centre involves crossing two bridges  but after the first bridge is 'restaurant street' - there are around twenty places to eat here including one of our favourites, La Borgogne.  Having looked at the menu we all agreed it looked a good choice which, indeed it was, apart from the very slow service!  We decided to eat inside as there was a possibility of more rain, although there were a few hardy souls eating outside some of the other restaurants!  The rain held off and we walked back to the port in the dry, albeit not too warm!  Night apps on board and bed.

21 km 0 locks 1 1/2 hours

Thursday 15th September - Gigny

Crew rose very late (double figures!) after another bad night......never happened before, always sleep really well on the boat normally.  As we seem to have lost summer, with intermittent rain for most of the day, nothing much was done apart from our usual lunch on board.  For dinner Crew cooked two enormous duck breasts, jacket potatoes and vegetables for dinner - got the seal of approval from Henk!!  The duck was cooked just as he liked it.....practically still quacking!  Not too late to bed.

Wednesday 14th September - Tournus to Gigny

We left at 10.15 hoping to moor in the little Marina at Gigny which is, in fact, a disused lock, otherwise we would have to press on to Chalon sur Saone.  Before we got to our only lock of the day, we noticed a commercial barge behind us which, of course meant that we would have to wait for him to enter the lock first.  In fact a second 'commerce' soon appeared which meant a 20 minute wait for us! The two barges went to the front of the lock, side by side and we went in behind them along with another cruiser.  The rise of water was only 2.6 metres but it took a while as it was a big lock.  There was plenty of space at Gigny - even so, it took about twenty minutes to finally tie off, thanks to the fussy German lady in charge......Crew was getting a little annoyed with her, to say the least!  The big disappointment, however was the fact that the little restaurant in the lock no longer existed - we think it had been sold off to the German couple who were busy turning the old lock house into a home!  So the lady told us that there was a restaurant just 10 minutes walk in a castle on a camp site - sounds unlikely but she kindly booked us a table for 8 o'clock.  The weather forecast was not good, however and looking at Henks' weather radar app it looked very much as if a storm was heading our way, after at least four weeks of wonderful dry, sunny weather.  We set off for the restaurant a bit before 8 p.m., not quite knowing where we were aiming for.  After a lot of guess work and a few looks at Henks' Google map we arrived at the restaurant half an hour later in the rain!!  The chateau in which the restaurant was situated was very nice, if a little grand and basically catered for the 'campers' who seemed to be mostly elderly Brits.  The camp site was made up of a few mobile homes, chalets of varying quality and some gites in the chateau.......more like 'glamping' I guess!  Sad to say, although the quality of the meat was probably quite good, it was well overdone - our half an hour trek was not rewarded!!  We just had one course and a bottle of wine then after paying, left disappointed.  We decided on a different route back which indeed, seemed shorter although we didn't hang around as it was still raining fairly hard, with thunder rumbling and flashes of lightening.  We all got onto Aphrodites' aft deck just before the real rain came - blowing a gale and dropping a months' worth of water on us.  Luckily Skip had shut everything up before leaving although we later found that some windows had been forgotten, resulting in a few mini floods!!  Henk went to check his boat and find some dry clothes, then we chatted, enjoying a digestif or two whilst the storm raged around us.  We had to move below in the end as the rain was so hard that it was permeating the canopy and wetting
everything.  An interesting evening!!

11 km 1 lock 1 3/4 hours

Tuesday 13th September - Tournus

Another rest day, so Skip cleaned the outside of the boat and went shopping, Crew put the washing machine on and cleaned the toilet and shower and Henk started on sanding our other table - that's a rest day folks!!!  A space had materialised just behind us and a considerable worry for us was for a hire boat to try and squeeze in, particularly as Henk is rafted up to us and we had a pretty strong wind!  Around one o'clock two boats approached, intent on that space!  We managed to help the English crew to moor, not without them scraping Henks' rail though!  Then a German crew decided to raft up alongside them......more angst! Again, Cornelis k. took a knock but eventually we all got him safely alongside the Brits - phew.....no more problems now!  We should be safe!   Henk only stopped for a bite of lunch, whilst Skip washed up and Crew was considering a siesta (had a bad night last night!).  Crew did not rise from her slumber until almost six o'clock by which time Henk had only just finished sanding and oiling the table.......he was working all day on it with only a short break for lunch!!  Poor boy!  Large hotel boats were coming and going, spoiling any peace with their loud generators and ensuring that we bounced around nicely!  Also many more commercial boats were plying the river than on the Rhone, adding to,the bouncing!!  We decided a quiet supper of beef carpaccio, salad and bread and a fairly early night.
Tournus is another ancient city with a certain shabby charm, with narrow streets and a lot of churches, abbeys and monasteries built by the Romans - the first monastery being built in 875.  When Napoleon returned from exile in 1815 he awarded Tournus the Legion of Honour to reward the Tournusians for their courage towards the Austrians, whom they chased away in 1814.

Monday 12th September - Macon to Tournus

We slipped our moorings just after 10 o'clock, bidding our new friends farewell.  No locks today so a straightforward, if a little boring cruise.  Just as well really, as we were all feeling a little jaded after yesterdays' frivolities!!  We arrived in Tournus just before one o'clock.  Skip and Crew went into town looking for a cold beer but found no bar as such - most were restaurants and were in full swing with lunch........so back to Aphrodite.  Henk joined us and we had some lunch, after which a very much needed siesta!  We re-convened around 7.30 for aperitifs then walked around town looking for a restaurant.  We ended up in the Brasserie des Arcades and enjoyed a very acceptable meal served by  (probably) the very cheerful and efficient owner.  Henk went straight to bed and we watched a DVD.

29 km 0 locks 2 3/4 hours

Sunday 11th September - Macon

We had decided to go out for Sunday lunch (comme les Francaises!) and tried to book a table at Le Poisson d'Or which was rated highly and looked good but alas......it was fully booked, so we were on a mission to find somewhere else.  We walked around for almost half an hour, getting hot and thirsty and finally came across La Maisonette des Vins - a fine old building which did wine tastings and had a large restaurant and terrace.  Unfortunately the only table on the terrace was in full sun so we were shown to a table in the spacious restaurant.  We asked for beer to slake our thirsts but as it was a wine house none was available - two carafes of water had to suffice!  The food was very good and of course, the wine too!  We walked back the quick way along the river bank with the idea of having a coffee and Armagnac in the small cafe near the marina but as no Armagnac or Cognac was available, Skip just had a quick coffee, then we repaired to Aphrodites' back deck and availed ourselves of our fairly extensive bar!  Some time after 3.30 a very small but beautiful cruiser arrived and tied up behind us.  Matt, an Englishman with fluent Dutch (he'd lived in Holland for ten years) and Hilda, his 30 year old Dutch partner started chatting so we invited them over for a drink.  A very lively and interesting couple - the hours flew by.....drinking, chatting and laughing a lot!  Hunger got the best of them around 9 p.m. and they went off to find a meal.  A very enjoyable evening!

Saturday 10th September - Belleville to Macon

Around 7.30 a.m. a very large hotel boat arrived and moored right in front of us - to make it easier for us to leave the mooring Henk moved out first, having detached the German sailing boat, allowing us to reverse a bit before leaving the mooring, which we did around 10 o'clock as usual.  An uneventful trip apart from a twenty minute wait for the lock.  We tied up in Macon harbour around 1 p.m. on the visitors' pontoon.  Crew decide to cook her version of a Thai Chicken Curry in the evening so after our usual lunch and siesta, started to prepare vegetables.  It was a bit of a test for Henk as he is very particular about his food, to say the least!  He gamely tried it and declared it tasty although he didn't eat very much.....maybe 7 out of 10??

28km 1 lock 3 hours

Friday 9th September - Belleville

A bit of boat cleaning to start with, both inside and out - Skip on the outside, Crew inside.  We had booked the table for one o'clock and just before midday Louisa messaged to say that they were about an hour away.....perfect!  However they hit bad traffic around Lyon (normal!) and didn't arrive until almost 1.30 p.m., not that it mattered - our nice man was not at all perturbed.  We mostly had the lunch menu which, at €13.50 for three courses was pretty good.  Crew thought she'd ordered a carafe of white wine but something arrived in a glass with ice in it - the waitress said it was Martini.  She took it back, having given it a sniff and returned with the carafe.  Then our man returned with the 'martini' and said it was white port from Portugal and presented it to me free of charge!  A very quirky restaurant but fun!  After lunch Louisa and Steve came aboard for the tour and a drink before setting back on the road - they were stopping for the night with their tent somewhere near Troyes, then back across the Channel tomorrow.  Lovely lunch, lovely couple - they left around 4 p.m. for their three hour drive.  Whilst we were sitting on deck a small yacht with a lone sailor aboard arrived, looking to moor but there were no places so Henk invited him to moor alongside his boat.  Later, around 7 p.m. he came back from a walk into town for groceries (one and a half kilometres).  He stopped to talk to us for a while and imparted that he had lived in Portugal for some years and was indeed heading back in that direction for winter.  He had quite a lot in common with Henk as far as sailing is concerned and as he had to cross Henks' deck, was invited for a drink.  Sounded very strange  - a Dutchman and a German speaking English together!!  A quiet evening with a DVD and to bed.  Sometime soon we should be able to receive TV stations - I'm sure we had TV in Macon which is where we are making for tomorrow.

Thursday 8th September - Trevoux to Belleville

We left our mooring at our usual time as we didn't have a very long cruise and no locks to Belleville.  we were a little tempted by the moorings in Montmerle-sur-Saone as it looked like a pretty little town but tomorrow we have visitors for lunch and no restaurant was mentioned in our books so we pressed on to Belleville.  A lovely two hour cruise on a beautiful morning saw us tied up on the floating pontoon with free mooring and electricity.......a first on this cruise!  The usual beer and lunch and some research into the towns' restaurants followed, then siesta.  There are three restaurants near the port - two of which are right by the road but the third, La Guinguette, was just across the road from the mooring and much more peaceful.  We needed to find a restaurant for lunch tomorrow as Crews' sister-in-laws' daughter and husband were going to drop by and see us on their way back from a weeks' camping and canoeing holiday.  We decided in the end to give La Guinguette a trial run and went there for dinner - pretty good, run by a very amiable young man......a family business!  He gave us a free digestif after dinner.....nice man!

24 km O locks 2 hours

Wednesday 7th September - Trevoux

Another so called rest day, so Crew got the ironing board out and Skip got the polish out!!  After a morning of work, a well deserved beer and the usual lunch, followed by a siesta.  Trevoux is a very quaint old town, typical of the Saone area.  It was the former capital of the Principality of Dombes and prospered in the 17th and 18th centuries.  The view from the terrace square is magnificent, overlooking the Saone Valley - a bit of a climb up through the narrow streets but worth the effort!  Some of the streets are so steep that rails have been placed for assistance with the climb!

We had an aperitif on board around 7 p.m.then made our way to Le Chaudron.  The meal that we remembered consisted of all you can eat Grenouilles, served in a large paella-type pan which kept coming as long as the customers were hungry - alas......this was only served on Fridays and Saturdays!  Somehow we always seem to be a day too early or a day too late!  Never mind there were still frogs' legs on the menu so we weren't disappointed!

Tuesday 6th September - Lyon to Trevoux

We left Lyon at our usual time of 10 o'clock.  As we possibly will not be going south again, time to say 'goodbye' to Lyon......sad!  It's a very interesting city with lots of history, if a little scruffy in parts.....it wouldn't go amiss for the Lyon council to provide some more rubbish clearing and some more bins as some parts are strewn with litter and dog ends - shame!  Our first Saone lock brought back not such good memories - they are certainly not as easy as the Rhone locks, although they are not as deep.  For a start, they fill as all the smaller locks on the rivers and canals.....from the gates instead of from below which makes for more turbulence, which Aphrodite doesn't like!!  We are not sure whether it's the shape of our hull or our fat belly!!  Thankfully the locks are few and far between.   We arrived in the quaint little town of Trevoux at 1.15p.m. and moored on the comfortable floating pontoon.  There was a peniche also moored there and one of the men came over and suggested that we moor further back as they were painting their boat - a very charming Frenchman with good English.  Henk came over for a beer and some lunch.....there's definitely a theme going on here!  Skip did a recce into town to remind himself of the town as it was three years since we had visited and returned quite excited at the fact that the 'grenouille restaurant', Le Chaudron was there.  However as it wasn't open until Wednesday, we simply decided to stay for two nights so that we could enjoy a feast of frogs' legs!  He also found another restaurant further into town called La Baroque, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner with excellent service on a terrace under the trees.

30 km 1 lock 3 1/2 hours

Monday 5th September - Lyon

Skip was going to try and bleed the aircon system again - can't see that it does much good since it only stays on for half an hour or so after all his efforts!  We must have shifted well over a hundred and fifty litres of water!!  Another job on our ever growing list once we get to St. Jean de  Losne!  Since the mattress has to be moved to allow access for this mammoth task, Crew decided to change the bed and therefore do a wash.......difficult clambering over the bed to fill the machine!  Very glad to have been good at hurdling in my youth!!  We were planning to go to the shopping centre and Henk was to join us ( he wanted to buy some new shirts), when the rain came.  Softly at first, then strong enough for Skip to batten down the hatches and put all the covers up on our outside deck - big scramble!  So we invited Henk over for a beer and some early lunch, waiting for it to ease.  We walked across the bridge to the centre around 2.30 and walked through the shops to the large Carrefour supermarket at the end of the mall, looking for men's' shops on the way.......needless to say the shops were mostly for females!!  We did a bit of food shopping and then searched the upper floor.  Skip went out for some air whilst Henk and Crew scoured the upper level shops. Result......five shirts were bought, fairly quickly, in one shop! Happy Henk!!  Skip was still sitting outside when we re- appeared as he'd been kept amused by some sort of mini film being made on the quay.  We arranged for aperitifs on Aphrodite around 7 p.m. and then to the fish restaurant on the third floor of the shopping centre.  The meal was average but not too expensive surprisingly.  Digestifs on board and bed.

Sunday 4th September - Lyon

We had paid for a three night stay in Lyon and the plan for today was to visit the old town by Le Vaporetto, a very smart water bus which operates from the port every hour, at a cost of only €2 each way!  We caught the 11.30 vaporetto and arrived in Saint-Paul just before midday, having stopped in Bellevue to let some people off.  We wandered around the narrow cobbled streets, strewn with small restaurants under a slightly overcast sky, although it was still pretty warm.  Although it was Sunday some of the little boutiques were also open but mostly we were inspecting menus, looking forward to our Lyonnaise lunch!  We stopped for a cooling beer then walked to  St. Jean Cathedral with its' beautiful stained glass windows - it's overlooked by the impressive Basilica of Notre Dame set on top of the hill opposite.  There was an error is yesterday's blog, thanks to my skipper, Lyon is, as I thought, the second largest city in France - not the third!  The city was famous for its' silk weaving and also enjoyed a thriving artistic and cultural tradition.  There are countless museums, theatres, etc. to visit - far too many to do in a day!  Since tummies were rumbling, we concentrated on finding lunch.  We all agreed on a particular menu and were welcomed by a friendly waitress and waiter, so sat at a very small table set out on the cobbles.  We had a lovely lunch (Henk was thrilled with the escargots that he'd ordered!) in a very leisurely manner.  We ambled slowly to the Bellevue stop to take the vaporetto back to the port - it was very warm and muggy by now......our siesta called!!  The rest of the day was spent very lazily, culminating in a DVD, then bed.

Saturday 3rd September - Les Roches de Condrieu to Lyon

We set off at 10.15 - another beautiful morning with not much wind.  Our last day on the Rhone today as Lyon is at the confluence of the rivers Rhone and Saone.  After 7 km we reached our first lock which......hoorah! was ready for us.  A little while later we passed by the historic town of Vienne which, over 2000 years ago was occupied by the Romans when it became a very prosperous city.  There are still Roman monuments that remain and on the right bank of the river, excavations have discovered not only beautiful villas built there but also a city with a craft industry, a market and thermal baths.  Devastated by invasions from the 5th century, however, the town became really impoverished.  There is plenty to see nowadays though since a lot of the citys' historical buildings remain to this day.  On reaching our next lock we were delighted to see that it was also ready for us....that doesn't happen often!  We arrived well ahead of schedule, thanks to the lack of waiting time, around 2.30 p.m.  We should have had some lunch then really but we were all very thirsty so went over to a waterside bar for cold beer!  After paying our dues at the  Capitainerie, we had a late lunch, followed by a siesta.  The port of Lyon is actually on the river Saone and was only constructed about four or five years ago - surprising really since Lyon is Frances' third largest city.  Maybe more surprising is that it only has 32 berths so we called ahead and reserved our places.  Henk came over for champagne around 8 o'clock to celebrate our leaving the Rhone......any excuse! In fact there has been a distinct lack of bubbles on this trip - more like a beer fest!!  Along the waterfront there are several little restaurants so we wandered up and down, looking at menus.  We only wanted a single course as lunch was late - the boys chose carpaccio of beef and Crew a tasty chicken dish......just right!  A very hot day with hardly any wind and high humidity, so fairly early to bed!

42 km 2 locks 4 1/4 hours

Vienne

Friday 2nd September - Les Roches de Condrieu

Crew and Skip decided to walk across the bridge into Condrieu (Crew needed the exercise and hadn't even been into one shop since we arrived back on Aphrodite!).  The town is what you might call shabby/chic, the shops not being very glamorous at all.  There was a small market in the centre which we looked around and bought a couple of things - then found our other requirements in a small supermarket.  It was almost midday and hot already with very little wind so we stopped for a beer on the way back in a little bar.  Condrieu is famous for its' bargee tradition, where barges were recruited to ply the mighty river Rhone with their cargoes and is also famed for water jousting - supposed to be the best jousters in the country.  The white wines in the region are excellent too - Voignier being one of Crews' favourite whites!    We had decided to eat in the Tele-ski restaurant but when Skip googled it we were informed that it was now not open until 18th September, instead we thought we would try L'Alternative, the small restaurant near the port as the Capitaine, Zac said it was good.  So we stopped there for another beer and book for dinner.  When we got back to the boat, Henk was working on our table and looked rather warm so we invited him over for a beer and offered him some lunch - the lunch he declined but the cold beer was very welcome.  We had some lunch, followed by a siesta then Henk came over for an aperitif before going for dinner - there's definitely a pattern here, you may have noticed!!  The meal was fairly average and rather expensive for what is was and we feel that the mark up on the wine a little heavy €24 for a bottle of local wine - good but pricey!  Henk declined a digestif and went off to bed.  Crew started talking to our Danish neighbour whereupon he invited us over to share a bottle of red with himself and his English wife.  We had wanted an early night really but it would have been churlish to refuse so we boarded his Birchwood 42 and chatted for about an hour.  Both in their seventies, they didn't seem to travel so far these days - they had already been in Condrieu for two months and were planning to stay another month, then go back to England by car.  On the move tomorrow so bed!

Thursday 1st September - Les Roches deCondrieu

We went to the Capitainerie to pay for a third night - Zac, the capitaine said that if we paid for a third night, the fourth night would be free........silly not to take up such an offer!!  Henk had overwintered here and told us that the Capitainerie was closed over the weekend so, technically it we had arrived late on a Friday, we could have stayed for free for three nights. As it was we paid €66 for four nights.   We settled on four nights, as we were eager to get to our next stop.......Lyon (supposedly the culinary capital of France).  We had lunch on board - the plan was to go for a nice dinner at the Tele- ski restaurant but, when Skip googled it, the restaurant, for some reason was not open until 18th September.......disappointment!  The two very large duck breasts were retrieved from our freezer for 'diner chez nous'.  Eventually Crew came up with her offering and wine was poured!  We chatted a while after dinner then Henk retired to Cornelis k. as he was tired (very warm with hardly any wind!).  We intended to watch an episode of Scott and Bailey but the first programme melted into the second, so we watched that too - didn't get to bed till 1 a.m.!!!

Wednesday 31st August - Les Roches de Condrieu

A huge apology readers - yesterdays' afternoon /evening account was completely wrong......that's what happens when I get behind!
We had just finished lunch when Claude, a friend of Henk, who he met on a plane from France to Holland about 20 months ago turned up at the port.  He came aboard Aphrodite and accepted a glass of wine.  He and Henk caught up for a while then he invited us all to his house for dinner - we readily accepted of course.  He came to pick us up at 7 p.m. and took us to his lovely house, about 15 km away.  As we arrived Claudes' partner, Michelle arrived from Lyon.  How they had managed to give us such a lovely dinner, I don't know!  The conversation was entirely in French which Skip and Crew struggled with a little but they both spoke very clearly and Henk was able to converse freely.  Their house was in a gated estate, on a fairly steep hill, overlooking the valley - lovely view!  We wondered if we should ask them to call us a taxi but, no........Claude very kindly drove us back.  A lovely couple, a lovely evening (just wish our communication skills were better!!).
Now, for today!!
We had decided to stay for three nights, so Henk (who had promised to sand and varnish our two tables) said that he would make a start.  Crew collected some laundry from him and got the machine going.  We left it too late to shop in the village - they close from 12 p.m. till 2 p.m.so no bread for lunch.  In fact there is only a boulangerie, a pharmacie and a coiffeur on this side of the bridge.  More shops are available over the bridge in Condrieu town, which is almost a kilometre away.  We decided against the walk as it was very hot with no wind, so crackers for lunch!!  Henk was sanding away on the pontoon when we returned - very hot work, so we offered him a beer in the shade.  Revived, he went back to work, refusing our offer of lunch........once that boy starts a job!!!  Crew decided on a siesta and managed to get two and a half hours under her belt - must have needed the sleep!  We  decided to go to the hotel for dinner as we were all a bit zapped by the heat and didn't fancy the walk into town.  The restaurant was very old fashioned but the food very good, although pricey.

Tuesday 30th September - Andancette to Les Roches de Condrieu

As we had managed to moor in Andancette last night, we had no need to set off too early for our cruise to Les Roches de Condrieu, so we didn't leave the pontoon till 11 a.m. - good news for Henk as he had some maintenance to do on his boat and good news for Crews' penchant for double figures!!  We had a lovely run to Les Roches de Condrieu with just one lock and arrived in the pretty harbour around 2 p.m.  On the way we spotted the hotel that we stayed in last year on our way down to Aphrodite.  We settled in and had some lunch, discussing the evening arrangements.  There are a couple of places to eat, the nearest being a fairly formal hotel (a bit expensive) and a nice restaurant by the Tele-ski lake which was closed until 1st September.  As we didn't really fancy the hotel, Crew cooked pork chops for dinner - then bed.

28 km 1 lock 3 hours