The family came over to the boat after their hotel breakfast to wish us ‘au revoir’ around ten o’clock. After great excitement feeding the ducks and spotting some enormous carp in the canal and consuming coffees and tea, they made their slow way back to Blighty, stopping overnight in the Reims/Epernay region. It had been so lovely to see the excitement of the children on the boat and, although the weather hadn’t been fantastic, it was bearable. It would probably take a day or two to get Aphrodite back to normal as they wanted to open all the cupboards and drawers!!
Crew has a problem in that the hand held Dyson is not charging. This is a source of huge annoyance as the charger was new last year, so words will be had with the said Dyson company on our return home! Skip actually ordered a new one from Amazon to be delivered to the port. It was supposed to arrive yesterday but it didn’t and today is a French holiday. It then has just tomorrow and Saturday to arrive before we move on......here’s hoping! By way of a belt and braces approach, Skip went off on a half an hour trek to a Dyson shop in town, which seems to have done a disappearing act! He then found a very large LeClerc hypermarket, which, although they sold Dysons, did not have spares! So, having walked about five miles, Crew persuaded him to return ‘home’.
Henk arrived late afternoon and we had a catch up chat and drink - he has a problem with his bow thruster.......batteries we think.
We decided on a quiet night in with a chicken salad for supper in front of the TV.
Friday, 31 May 2019
Thursday, 30 May 2019
Wednesday 29th May - Montbeliard
Our new crew were to be arriving at 10.30 but unfortunately for Crew they arrived an hour early.....needless to say, Crew was not even up and dressed!!
Our plan was to cruise through two locks (back the way we came) and then tie off in Voujeaucourt for lunch. After mooring and a 15 minute walk we found a smart Pizza restaurant but we were told that they were full - usual story! However the waitress must have felt sorry for us and moved two small tables together for us and we had a very good lunch. The weather forecast was not brilliant with rain forecast. However, it only rained a little whilst we were having lunch and we even enjoyed some good sunny spells. On arriving back at the port, Skip suggested a visit to the nearby playground which was a popular suggestion. They had a while to blow off steam until the fun was stopped by sudden rainfall so Skip returned to the boat and the family made their way back to their hotel.
We met up in Chez Witt for our last dinner with the family. We had enjoyed a very good meal in this restaurant the last time we visited Montbéliard but as that would have been at least two years ago, we guessed that it has changed hands in that time and it wasn’t quite as good as before. It was very acceptable however and quite reasonable.
We parted company after dinner, fairly early, as all Aphrodites’ crew were tired after a short cruising day. Skip and Crew watched a little TV and bed.
Our plan was to cruise through two locks (back the way we came) and then tie off in Voujeaucourt for lunch. After mooring and a 15 minute walk we found a smart Pizza restaurant but we were told that they were full - usual story! However the waitress must have felt sorry for us and moved two small tables together for us and we had a very good lunch. The weather forecast was not brilliant with rain forecast. However, it only rained a little whilst we were having lunch and we even enjoyed some good sunny spells. On arriving back at the port, Skip suggested a visit to the nearby playground which was a popular suggestion. They had a while to blow off steam until the fun was stopped by sudden rainfall so Skip returned to the boat and the family made their way back to their hotel.
We met up in Chez Witt for our last dinner with the family. We had enjoyed a very good meal in this restaurant the last time we visited Montbéliard but as that would have been at least two years ago, we guessed that it has changed hands in that time and it wasn’t quite as good as before. It was very acceptable however and quite reasonable.
We parted company after dinner, fairly early, as all Aphrodites’ crew were tired after a short cruising day. Skip and Crew watched a little TV and bed.
Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Tuesday 28th May - Montbeliard
A bit of a lie in for Crew as we acquired an extra day before the family arrived. Unfortunately the weather has taken a turn for the worse, with much lower temperatures and rain forecast......typical!
James, Clare, Henry and Rose arrived around 2.30 p.m. having stopped for some lunch on the way. Then followed the huge excitement of our 5 and 3 year old grandchildren discovering every single nook and cranny of Aphrodite, whilst the adults had a catch up and a drink or two.
When they all went into town to check into their hotel, Skip and Crew had a rest before later walking into town to join them all for dinner. We managed to get a table in La Pause Gourmande, a small restaurant at the southern end of the town. We were planning to dine in the Thai restaurant, Chez Witt but they were closed on a Tuesday evening, so the plan was to eat there tomorrow night. With this in mind, Crew booked a table.
As we had arrived early at the restaurant, there were not many diners but as the evening wore on it filled to capacity and we had some lovely food and good wine.
When they all went into town to check into their hotel, Skip and Crew had a rest before later walking into town to join them all for dinner. We managed to get a table in La Pause Gourmande, a small restaurant at the southern end of the town. We were planning to dine in the Thai restaurant, Chez Witt but they were closed on a Tuesday evening, so the plan was to eat there tomorrow night. With this in mind, Crew booked a table.
As we had arrived early at the restaurant, there were not many diners but as the evening wore on it filled to capacity and we had some lovely food and good wine.
Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Monday 27th May - Montbeliard
Hurrah!! No early morning reveille for Crew. A lovely cup of tea in bed!! As the Capitainerie was closed yesterday, Skip went over to pay our dues. He informed Crew on his return that he had booked us in for a week, as the berthing rate was a bargain......€63 including electric and water - who am I to argue!
Skip sent a mail to James to see what progress they were making but no quick reply came so he went to the supermarket whilst Crew set to work, cleaning the heads......not her favourite job!! When Skip returned he’d had a reply from James to say that they had missed their allotted Channel crossing and were waiting to load onto the next. We looked at each other........we had got the dates wrong!! They will not arrive until tomorrow, as they are stopping over near Reims overnight tonight and will drive here tomorrow. More time to get ship-shape, which is good.
The galley has never had such a complete clean (including the oven!!!) and we still have tomorrow morning to finish off - Aphrodite should be sparkling by then!
We just had a light supper on board and watched TV and the last episode of our DVD - The Unforgotten. However we had bad problems with the power to the boat and had to keep putting our generator on in order to catch the last of the programme. A visit to the Capitainerie is in order in the morning!
Skip sent a mail to James to see what progress they were making but no quick reply came so he went to the supermarket whilst Crew set to work, cleaning the heads......not her favourite job!! When Skip returned he’d had a reply from James to say that they had missed their allotted Channel crossing and were waiting to load onto the next. We looked at each other........we had got the dates wrong!! They will not arrive until tomorrow, as they are stopping over near Reims overnight tonight and will drive here tomorrow. More time to get ship-shape, which is good.
The galley has never had such a complete clean (including the oven!!!) and we still have tomorrow morning to finish off - Aphrodite should be sparkling by then!
We just had a light supper on board and watched TV and the last episode of our DVD - The Unforgotten. However we had bad problems with the power to the boat and had to keep putting our generator on in order to catch the last of the programme. A visit to the Capitainerie is in order in the morning!
Monday, 27 May 2019
Sunday 26th May - L’isle-sur-le-Doubs to Montbeliard
We left somewhat after 9 a.m. on another beautiful sunny day. Unfortunately the weather forecast for the familys’ visit is not so good, which is such a shame as we’ve had wonderful weather over the last week.
A similar day today but with slightly fewer locks - most of them are 2 km apart. For our first 6 locks everything went swimmingly well but as we approached a lifting bridge, there was no obvious person in attendance, so we had to tie off at a waiting pontoon. As soon as we called a lady appeared and lifted the bridge for us. But worse was to come!
On approaching the next lock (our seventh) the green light refused to appear and the gates remained stubbornly closed - we could see that the top gates were indeed open. After trying to call without apparent success, the system started working, as if by magic and we were able to enter the lock. However the lower gates refused to close completely and once again we were unable to lock through. On calling the VNF for the third time today, we learned that it was lunchtime until 1.30 p.m. - it was now only 12.40 p.m.!!! So frustrating but as we know, everything stops for lunch in France! So, as what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, we had our lunch sitting in the bottom of the lock! The VNF lady didn’t turn up until 2.25 p.m. (it is Sunday after all and, to top it all, it is the French Mothers’ Day!). This is turning into a long day!!
Then the next lifting bridge should have been operated by our ‘zapper’ but all we got were two red lights - the same VNF lady arrived soon to put things right again......it’s not Friday 13th is it??
We finally reached Montbeliard at 4.15 p.m. - a long day!
After two fairly heavy cruising days, we didn’t have much energy, so Skip went into town to find a takeaway pizza. He had quite a trek but returned with a pizza flavour we’ve not had before.........chicken tikka!! Not ideal but in fact quite tasty!
So a quiet evening in front of ‘Vera’ and not too late to bed.
23 km 11 locks 7 hours
On approaching the next lock (our seventh) the green light refused to appear and the gates remained stubbornly closed - we could see that the top gates were indeed open. After trying to call without apparent success, the system started working, as if by magic and we were able to enter the lock. However the lower gates refused to close completely and once again we were unable to lock through. On calling the VNF for the third time today, we learned that it was lunchtime until 1.30 p.m. - it was now only 12.40 p.m.!!! So frustrating but as we know, everything stops for lunch in France! So, as what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, we had our lunch sitting in the bottom of the lock! The VNF lady didn’t turn up until 2.25 p.m. (it is Sunday after all and, to top it all, it is the French Mothers’ Day!). This is turning into a long day!!
Then the next lifting bridge should have been operated by our ‘zapper’ but all we got were two red lights - the same VNF lady arrived soon to put things right again......it’s not Friday 13th is it??
We finally reached Montbeliard at 4.15 p.m. - a long day!
After two fairly heavy cruising days, we didn’t have much energy, so Skip went into town to find a takeaway pizza. He had quite a trek but returned with a pizza flavour we’ve not had before.........chicken tikka!! Not ideal but in fact quite tasty!
So a quiet evening in front of ‘Vera’ and not too late to bed.
23 km 11 locks 7 hours
Sunday, 26 May 2019
Saturday 25th May - Baume les Dames to L’Isle-sur-Le-Doubs
A long day today, so we left port just before 9 a.m. - all these single figure departures are a bit of a strain on poor Crew!! Henk is to stay on for another night, hoping to catch up with his friends and we need to make Montbeliard tomorrow, as we are meeting up with our son and his family there on Monday. We need time to get ship-shape!
Similar to yesterday the locks are spaced about 2 kilometres apart and we have 14 today. All went swimmingly until our fifth lock when, instead of the lock gate opening on completion, the alarm went off - Skip assures Crew that he didn’t touch it! So a twenty minute wait was in order!
All the rest of the locks went without incident and we arrived rather warm and tired just before 3 p.m.
Since Skip was unable to get bread earlier, we lunched frugally on cheese and nibbles. After lunch Skip went to the supermarket to stock up.....just as he set off though, the rain started! It was expected but didn’t last very long.
Although L’Isle-sur-Le-Doubs had a restaurant - and indeed a couple of bars and a boulangerie- we decided to dine in and Crew cooked bangers and mash with onion gravy. We managed to get TV with a little adjustment of the aerial, so just vegged out in front of it before bedtime.
31 km 14 locks 6 hours
Similar to yesterday the locks are spaced about 2 kilometres apart and we have 14 today. All went swimmingly until our fifth lock when, instead of the lock gate opening on completion, the alarm went off - Skip assures Crew that he didn’t touch it! So a twenty minute wait was in order!
All the rest of the locks went without incident and we arrived rather warm and tired just before 3 p.m.
Since Skip was unable to get bread earlier, we lunched frugally on cheese and nibbles. After lunch Skip went to the supermarket to stock up.....just as he set off though, the rain started! It was expected but didn’t last very long.
Although L’Isle-sur-Le-Doubs had a restaurant - and indeed a couple of bars and a boulangerie- we decided to dine in and Crew cooked bangers and mash with onion gravy. We managed to get TV with a little adjustment of the aerial, so just vegged out in front of it before bedtime.
31 km 14 locks 6 hours
Saturday, 25 May 2019
Friday 24th May - De Luz to Baumes les Dames
After another slight contretemps about our departure time, we left De Luz at 9.30 on a lovely sunny morning. Our first obstacle was an ecluse de garde - a lock that is open unless the waterway is in flood. This one, however, had a red light and the gates were closed. We vaguely remembered this one before so we followed the normal procedure and operated the lock, expecting to enter and hover until the top gate automatically opened. Good theory........but the gate didn’t open! So we called the VNF - the man arrived about 15 minutes later and got us through. Not a great start to the day but, to be fair, it was our first problem so far.
The rest of the locks went smoothly and we enjoyed cruising in such beautiful surroundings with the sun warming us to the extent that both Skip and Crew were in shorts and t-shirts.
We arrived just before 1 p.m. and got organised. Henk was about an hour behind us so lunch was slightly earlier than usual.
Henk over- wintered in Baume les Dames two years ago and made some French friends with whom he enjoyed many an apero on board their boat, so he knows the town very well. We therefore decided to go for dinner at his favourite restaurant, Le Charleston - he tried to call to reserve a table but without luck, so we thought we should go a little earlier than usual and met for our apero at 6.30, then made our way to the restaurant just after 7 p.m., arriving around 7.30 (it’s about a 25 minute walk).
We were successful in getting a table, which was lucky because, as time wore on the restaurant filled up. Skip went for the four course €28 menu du jour and Henk and Crew shared a starter and chose a main course - the food was delicious, as expected, and the wine very good and reasonably priced at €8 for a 50cl carafe.
We decided on a taxi back to the port - lazy lot!! As it had been a fairly long, warm day, we went our separate ways for a reasonably early night.
17 km 7 locks 3 1/2 hours
The rest of the locks went smoothly and we enjoyed cruising in such beautiful surroundings with the sun warming us to the extent that both Skip and Crew were in shorts and t-shirts.
We arrived just before 1 p.m. and got organised. Henk was about an hour behind us so lunch was slightly earlier than usual.
Henk over- wintered in Baume les Dames two years ago and made some French friends with whom he enjoyed many an apero on board their boat, so he knows the town very well. We therefore decided to go for dinner at his favourite restaurant, Le Charleston - he tried to call to reserve a table but without luck, so we thought we should go a little earlier than usual and met for our apero at 6.30, then made our way to the restaurant just after 7 p.m., arriving around 7.30 (it’s about a 25 minute walk).
We were successful in getting a table, which was lucky because, as time wore on the restaurant filled up. Skip went for the four course €28 menu du jour and Henk and Crew shared a starter and chose a main course - the food was delicious, as expected, and the wine very good and reasonably priced at €8 for a 50cl carafe.
We decided on a taxi back to the port - lazy lot!! As it had been a fairly long, warm day, we went our separate ways for a reasonably early night.
17 km 7 locks 3 1/2 hours
Friday, 24 May 2019
Thursday 23rd May - Besancon to De Luz
Not so long a day today, so didn’t depart until almost 10 o’clock. Another beautiful sunny day, if a bit of a chilly wind first thing.
We enjoyed a lovely cruise in the sun with beautiful scenery surrounding us and only two single and one double lock to navigate. The double lock was not too bad but the final one of the two was a bit rough. We are using just a central line on a sliding pole - most of which are covered in lock sludge......ropes filthy!
We arrived just before 1 p.m. and got settled to await Henks’ arrival for lunch. However he had had a problem at the double lock - he accidentally nudged the alarm with his elbow, which automatically sends a call to the VNF to attend he had also got his rope stuck on the sliding pole as there was a ridge in which the line got stuck and as the water level is rising, so it gets stuck.....that is nasty!! He had to wait longer than usual for the VNF man to arrive, meaning he didn’t arrive until 3.30 p.m. - another late lunch, except, rudely Skip and Crew couldn’t wait and had already eaten. But since he was hot and tired we were able to feed and water him until he was comfortable!
Skip went off to the village to explore - we have been here before but our memories are not what they used to be!! Nothing much to report sadly, just one restaurant, La Pergola, which doubled up as a bar and tabac.
By now it was 22/23c with hardly any wind, so felt very warm, therefore Skip adopted his usual supine position on the back deck for his siesta - wish there was a French word for that!
We decided on a simple salad supper and watched some TV, which we hadn’t expected to get, given the high hills around us.
19km 4 locks 3 hours
We enjoyed a lovely cruise in the sun with beautiful scenery surrounding us and only two single and one double lock to navigate. The double lock was not too bad but the final one of the two was a bit rough. We are using just a central line on a sliding pole - most of which are covered in lock sludge......ropes filthy!
We arrived just before 1 p.m. and got settled to await Henks’ arrival for lunch. However he had had a problem at the double lock - he accidentally nudged the alarm with his elbow, which automatically sends a call to the VNF to attend he had also got his rope stuck on the sliding pole as there was a ridge in which the line got stuck and as the water level is rising, so it gets stuck.....that is nasty!! He had to wait longer than usual for the VNF man to arrive, meaning he didn’t arrive until 3.30 p.m. - another late lunch, except, rudely Skip and Crew couldn’t wait and had already eaten. But since he was hot and tired we were able to feed and water him until he was comfortable!
Skip went off to the village to explore - we have been here before but our memories are not what they used to be!! Nothing much to report sadly, just one restaurant, La Pergola, which doubled up as a bar and tabac.
By now it was 22/23c with hardly any wind, so felt very warm, therefore Skip adopted his usual supine position on the back deck for his siesta - wish there was a French word for that!
We decided on a simple salad supper and watched some TV, which we hadn’t expected to get, given the high hills around us.
19km 4 locks 3 hours
Thursday, 23 May 2019
Wednesday 22nd May - Ranchot to Besancon
There was a mix up about our departure time this morning......Crew thought it was 9 a.m. but cruelly, Skip informed Crew that it was 8.30!! Not a good start! We left the mooring more or less on time, by some miracle but obviously with jobs Crew still had to do! The first lock was very close so they were done before the second of the day as there was 5km between them.
Although quite chilly first thing, the sky was blue and the sun shone down on us, so it warmed up pretty quickly, causing us to perform our usual striptease!
All the locks, although against us, were pretty quick to operate. The countryside was very green, again with quite a few villages to see and occasional sheer rocky slopes reaching up to the now blue sky with only the odd cloud to cool us down.
Our last lock preceded the 1 kilometre tunnel and sometimes involves a long wait with nowhere to properly tie off in the basin but we were lucky and only waited for about 10 minutes. We moored on the long quay just after 2.30 p.m. today was more than an hour behind us, so turned up not much before 4 p.m.......a very late lunch today!
We decided to re- convene for dinner at 7 p.m. and strolled into town half an hour or so later. The town of Besancon is a university town and is buzzing with young people - the bars and restaurants full of them, enjoying life - a lively place to visit!
We walked back to the boats and opted for an early night so bade Henk goodnight, watched a little TV and so to bed!
35km 12 locks 2 tunnels 6 hours
Although quite chilly first thing, the sky was blue and the sun shone down on us, so it warmed up pretty quickly, causing us to perform our usual striptease!
All the locks, although against us, were pretty quick to operate. The countryside was very green, again with quite a few villages to see and occasional sheer rocky slopes reaching up to the now blue sky with only the odd cloud to cool us down.
Our last lock preceded the 1 kilometre tunnel and sometimes involves a long wait with nowhere to properly tie off in the basin but we were lucky and only waited for about 10 minutes. We moored on the long quay just after 2.30 p.m. today was more than an hour behind us, so turned up not much before 4 p.m.......a very late lunch today!
We decided to re- convene for dinner at 7 p.m. and strolled into town half an hour or so later. The town of Besancon is a university town and is buzzing with young people - the bars and restaurants full of them, enjoying life - a lively place to visit!
We walked back to the boats and opted for an early night so bade Henk goodnight, watched a little TV and so to bed!
Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Tuesday 21st May - Dole to Ranchot
Due to Crew not able to sleep until the early hours for some reason, we didn’t leave our berth until almost 10.30. We left under grey skies and well wrapped up as it was none too warm but as it approached midday, a few patches of blue sky appeared, along with the yellow orb......so layers of clothing were abandoned bit by bit. All the locks were working and fairly quick so we made Ranchot in less time than anticipated. After five locks we left the canal and entered the lovely River Doubs. Here plenty of attractive villages to see, making it a very pleasant cruise.
We arrived around 1.30 with Henk following on almost an hour later, so another late lunch on board. Ranchot doesn’t have much to offer unfortunately - one hotel/restaurant which doesn’t look too exciting, a camp site with a restaurant which only opens in July and August and a boulangerie.
We decided on a quiet night in so Crew cooked some pork chops for dinner and we watched some TV - we have managed to get a few channels at last.
21 km 6 locks 3 hours
We arrived around 1.30 with Henk following on almost an hour later, so another late lunch on board. Ranchot doesn’t have much to offer unfortunately - one hotel/restaurant which doesn’t look too exciting, a camp site with a restaurant which only opens in July and August and a boulangerie.
We decided on a quiet night in so Crew cooked some pork chops for dinner and we watched some TV - we have managed to get a few channels at last.
21 km 6 locks 3 hours
Monday, 20 May 2019
Monday 20th May - St. Jean de Losne to Dole
Greetings readers! Sincere apologies for not starting sooner but it’s been a busy 6 days since arriving back to St. Jean de Losne. We arrived last Tuesday to find Aphrodite moored, not in the marina as expected, but on the canal. We were met by Henk, who helped us unload the car and then were told that we must move the boat round to the marina - not as easy as it sounds as we were in the middle of a threesome and Crews’ lines were in a bit of a pickle! Not only that but we had to pass through the lock at the termination of the Canal de Borgogne and the lock was the wrong way of course - we had to use the horn to summon the lock keepers to empty it. It was also very windy!
We made it to our berth OK but as we reversed into our slot, the huge amount of weed disabled our thrusters but thanks to a very nice German/Swiss man, who helped us in, we made it easily.
We got ourselves reasonably ship-shape and then, with Henk, went to the newly re-opened Sauconna restaurant for dinner. The restaurant had a bad fire last year and has been closed until recently, so we were interested to see what it was like......the consensus was that it was expensive for what it was. So maybe we will leave it a while before we re-visit!
Wednesday was Henks’ birthday so as we needed to get SIM cards for our I-Pads we went to Dole by car and, after sorting that out, we lunched in a very nice restaurant just off the big square in town. After doing a few jobs and a mini-siesta in the afternoon, Henk came over for aperos around 7 p.m. - am ashamed to say that the only cold bottle of fizz was an Italian Prosecco!!! Shame on us!
On Thursday we drove to Santenay for a wine tasting - Skip has a membership to a wine club and this was one our vineyards to visit and taste. Between us we bought 18 bottles - 6 white and 12 red. As Henk had done quite a lot of work on Aphrodite over the winter, Skip gave him three bottles of the Premier Cru red to thank him.
On Friday we spent the day cleaning, etc., had some lunch on board with Henk and then a quiet evening with DVDs - no TV!! On Saturday evening we had a dinner date with Roger and Yvonne
from the barge, ‘Out of the Blue’, who we met 2 years ago whilst cruising. We ate in Le Bouchon de Losnais, which we think is probably the best restaurant in St. Jean and enjoyed a very good dinner in good company. Final sorting out on Sunday and planning to start fairly early on Monday morning.
from the barge, ‘Out of the Blue’, who we met 2 years ago whilst cruising. We ate in Le Bouchon de Losnais, which we think is probably the best restaurant in St. Jean and enjoyed a very good dinner in good company. Final sorting out on Sunday and planning to start fairly early on Monday morning.
We slipped our lines at 9.30 and onto the Saone for our first days’ cruising of 2019. Henk was to follow on after us as he needed to re-fuel.
We reached our first lock on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin in around half an hour - unfortunately there was a hire boat in the lock, going our way! In this first lock we have to collect a ‘zapper’ which remotely operates the locks and the lock keeper checks our cruising licence, so we had to wait a while for the hire boat to vacate the lock and re-empty it before we could enter. Then on our way to Dole, to start with through fairly industrial scenery - 8 more locks to go!
We arrived without incident just after 2 p.m. and although the locks were, of course, all against us, they were very efficient, so we made good time.
The mooring (a Nichols base) is not an easy one as the current is very strong - Aphrodite adhered herself to a finger pontoon.......and there we stayed! We had a late lunch on board and decided to dine in town later if possible, at one of our favourite restaurants, La Romanee.
We gathered for an apero around 6.30 and made our way into town just after 7. On arrival at the restaurant however we were informed that they were ‘complet’ - full! We tried another nearby establishment, with the same result. Then came across Le Petit Gaston, which was a most beautiful building - a bit like a crypt - where we enjoyed a good, if a bit expensive dinner and excellent wine. Back to the boats fairly early but feeling quite tired after our first days’ cruising, we parted company with Henk for an early night.
21 km 6 locks 3 hours
We reached our first lock on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin in around half an hour - unfortunately there was a hire boat in the lock, going our way! In this first lock we have to collect a ‘zapper’ which remotely operates the locks and the lock keeper checks our cruising licence, so we had to wait a while for the hire boat to vacate the lock and re-empty it before we could enter. Then on our way to Dole, to start with through fairly industrial scenery - 8 more locks to go!
We arrived without incident just after 2 p.m. and although the locks were, of course, all against us, they were very efficient, so we made good time.
The mooring (a Nichols base) is not an easy one as the current is very strong - Aphrodite adhered herself to a finger pontoon.......and there we stayed! We had a late lunch on board and decided to dine in town later if possible, at one of our favourite restaurants, La Romanee.
We gathered for an apero around 6.30 and made our way into town just after 7. On arrival at the restaurant however we were informed that they were ‘complet’ - full! We tried another nearby establishment, with the same result. Then came across Le Petit Gaston, which was a most beautiful building - a bit like a crypt - where we enjoyed a good, if a bit expensive dinner and excellent wine. Back to the boats fairly early but feeling quite tired after our first days’ cruising, we parted company with Henk for an early night.
21 km 6 locks 3 hours
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