Friday 25th May - Fragnes to Chagny

We left our berth just before 10 a.m., our first lock upon us very quickly.  Five of our eleven locks have a rise of more than 5 metres so a central line is attached to a rising bollard, whereas the rest rise between 2 and 3 metres.
The countryside is very rural with a few attractive villages en route, making for very pleasant cruising   in the sunshine, albeit rather slow as we were following a hotel boat going at snails’ pace!
We arrived in Chagny around 2.30 p.m. and hurriedly set out some lunch as Garys’ stomach was rumbling!  Tina and Crew finished their lunch wine and chatted, while the boys went for a recce around town.  Chagny is famous for its’ 3 star Michelin restaurant, however the starting price for dinner is around €145 per head - and that’s without wine!! So we decided against it and found the nice little restaurant Cepages et Saveurs, run by a lovely young couple.  The food was delicious and imaginative and although the chef was worried about the rack of lamb we had all ordered, it was perfectly cooked and very tasty.  The restaurant itself was a little sterile inside but we were ushered onto a little patio at the rear which was charming.
Luckily we were able to walk off our dinner but decided against playing cards and just enjoyed a nightcap and chat on the back deck.

12km   11locks. 4 1/2 hours

Thursday 24th May - Chalon-sur-Saone to Fragnes

Just after midday, we went into the city for a little walk, rerserving a table at our favourite restaurant for lunch on the way.  We had a beer in a pretty little square near the centre of town, then ambled back to La Bourgogne for our lunch, which was a long affair and very good!  We got back to Aphrodite well after 3 o’clock and made ready for our short cruise to Fragnes.
The quay is long and well equipped with power and water in this pretty village and we soon made ourselves comfortable.  When we last visited, five years ago, the restaurant did not open - even on a Saturday evening but this time, people were enjoying an early dinner on the terrace.
After a couple of hours rest, mainly from our huge lunch, we decided to have a walk around the village.  The only facilities it turned out were on the quayside - the restaurant, a boulangerie and a Mairie.  A very residential village with a lot of large, well kept houses and gardens.  The aim was to do a circular tour but as we kept coming upon cul-de-sacs the circle became rather big!!  Gary kept assuring us that we would come across a turn soon but we’ve been here before.....he’s famous for his ‘short cuts’!!!  Of course, by the time we got back to the centre, a libation was needed so we stopped off at the restaurant for a beer on the terrace.
Then back to the boat for a few hands of cards and some wine.

8km. 1 hour. 1 lock

Wednesday 23rd May - Chalons-sur-Saone

Crews’ last lie in for a week or so, since we will no doubt need to be on duty at some ungodly hour once we are cruising every day!  As Skip uses the guest shower room and cabin for his clothes when we are just the two of us, he had to evacuate both which meant a bit of a squash in the main cabin!  Certainly in the hanging locker department.....Crew will find it difficult to extract her clothes with the addition of far too many shirts, etc.!!
As we are not expecting to see Gary and Tina until around midnight we had a long day to prepare, so Crew prepared a Bolognaise sauce for our evening meal and got on with the preparing the guest accommodation.
As we were relaxing in front of the TV, a yacht decided to arrive around 10 p.m. and moor in front of us, asking us to move back a little!   We manned the decks but they managed to squeeze in anyway.  On talking to the skipper, Crew asked where they hailed from as they flew an American ensign - the
answer......Russia!  It’s always exciting to experience the unexpected!!!
Around 11.30 p.m. Gary sent a text to say they were in an electric taxi in Lyon, winging their way to us!  They duly arrived at Aphrodite just before 1 a.m. - so a couple of drinks, a quick catch up and bed.

Tuesday 22nd May - Chalons-sur-Saone

A work day today - the plan was for Crew to make up the guest cabin.  This always involves a certain amount of cursing as the beds are an enigma, only really suited for members of MENSA to solve....that, Crew is not!!  First things first however - a big shop!  We rarely shop together as we have very different modus operandi!!  Crew tends to visit only the necessary aisles which coincide with the shopping list.  Skip on the other hand likes to visit every aisle, resulting in a long walk and several extra ‘necessary’ items that seem to find their way into the trolley!!  Hence quite a painful walk back with very heavy bags!  A well deserved beer and rest,  followed by copious unpacking and ‘home finding’ for our goodies - then a late lunch.
We dined on steak brought from home, watched some TV, listened to some music and so to bed!

Monday 21st May -Chalons-sur-Saone

We have paid for a four night stay here as Gary and Tina (our friends from Lanzarote) are arriving on Wednesday for an eight night stay.  They normally break up their journey by staying overnight somewhere in Spain but have decided this year to do the whole thing in one day, meaning that they will not be with us until around midnight on Wednesday, after a very long days’ travelling!  They will be very tired when they arrive so we’ll make sure a choice of drinks and nibbles will be arranged on arrival!
Skip spent the morning cleaning the outside of Aphrodite whilst Crew tackled the aft cabin.  Skip went to the huge Carrefour  to replenish stores, followed by another late lunch.  Yesterday there was a lot of partying on the small boats near us but they must be partied out because all is quiet on the Western front today!
We had decided to treat ourselves to dinner out, completely forgetting that it was Monday, so the choice of restaurant was limited.  One restaurant had a notice that all their tables were reserved.....there wasn’t a soul in the place!!  Beyond comprehension!  We decided on a small restaurant called Parcours with a very small menu.  It was that or an Indian or Japanese establishment!  The food was what I would call pretentious......it was all very pretty but not much in the way of seasoning, so not a good taste sensation by any means.  We also got very cold as the meal progressed because the wind was a cutting northerly and the restaurants had no wind breaks, which would have made all the difference.  Never mind - we will aim for our favourite, Le Bourgogne when our guests arrive.
Home and another DVD!

Sunday 20th May - Seurre to Chalons-sur-Saone

We left Seurre at 10.30 under a cloudless blue sky for our lovely cruise along the wide River Saone.  As it was a Bank Holiday weekend, the fishermen were out in force but mostly fishing from small boats as opposed to bankside fishing.  We arrived in Chalons around 2.30, met by the Capitaine who offered us a stern to mooring on a corner but as we spotted an alongside berth further on we requested to land there.  He seemed puzzled by our request but acquiesced and helped us in.
A very late lunch followed by not much action during the afternoon.  The weather was perfect so ‘deck lazing’ was in order!
Crew cooked duck, potatoes and vegetables and we carried on watching our Poldark DVDs.

Saturday 19th May - St. Jean de Losne to Seurre

Welcome dear readers to our 2018 cruising blog.  We arrived in St. Jean de Losne last Sunday in terrible weather......just like winter!  Unloading the car was a nightmare but we managed to stow everything aboard and get the heating on!  Our plan was to stay in St. Jean until Saturday in order to get all the unfinished jobs done on Aphrodite......the usual story - the marina had 8 months to do everything but not all tasks were completed!!
So here we are - under way at last, with all systems present and correct (for now at least!).  We left our mooring just before 11 a.m. for the short run to Seurre.  It’s so good to be on the move again, especially under a practically clear blue sky with plenty of sunshine......hopefully winter is well behind us now.
We arrived in port at 12.30 p.m. after a good clear run with just one lock.  We quickly set off into town to find lunch somewhere.  By the speed of Skips’ walking there was an urgency for a nice cold beer too!  We made for our favourite restaurant first, only to find it closed down and for sale so we went a little further to another good eatery, only to find that one closed!  It is the Whitsun bank holiday here -wouldn’t you think a good opportunity to make some cash in the catering trade?  Of course not.....this is France!  We settled on a pizzeria with outside tables and were pleased to find that they also provided a set menu, which proved to be very good.
A very lazy afternoon followed after our labours of the last week or two with Crew lapping up the sunshine on deck whilst Skip watched Chelsea v Man U......a good result, thankfully!!  Happy Skip!
There was a suspicion that we were to be treated to a musical soirée of some sort later as a band was limbering up in the garden of a house close to us.  Indeed, this proved to be the case as, at around 8 o’clock it began!  Thankfully it didn’t interfere too much with our watching of Poldark