Off We Go Some More, Monday, June 22

One big difference between this year and the last time we were on this canal is the presence of big hotel barges.  In 2011, with the sputtering economy, there were none.  This year, we contended with three leaving Dijon at the same time as we did, headed uptake canal.  Since they take precedence and each one fills the lock completely, we were given a 10:30 start time, instead of the usual 9 am.  Even when we appeared at the first lock, it took another 45 minutes for the lockkeeper to arrive.  It was going to be a long day and we weren’t going to get very far at that.

14 kilometers, 13 locks and 6 1/2 hours later, we found a bankside spot just above a village we’d stayed in several times before, Fleury.

The next day it was off with a little less traffic to a stop at the lock called Moulin Banet.  A Swiss/French couple have taken over the lock house, put in some moorings with water and electricity and opened a little restaurant and shop.  Unfortunately for us, the restaurant and shop are closed Tuesday thru Thursday and we were there Tuesday and Wednesday.  With available power and water, though, we could catch up on the laundry, top up the batteries and on Wednesday, visit the Jardin du Barbirey.  The gardens of the chateau are a reimagining of what the grounds would have been like in the 1700’s.

Rooms at the chateau are now available for your stay in France!

Friday the 26th was 14 kilometers and 11 locks to Veuvey sur Ouche and Friday was the final part of the journey up the canal to a bankside mooring underneath the chateau at Chateauneuf, where we spent a couple of days in 2011.  From here we would turn around and head back down to the river Saone.  The weather forecast called for a major heat wave and we wanted to be on the river when the temps got over 100.