Bourgogne - Migennes to Lezinnes

May 11

Our first night on the Canal de Bourgogne (Burgundy) was at Migennes - a run down railway town a bit like Didcot before it got gentrified. But from there it got gradually more attractive as we pottered from village to village. Lots of attractive chateaux which tend to blur en passant.

We have never travelled so slowly but the eclusiers work at their pace rather than ours and anyway we don't want to get to the Saone/Rhone till June.  Spring is here and the suckling cows make us a little homesick for the NZ farm.

It is difficult to find new topics to photograph other than churches on hills or sunrises

St Florentin

Working in the mist - I am the blob on the right.

The Tonnerre mooring wasn't very exciting, but the 13th century Hospital was a magnificent building and the Fosse Dionne (a natural spring converted into the largest public washing place we have seen so far) were definitely worth the visit.

Then it was getting near to May Day (one of the two days the canal system is closed) so we squeezed into a mooring at Tanlay next to a hotel barge for three nights.  Large and small chateaux and good facilities.

Small Chateau at Tanlay

Chateau de Tanlay

Tanlay port

With lots of spare time and glorious weather we even managed to do some of the first wheelhouse varnishing of the year (a bit like painting the Forth bridge).

Then it was off to Lezinnes - again sharing the mooring with the hotel boat.  They charge US$6000+ per person for a week - so I am pondering letting the rear cabin for 'adventure holidays' - at that kind of money we would even upgrade the wine a bit and Angie could do a bit of washing and cooking rather than idling in the sun - now where did I put my 'Captains' hat.

The idle rich