We returned to the Bourgogne Canals, where life trickles along at such a leisurely pace it makes one weary. The first stop was at the village of Bligny-sur-Ouche right near the source of d l'Ouche Canal. The water was lined with apple and cherry trees, laden with fruit.
The loch keeper at Bouhey was awaiting the arrival of a few boats so we waited around to see the process from start to finish. The boats arrived and made their way into the loch, and then meandered slowly downstream. The first boat through was manned by two elderly ladies, one on deck and one in the wheel house - you go girls!
It was already 3pm and on our arrival in La Pont d'Ouche, our canal-side spot for a picnic lunch was settled on in an instant. We laid the table with our saucisson, varieties of cheese, red tomatoes, and crusty baguette. A boat drifted past us as we ate, the English guys on board told us the Aussies were doing us proud in the Ashes match. The boys were happy.
I met two ladies on board a Flemish/Dutch boat moored on the canal, they had set up camp for a few weeks. One of the ladies and her hubby had bought the boat in England, restored it, and brought it over to France via the Channel. It's name is loosely translated to 'Out of the ratrace'. They couldn't be further from the ratrace if they tried. The sisters sat on deck, sipping white wine and smoking like chimneys, a crossword sat on the table in readiness for when there was a lull in conversation. I guessed that would be rare.
Downhill from the village of Chateauneuf, we could see its Chateau high on the hill. Chateauneuf has been awarded the honour of being 'a beautiful village of France'. No wonder, we all agreed it was one of the most beautiful we had visited on our travels so far. Bright, blooms sat atop spindly stalks with busy bees darting in and out of the flowers, on their outward journey they were covered in white specks of pollen. They were industrious and surely the hardest workers in the village today. Can the botanists out there tell me the name of these flowers please? My friend JC says it may be a Hibiscus but he is just as bad with flowers as I am.
The Chateau was beautiful, it was simple in contrast to others we had seen and was beautiful in its simplicity. My favourite thing were the glazed floor tiles. I liked the way the light shone through the windows onto them.
In the centre of the village we sat on an outside table at L'Auberge du Marronier, Alex chased a lemonade flavoured with syrup fraise, with a rich hot chocolat, JR downed a cold beer, and I, a cafe creme. There was a game of Jeux de Palet in play in the village square, in view of our table. It's a simple game. Today's participants used metal discs, rusted with age, and tossed them onto a wooden board, the player landing closest to the jack disc is the winner, kind of like petanque I think, although I am no expert. This was the first time I had seen this game and the information I gleaned was from people that spoke no English, and from watching intently while sipping my cafe.
The road took us back canal-side to Vandenesse-en-Auxois where boats were moored just after the village loch. From here there was a distant view of the Chateau with the glazed tile floor, high on the hill. We knew the canal disappeared through a tunnel to travel underground for about 3km further upstream at Pouilly-ex-Auxois. It took us so long to find the entrance but I'm glad we persevered. Young lovers had set up a picnic just near the entry. Alex and I threw rocks into the water from above, the sound of them breaking the water's surface made the best plopping sound, echoing in the tunnels entrance.
We were home by about 10 and dinner was on the table by 11 - who cares!
