Day 27...
So now that we have no gas, we are going to have to stop in the next big town that will have a supermarket and hope that we are lucky. We didn’t want to make a stop so soon but this may be a good thing...so Decize - here we come!
For the South African’s and the German’s, it’s their last stop. The Americans are also heading in for a day or two as they say that it’s a nice place.
I email ahead and get a quick reply from Pauline telling us to head in, find a pontoon then head to the capitanaire with your electric number and pontoon number. Great!
A few hours later, we arrive. I have never seen so much weed in a marina! It’s everywhere!
We get a nice spot, near the German girls who left earlier than us.
I head down to see Pauline but it’s lunchtime and everything is closed. I do notice that there are washing machines (so I will take that advantage!). They also have really nice trollies, so will use those to take our to gas bottles to the supermarket.
I head back to the boat and we decide to go now, incase there is no gas and we need to move on.
Intermarche is a 5-minute walk, someone has locked all the trollies away, we are going to have to carry the empty gas bottles!
At the petrol station are all the gas bottles - but not the ones we want! Bugger! We head inside, grab a trolley and do a shop. As we walk in, a lady starts wittering away in French, pointing to the back of the store and our bottles. We get the gist that they have them out the back.
We do our shop, get to the tills (not having seen any gas bottles or anyone to grab and ask). This lovely old lady is on the tills. She scans the empty bottles and puts it through. We have to explain that they are empty! We are now causing chaos and a large queue is forming behind us (It’s always the Brits that cause issues! Ha!). However, one of the staff realises what is going on and grabs two new bottles and explains to the lady serving, who starts laughing.
All our shop goes through…until my bottle of sparkling wine! No barcode! The queue is getting longer! Our lady heads off and, a few minutes later, is back and smiling. We pay and run! We decide that, as the port is so close, we are going to take the trolley back as we will never carry everything back.
We get back to the marina barrier and up-end the trolley trying to get the bloody thing under! Across the gravel, down the pontoon - much to the dismay of some of the boat owners. The German girls are laughing, impressed at our “who cares” attitude.
We have purchased beers (40 bottles for €15, Sparkling wine at €2 a bottle). All is good for a pontoon party later with all the boats that have become friendly.
The girls ask for directions to the supermarket and, bless them, even take the trolley back for us AND return our euro that we had to put into it!
We have a nice evening...
The Port is stunning with lovely herb boxes at the end of each pontoon run. You can help yourself and improve your cooking! It also brightens the place up.
Pauline in reception is awesome and explains everything about the port. You have an entry key (which you pay a €10 deposit on). This gets you into the showers (if you wish to pay for them) - I highly recommend them! Also the washing machine room. There is also Gasoil available, which is not mentioned in any of the books. A very nice chap meets you on the fuel pontoon, then you walk down to reception and pay. Easy. A very nice stop and can see why some stay for a few days.
Day 28...
We leave Decize and head out early. We are now on our final canal - Canal du Centre. This one is another short canal before we get to the River Soane. However, it has a very large number of locks - almost 1 to every mile! We will also get to our highest point and start to go down in the locks, rather than up.
We want to make up for time lost getting gas - even though it was a productive day getting washing etc done.
We head for Beaulon. However, we are making good time and, when we get there, it does not look great. We speak to a lock-keeper and decide that we will carry on - he suggests Diou. Diou has electric and water for free.
We carry on for a few more hours and complete 43km (21nmiles) and 10 locks. We arrive at Diou and the bollards are full. As time is dragging on, there is nowhere else to go, we tag on the end and use our stakes.
A very nice lady from an English Linssen comes over to help. There are some French hogging the space, but, as we now find out, there is no water or electric, so it doesn’t really matter too much where we are.
There is nothing here really. We walk into town.
There is a Tabasco store/newsagents, the pub is closed down and the restaurant does not open till end of July. There is a supermarket - very small, and a bakers that will be open in the morning. Not a lot going on at all.
We have supper and later are asked by the linssen owners if we would like a drink. Well…lots of drinks, putting the world right again, and a few hours later we leave Marion and Mike to a quiet night.
So many people we have met on this trip have similar views to those of our own! Many have sold up in the UK and want nothing more to do with it - not like some that move away but still want to complain about various issues as if they are still in the country.
Tomorrow is going to be another long day but, after advice from the lovely couple this evening, it will be Paray-le-Monial - a religious town with a beautiful church, 24 miles and 16 locks away. It never seems like many locks but as each lock can take 15-25 minutes to get through (without any other traffic etc), this drags out your day.
Day 29...
Well, we know we are getting tired when Kev makes a stupid mistake whilst we are in a lock with another boat (who had no clue what they were doing). We should have stayed back. I had the bow under control and was fending off the boat in front from reversing into us. They had activated the bloody lock when they were not ready, didn’t check we were ready and, all of a sudden, the aft swings out while Kev is trying to attach a line…next second, he is in the lock!
OMG, I panic, run to the stern push the boat away from the wall. Kev pops up, shouts to switch the engines off, which I do, then head back and shout at him to get out! He’s twisted his knee, so, using the Trim tabs to help him, gets himself out and, with assistance from me, onto the back bathing platform. Once he is up, I head to the bow to see what is going on and keep control of the boat.
I shout back to check Kev is okay, to see him stripped off on the back platform having a shower! (I think I would have done the same).
All under control with the boat, the boat in front leaves the lock while we get ourselves sorted. Kev hobbles about on his, now bad, knee. As we do this, the lock then closes and we are stuck. After 5 minutes, I climb out of the lock and use the emergency call button to say that we are still in the lock and the doors are closed. A few minutes later and we are out! Definitely added drama to the trip - but no serious injuries, just some bad bruising. It could have been so much worse!
We keep going and eventually get to our night spot. There is a space just big enough for us to slot into - behind yet another Australian boat and another British Linssen!
The Linssen owner comes out to help us come in and we are done for the day.
We find out that the chap ‘Eric’ will be round in the morning about 8.30 to collect our money (€10 for the night with electric and water).
Kev needs a beer so we head into town. This is a lovely place! Very clean, lots of shops, bars and restaurants. We head to the pharmacy to get some Deep Heat for Kev’s knee and then back to the boat for dinner.
While cooking, Pete the Aussie comes over for a chat. He and Kev start their politics and life talk! I go for a shower (as I know this will go on for a while!)
They have been coming to France for many years and have their own boat here. They are in their 70’s - a great couple.
Eventually, Pete heads off for his dinner, we have ours then head back into town.
The church is all lit up now and the streets are full of mad lighting and stars projected into the road.
We head back - relieved that the day is over and that all is okay.
Day 30...
Well as Alan, the English Linssen owner said, at exactly 8.30 ‘Eric’ arrived to take his money. Shortly after we headed off with Pete and Robyn in tow.
We were through the first look just before 9am - which was a great start to the day. We carried on until lunchtime, when we were told that the upcoming lock was closed, so we stopped in a little Bistro that Pete and Robyn had been recommended. It’s father’s day - so what better excuse for a bit of lunch!
We walked over the bridge, from the moorings at Palinges (which have electric and water - not mentioned in any book!!), as we got closer we thought “god is this the right place?” The tables were filthy, there were men and dogs everywhere - oh and some bunnies in the corner (I hope not for eating, but you never know!). Robyn greeted the guy (as she had been given his name) and Ludovik started busying himself into cleaning chairs and tables for us to sit at.
Once seated, we asked for the menu, he laughed and said, “there is no menu, you have what is here!”. A few minutes later we had beer and wine, some water and bread brought out to us. A good start. Five minutes later, a plate is brought out with a terrine on it with grated carrot salad and remoulade. Looks good enough to eat!
I will eat and try anything. Kev is a little more nervous so I kept quiet. Pete kept smirking at me as Robyn is the same.
Once everyone had eaten all on their plates, the Ludovik came out so we asked what it was we had just eaten. Veal Head Terrine - basically tongue, cheek, no eye balls. He said that freaked people out.
Then we had another course (not expected)! Steak, potatoes and salad. To follow was caramel ice cream with a pear sorbet (my favourite bit) and biscuits. Then there was the after-dinner drink - this was 70% proof according to Ludovik! Too much for me, but Pete did well.
After an hour and a half lunch, we decided it was time to move on. We asked for the bill. €12 each!! Bargain and a totally awesome experience!
Pete and Robyn would be going through the next lock and then into Genelard (which we would have stopped at but, we still had half a day to go, so wanted to try and get to Blanzy, the next big town).
We arrived at 6pm after 19 locks. A quiet little town with a few shops and a nice bar by the canal.
Nothing much going on but okay for the night.
The big town, before Monceau les Mines, had closed its marina for refurbishment, so all boats were in Blanzy. Yet again poor Chilaxin is on the canal bank in the bushes. No electric for us yet again but it would be free.
Pizza takeaway tonight - bloody lovely. Not sure why the French always put a fried egg on the pizza, but a lovely meal all the same.
Time for bed and another very long day ahead.
You can check out the YouTube update for this part of the journey here...
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