Onwards to St Jean de Losne, and home.

September has been a beautiful month of lovely long warm summer days and some sultry evenings with spectacular sunsets. Night often cool and we wake up to misty mornings and then the sun dissolves it all and the day is great.

PorT de Savoyeux, Had a night with new friends, from Freemantle. (won’t hold it against them), Jayne and Peter, on their boat Carat. ( 3 yrs from scratch this year, never been on boats before and loving it) (As you can see, the old man came around again to sell us beans from his garden)

Stopped at GRAY on the international pontoon, and then leaving Gray.

next, AUXONNE. Another beautiful morning.

They have such fun with what they put on the roundabouts to decorate them. Here are the people picking nuts, as its walnut and cobnut season arriving.

And ladies weeding and keeping gardens clean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course the Fisherman in his boat.

 

Auxonne Notre Dame’s Church. Started to be built in 12thC,  rest built during 14th and 15thc. Fully restored beginning 19C.                                                          There aren’t many of these houses left that are half timber and have these amazing outside steps. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We just love the little windows and the chimneys

And of course the young Lieutenant Bonaparte,in 1788 (aged18). He left in 1791 to join the Grenoble Regiment and so the saga of Napoleon era began.

And so on to St Jean de Losne

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Finally made it to St Jean de Losne, and we moored out on the river for a few nights.

 

Its a nice place to watch boats go by and the see some strange strange sights,,, although nothing really surprises us now.

 

Weather is cool nights but lovely warm days and evenings.

 

Managing to get a few drinking sessions on the boat with friends.

 

A small gathering of nibbles, and showing off the lovely Rimu cheese board Max got from Emma fro his birthday.

The boats above were heading down to the Med for a spot of sailing.

This little boat we have seen before., but the one below is a new one to us.

 

This is a new way to make money.. AMAZING!!!!!    These big boats are bought really cheaply up in Estonia, all the super structure lowered or taken off, then weighted down with sacks of rocks so they can get under the bridges. They take them down through the Canals to the Mediterranean where they do them up and sell them.

Lovely evening sunset.

Blanquarts Marina, in St Jean de Losne.

We are half way down on the right, and this pontoon only has 8 KIWI boats on it !! , BUT there is also a Canadians boat, called :” Black Magic 1”

So ends another year of travel on the canals. Its been a variable year with the weather, but we have met some lovely new people and caught up with old friends along the way.

Next year we think we may swing up into Strasbourg, down the Rhine, and up the Moselle,  and ?? to Belguim on the way home.

The year after maybe down to the Med for a few years.. but of course the best laid plans can always change.

Hope you have enjoyed reading these travel blogs.

We look forward to catching up with as many of you as we can on our trip back to NZ in November for Emmas” Medical graduation in Dunedin in December.

cheers

Max and Lucy