French recollections 3

The wine cellar at Bailly

In the last French recollections we left off having arrived at Bailly, and bought some wine from the nearby wine cellar.
(Pic 1).
It was so peaceful here we stayed 2 nights. It was free mooring (which always adds to the attraction!).
The shore electricity wasnt working which was a bit disappointing, but not too serious as our batteries were well charged up.
It was about this time that the seeds of the notion to buy our own boat were sown. Being moored up in these beautiful places, surrounded by lovely countryside and quaint villages was very appealing. We took out the 2 bicycles that were on board, and did a long ride taking in the villages of St Bris le Vineux, Vincelotte and Vincelle.

Full moon at Bailly

One wonders how these villages still survive. Hardly any people about, and only one or 2 shops.
That evening it was full moon.(Pic 2)
Prior to going France we had read a couple of Stephen Clarke’s books, and here we re-read his “Talk to the Snail” which is
his Ten Commandments of the French way of life. It is extremely funny yet so true.
Every time we encountered lock keepers taking long lunches, or strange shop hours we thought of his one commandment: “Thou shalt not work”!

The book is a must if you are heading to France.
You can get it from Amazon:

French veggie garden

It was while cycling around that we noticed how many French houses had their own veggie gardens.(Pic 3) The veggies here are just so much more tasty than those we are used to. We so love making our own food with veggies from the markets, rather than eating out.  My wife Karen is vegetarian, and the French laugh at you if you ask for vegetarian food in a restaurant.

A bientot.