Before I continue raving about France, let me tell your where we went geographically.
We started at Joigny on the River Yonne, and headed South, or upstream. Our first overnight stop was at Migennes, where the Canal de Bourgogne flows into the Yonne.
Next we stayed a day or so at Auxerre – A relatively large town, and to where we would return at the end of our trip. The Canal du Nivernaise starts here. We continued up the canal, locking up, to use the correct terminology, overnighting at the tiny villages of Bailly, Accolet, Roches de Saussone and Chatel Sensoir, until we moored up at Clemecy.
This was to be our turning point. We stayed here four nights. On the return journey we made better speed as we were travelling with the current, locking down. We overnighted at Courlange sur Yonne, Mailly le Chateau, Vermenton, Vincelotte, Vaux and finally back to Auxerre.
Fresh food market in France |
And now on to one of my favourite topics – food!
My wife Karen is a vegetarian, so eating out was sometimes a challenge, especially in France.
They tended to look at us in amazement when she said she doesnt eat meat or fish.
However, in nearly every town along the river we found a market with the most wonderful selection of fresh produce. (First picture)
And so we prepared own own meals on the boat.
These markets operate on different days of the week in different towns, and it was easy to find out when and where they would be, either from the web or from one of the tourist information centres.
Every few days we were able to stock up with tasty fresh fruit and vegetables.
Veggie garden near Chatel Sensoir in France |
And despite the French being apparently keen carnivores, we were pleasantly surprised at the number of homes that boasted vegetable gardens or veggie patches
(Picture 2 shows one of the vegetable gardens we saw in Chatel Sensoir).
What an absolute pleasure to be able to pop out into one’s own garden and select the next meal! Voila!
The French are very well known for their cheese, and we would have to agree. The selection and variety on offer beat anything we had ever encountered before.
Some cheeses did rather smell of old socks, but once we got passed the odour, they were quite delicious.
And of course the meal would not have been complete without French wine. We stocked up at the local supermarket and the quality was fit for a king. OK maybe a prince then.
French fare on the boat |
The last picture is a sample of one of out typical meals on the canals in France!
Takes a lot to beat being moored in a tranquil setting on the river, watching a sunset and partaking of such a meal, after a pleasant day cruising along the canal.
Sante!
Love French food!!!