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Cronat and Paray le Monial

We left our accommodation in Chatillon with our 300euro damage deposit intact despite one (previously sabotaged) broken chair and a sore derriere. The weather was starting to clear up and we only had a few sprinkles on the ride today. We were heading to a one night stopover in the town of Cronat, marking a change in our route from the Nivernais canal network, turning south alongside the Loire river. This also meant joining the Eurovelo 6 cycling path for the next two days. It is well known as it traverses Europe all the way from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. It has been interesting being exclusively on a cycle route as we have met many other cyclists following the same route and some we have met several times and even had dinner in Paray le Monial with a charming couple from Luxembourg (Yvonne and Dan). Once off the canal we were met by some hilly terrain, finally, as we were not really close to the Loire at this point and found we could still climb hills.

Cronat is a small town in the heart of Charolais country. We saw many Charolais as well as a fair number of sheep and some goats. Our lodging for the night was a B&B called La Heron Pourpre managed by a very hospitable couple from The Netherlands, Jolanda and Martin. This seems like an unusual name but not if you have been here. Along the canal we saw many herons pourpre. We attempted many times to get a good picture of one but they are shy so fly off as soon as they sense we are near. The B&B was lovely with a garden in the back and a pool but unfortunately not quite warm enough to swim. We also had our dinner here as there wasn’t anywhere else in town and Martin is a capable chef. Our meal consisted of four courses: fresh salmon on white asparagus/egg/greens as a starter, Charolais veal with an oyster mushroom sauce/fresh vegetables/potato and leek fritata(?) for main course; chevre in pastry and other cheeses with honey third course; choux pastry filled with whipped cream and blackberries for dessert and finally a home made coffee liquor. All very tasty except Tara slipped the hard boiled egg and potato fritata onto George’s plate which he accepted gratefully. Interestingly, the meal was a very reasonable cost at 30 euros each or about $48 CDN. Wine was less than $5/glass as well. It helps to get outside of the bigger cities cost wise.

The next day our ride took us to Paray le Monial and the weather was perfect. The first 15 km was again through the hilly countryside amongst the Charolais herds and pretty villages. After this the route again followed the water, along the Loire river. It was a beautiful day and we saw many cyclists, local and touring like us (even one fellow Canadian from Quebec), pretty villages, boaters, fishers and bird life.

We arrived at our new lodgings, Maison St. Louis, and were greeted by lovely hosts again with a cold drink and a “sort of” conversation about the city and its religious importance in broken French and English. This is a bit of a quirky place, again a dorm-like environment with shared spaces and overtly religious. The city is famous due to a saint having a vision or apparition of the heart of Jesus Christ. Consequently since the late 19th century this has been a pilgrimage destination, which was obvious as we walked around to the various sites, mostly religious, today. The town is very clean, well maintained, and certainly picturesque; I think there is good money in religious tourism. Indeed, our host said about 3000 people live here but 5000 more are tourists at peak.

Tags: cycling, france, tandemcycling, travel

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Categories 2025

Chatillon-en-Bazois

7 Jun

We started the day by having breakfast in the chapel (as one does) before packing up and heading out into the rain. We knew we couldn’t avoid it but it isn’t a big deal since we are waterproof and it wasn’t cold. It does get a bit tiring as it was quite relentless but we found respite at a couple of bars for coffee and tea. This part of the ride broke the record for us with passing by of 58(!) locks on the canal. The boats look like fun but you would really have to enjoy passing through locks if you were travelling this way. We passed by another section of the canal which had 3 canal tunnels for the boats, not for us. There was a ‘promenade’ boat tour but like for many things we are a bit too early. It must really boom here in July. We enjoyed speaking with a Dutch cycling couple going all the way from the Netherlands to somewhere south of us to visit friends. They had travelled by bike far and wide.

Our accommodation turned out to be a bit of a pain here. It was my third choice after the first was fully booked, and the second choice cancelled our reservation only a couple of weeks ago. There are few choices here and this one was well situated but also required a 300euro cash damage deposit as well as self-cleaning to avoid another 40euro charge. We don’t travel with much cash anymore and it costs to withdraw from ATMs. Then, despite the official check-in time being 4pm on this rain soaked day the host emailed and said she could only make it by 6pm. Aargh. It is an okay place but we’d like to put it behind us with our 300euros intact.

The second day was mostly spent in doing laundry and ‘taking a day off’ after the trying one yesterday. Besides there isn’t much to see here and it’s still threatening rain. We hit the supermarche and said hi to the local Charolais herd.

Our hotel in Clamecy owned part of a chapel and put it to good use

Tags: bourgogne, france, nivernais, tandemtravel, travel

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Categories 2025

Clamecy

5 Jun

We woke up to heavy rain in Auxerre but by the time we left to ride it had stopped. The forecast looked rather bleak (cool and precipitation) but somehow we managed to evade the rain. It was cool, but a comfortable temperature when pedaling. There is heavy rain and hail south and east of us today in France so luckily we were in the right place. We did encounter one problem on our route today, a large tree that had fallen across the path and onto power lines. We could not get past it with our bike and bags so had to back track a bit and find a road to go around the blockage.

There are many boat tourists on this canal. Every lock we came to today either had boats in it or waiting to enter and all the locks were manned by staff, unlike the Burgundy canal where we saw few boats. We witnessed one fellow on the Burgundy canal working at one lock then racing ahead on his motorbike (passed us) to the next one ahead of the boat he just put through. We spoke to one couple on a boat today and they said they aren’t required to book the locks, they just arrive and wait. It is a slow way to travel, we are much faster. There were 38(!) locks on the ride today from Auxerre to Clamecy, about 70kms. I think all the waiting would get tiresome.

We arrived at our new abode for the next 2 nights, La Boule D’or, in Clamecy. It’s an older place with a hostel feel (shared kitchen, courtyard with ping pong, etc.) but we have our own room and bathroom and it’s very bike friendly. An old chapel is where breakfast is served so that is a new experience. There is very little choice for accommodation in the smaller places like this, you take what you can get.

We did a walking tour here as well to get a good look around. The town is very medieval looking, sort of like Auxerre, with narrow streets and half timber construction. There are also many canals within the city and a confluence of two rivers, the Yonne and the Beuvron, and is sometimes described as the Venice of the Nivernais. It is famous for timber floating (flottage de bois) as it is in a rich forested area and on a river. The wood was cut around here and then assembled into large rafts/trains (75 meters long) which raftsmen (flotteurs) then took downstream to Paris where the need for wood to burn was great and supply inadequate. This was happening from the 16th to the 19th century until coal heating took over. It is quite a fascinating history as it went on for nearly 4 centuries and is the genesis of the canal system on the Yonne river, and contributed hugely to the development of so many places along the route.

Clamecy is also the birthplace of a famous writer/historian, Romain Rolland (1866-1944), who received the nobel prize for literature in 1915. He wrote novels but also commentary about the two world wars he lived through. He was a pacifist who lamented the destruction and loss of relationships between the French and German people. He was an interesting man who apparently influenced and had relationships with notable people including Ghandi, Freud and Richard Strauss, I may have to read more about him. This much we learned in the excellent museum here, along with the flottage history.

Tags: canal, cycling, france, tandemcycling, travel

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Categories 2025

Auxerre

3 Jun

Auxerre is pronounced with an “s” sound rather than an x, as opposed to Auxois which is pronounced with the x sound. Not sure why. We are very close to Chablis and other wine producers such as some who produce Crémant de Bourgogne, a lovely bubbly white wine.

Our ride from Tonnerre to here was a bit longer, a bit cooler and extremely buggy. All of these bugs, especially aphids must have hatched recently. We saw a few people riding on the canal with face masks and George finally had to do the same after eating too many and having to try to keep his mouth closed while cycling. I am luckily in his draft and don’t have as much trouble. They land on my arms and legs but not in my face and mouth.

We came to the end of the Canal de Bourgogne and turned south to join up with the Canal du Nivernais. We are now riding beside the Yonne river, no longer a canal, with many more boats and tourists and even bigger locks. We haven’t seen vineyards yet but we will soon as we ride south. We rode through predominantly grain farming regions for the last few days so a much different feel here. I thought it seemed more economically depressed with less activity in general in the farm areas whereas Auxerre seems bustling with activity, economy and tourists on bikes and boats, or both.

We found our new apartment quite easily just up from the river. It is hidden behind an ordinary looking blue door after which you enter a traboule (pathway through buildings) which leads to several apartments. We found our apartment which is lovely with a nice terrace. It amazes me what you find behind the doors here.

We spent the first day here on a walking tour. It is a very interesting looking city as many of the buildings in the old city are the half timbered style, including our apartment. It is full of narrow windy streets and there are also two large churches and another abbey creating a breathtaking view. Our second day was spent riding around the surrounding area to a few small towns close to Auxerre. We are back in the wine growing areas, however tasting excursions don’t work well with riding a bike, so we focus on the scenery and history. We were able to visit an interesting archaeological site from the Roman times that has uncovered evidence of grape cultivating as well as a villa with baths and in-floor heating!

In the land of half timbered houses from the 16-17th century. The statue is Cadet Rousel, a character from a revolutionary song

Tags: cycling, france, travel

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Categories 2025

Montbard and Tonnerre

1 Jun

We left Pouilly en Auxois for Montbard on a beautiful sunny morning, and another day which promised some heat. We will still be going alongside the Canal de Bourgogne for the next few days, easy and flat riding and the trail surface is almost all paved though a bit bumpy in spots. The heat seems to have brought out more cyclists, or maybe it’s because it’s Friday and more folks have the day off. It’s not crowded though and I love to see them. We were able to check in to our rustic hotel early in the afternoon which gave us time to ride over and see the nearby Abbaye de Fontenay. The Abbey dates from the 11th century and was inhabited by Cisterian monks following the doctrine of Saint Bernard. The buildings went through many transformations including industrial and commercial use but are now well restored and presented for the public. Interesting to me was the monks had the earliest working metallurgical factory in Europe and invented the hydraulic hammer to help in the forging process. Educated dudes those monks. Our hotel looked a bit like something from an old western but turned out ok with a decent restaurant for supper and breakfast.

Off to our second one night stop, in Tonnerre 60km up the canal from Montbard. It was a hot, muggy, and buggy day with George especially getting plastered by a few billion aphids and some larger bugs as well. The good hot shower at the end was very welcome. Today we got to witness a boat actually going through one of the dozens of locks we have ridden by since joining this canal system. Not hugely exciting but interesting, and the whole process was less than ten minutes, not as much time as we had imagined. We are able to travel far faster than any of the boats we have seen and don’t have the necessary lock interruptions. The lock system is managed by a government agency, the Voie Navigables de France, and we see their vehicles and personnel all the time, but seldom in action. One thing we saw in Tonnerre during our short stay was the Fosse Dionne, dating from the 16th century, essentially a public laundry washing facility created due to a water source rising into this spot after seeping through the limestone cliffs above. The source has been investigated by divers as far as 380m back and 80m below the outlet. Over the years 3 divers perished in the exploration(!). It will be an even more compelling site once a budgeted and scheduled restoration is complete in the next two years.

A hot day on the canal and the first day in the short sleeves

Tags: france, travel

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Categories 2025

Pouilly-en-Auxois

29 May

We rode south and then turned north after leaving Dijon and riding towards Pouilly-en-Auxois. We were along canals the entire ride today, out of the vineyards for now, however still very scenic and tranquil. We are now on the Canal de Bourgogne trail. We saw some other cyclists, a few walkers, but not many other people once we were 10kms away from Dijon. We did see lots of herons and ducks along the canal and quite a few house boats that appear to be for tourists to rent, some very posh looking. We rode past many locks on the canal and with each one we rose about 2-4 meters, for a total of 333m from Dijon. Likely it is faster to travel by bike along here as each time you come to a lock in a boat you would have to go through the process. We didn’t find many services along the route and had to look hard for an open cafe in a canal side town. Also once we arrived in Pouilly we struggled to find some supper as the restaurant that is connected to our hotel is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and unfortunately we arrived on a Tuesday. One other restaurant in the area is closed until July and another only serves midday meals. So our gourmet meal tonight was take out pizza… This is one of the places where we don’t have an apartment with a kitchen so we have to be creative.

We will be on the Canal de Bourgogne for several days so we got to know its interesting features and history. It is a critical 242km link in the overall canal system running from the English Channel to the Mediterranean Sea. It was used commercially from its inception in 1833 until late in the 20th century. Where we are now in Pouilly-en-Auxois which is the highest point in the entire system at 378m so there are many locks needed to get here from the south and then heading north for the descent as well. The most interesting bit to me is the 3337m long canal tunnel built right under the town and still in use. Before self powered barges they used many inventive methods to pull the boats through, ending in an electric tug which only went out of service in the 1970s. There is a tourist boat that goes through the tunnel but unfortunately not until July.

The weather was a bit sketchy the next day but we managed to ride to Mont St. Jean without getting too wet, a hill town with a fortress and church. The countryside here is very hilly so once you leave the canal-side, up up you go. A group of E-cyclists were also visiting the village and they cheered for us after completing the steep ascent on our non E bike. That evening we had to walk a couple of km out of town to find an open restaurant of the truckstop variety. We do what we must.

Now it is Thursday and we have had a really good day with great sunny weather, a lovely two chateau ride, and finishing with a very good meal in our hotel’s restaurant. Our outlook on Pouilly-en-Auxois has improved. Still, breakfast for Tara was oatmeal with applesauce while I ate pain au chocolat from the boulangerie next door. We did both sit out in the sun having morning coffees in the bar across the street though.

Our first chateau was the Chateau de Chateauneuf on top of a large hill with a single 12% grade switchback to get there. Chateauneuf is charming and the chateau has largely been reconstructed for tourists coming in. It is one of those iconic medieval castles with turreted towers and foreboding walls. The second chateau was in Commarin, just a few kms down the road. It had a different vibe to it as it is still inhabited by the same family who has owned it for 900 years. It is also one of the few chateau spared damage from the French revolution, the revolutionaries being out to destroy anything to do with royalty. It also still has a filled moat, no alligators but very large carp to keep the weeds and bugs down.

Tags: chateau, france, travel

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Categories 2025

Beaune and Dijon

27 May

We left Chalon sur Saône on a rainy cool morning but luckily the rain was light, let up fairly soon, and the ride to Beaune was less than 50kms. The first half of the ride was along a canal and the latter in the vineyards. This is the first vines we’ve seen on this trip and they are everywhere, no ground left empty. It’s very clearly a major industry here. We are riding right through the vineyards on roads also used by the vineyard workers but mostly we just see other cyclists as it is a designated cycle route. We are rarely on the roads with the cars.

Beaune is a lovely small city and a major tourist centre for people looking to do wine tasting and touring. There’s definitely some high end accommodations and restaurants here for some of the wealthier travelers, maybe those shipping expensive wine back home. Our accommodations are more modest but usually very comfortable. We are here to enjoy the scenery and do a little tasting once we’re done riding for the day. We found another walking tour to do around the old city and then visited a museum/hospital/chapel, the Hôtel Dieu, built in the 15th century that stayed in service until the 1980s! One evening for dinner we were able to find some beef bourguignon, and it was très tasty.

The ride from Beaune to Dijon was entirely through vineyards and the small communities that support the wine industry. It is very scenic and a cyclist’s dream to ride here. There are many chateaux dotting the countryside as well and many have beautiful polychromic ceramic roof tiles. The churches also often have this style of roof, it is very burgundian. The weather was good today for riding, about 20, mostly sunny and not much wind. It has been a bit cool and wet so today was appreciated.

Our accommodation in Dijon is another apartment close to the centre so this is handy for tourist activities as well as having our own kitchen for lunches, breakfasts and some suppers rather than having to buy all the meals. Unfortunately we found there was no hot water! Our host explained that the water only heats at night (!) so if it runs out (previous tenants) you have to wait until morning. He suggested we forget about this issue by drinking the bottle of wine he supplied. We found more walking tours here to help us get acquainted with the sites. We also visited the Musee Beaux Arts which was very good as the art collection is housed in an historic Duke’s palace dating from the middle ages so we also got some history along with the art on display. We learned about a famous sculptor from here, Francois Rude, who sculpted one of the 4 friezes on the Arc de Triomphe, and saw many of his works. We were also able to climb a tower (Tour Philippe le Bon) in the same palace to get a spectacular view of the city. This was guided so we learned a bit more about the history of the area. The owl (here called chouette rather than hibou) is a good luck symbol for Dijon, we’re not quite sure why, but they are everywhere. There’s one carved into the side of the Notre Dame Cathedral and you are supposed to touch it with your left hand for good fortune.

We waited a bit to start and avoided most of the rain

Tags: burgogne, france, tandemcycling, travel

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Categories 2025

Mâcon and Chalon sur Saone

22 May

Macon was our first destination after Lyon. We stayed in a lovely and spacious apartment above a tea house in the old part of the town and stored the bike in their courtyard under the staircase. We do find that wherever we stay the hosts are very helpful and hospitable about bike storage. We very much enjoyed the lovely warm shower we were able to have to remove the thick layer of dust from cycling a large part of the day on dusty trails. In addition we had access to a washer and dryer so we could start with clean cycling clothes again. It’s the little details that make this kind of travel more comfortable.

We spent the next day on a self guided walking tour of Mâcon and learned about a famous local poet, author, and statesman named Alphonse de Lamartine. We also learned about an important group of WW2 resistance fighters (men and women) who gathered and organized themselves here in Mâcon. Whenever we are in Europe we see so much evidence of the destruction and loss of life that occurred during both world wars and feel very fortunate to have been born when and where we were.

For dinner one evening in Mâcon we ate in La Maison Bois, a building that dates from 1490! The exterior is very unusual with wooden siding and grotesque sculptures of monkeys, unicorns, snakes, and a gryphon. The food wasn’t notable but what was notable is we were helping a couple of other diners with translating the menu and trying to order their food as they knew no French and the waitress knew limited English. Our French is limited so it made us feel smart for a short time. Having bilingual packaging in Canada is good for something.

The next day we left Mâcon for our next destination of Chalon sur Soane. This was a shorter ride of 68 kms, mostly along the Soane river again, but very little of it was unpaved so we stayed cleaner. We continued along the same cycle path, the Voie Bleue, and saw many other cyclists along the way as well as one other tandem. Most of the day was quite pleasant but the last 15 kms we were racing to our destination to try to avoid some nasty looking dark clouds and we made it before we got soaked!

The Soane river is wide and calm so is used for fishing and recreation as well, even water skiing, although we didn’t see any that day. We have seen a number of river cruise boats that stop in these various cities that we are also visiting. It looks like a comfortable way to travel.

In Chalon sur Soane we were again in an apartment in the old part of the city. This one is above a library on a top floor with low ceilings and exposed beams. It’s a good thing we’re not very tall or we would be bumping our heads. The apartment is eccentrically decorated in a wine theme but also well equipped and comfortable. The bike was stored in the hallway on the main floor, locked to the railing.

We spent the day here on another walking tour which took us all over the old part of the city as well as over to Ile St. Laurent across the river. There were many historic buildings to see and we learned about one of the inventors of modern photography who was born here: Nicéphore Niépce, a name that doesn’t really roll off the tongue too easily.

Stopping to smell the roses along the Saone

Tags: cycle-touring, france

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Categories 2025

Lyon and the start

19 May

Our journey to Lyon was on time and uneventful, everything arrived as expected. After a quick tram ride into the city from the airport it was a short walk to our hotel with the bike case and duffle so not too painful. Our goal is always to have a short distance to go with the bike case as it’s big and heavy, so difficult for any mode of transportation other than walking. Thus our choices are limited and not necessarily a memorable location. The room was tiny so we spent the next day or so crawling over the case to get into bed. We were able to assemble the bike in the underground garage and it went smoothly. I am always a bit nervous that some vital part has been forgotten at home or damaged enroute.

Our first day was spent looking around the Fourvière area which is a large hill that looks over the city. There’s a famous basilica and a tower which is visible from everywhere in Lyon. We took the funicular up and down which is always fun. Also on this hill is the original Roman settlement, called Lugdunum, now ruins, which date from 43 BC. These ruins were excavated starting in the mid 1930’s, exposing 2 large theatres and other living quarters.

Below the hill is Vieux Lyon or Old Lyon with many buildings dating from the 15th century. It is full of narrow streets and alleys, mostly pedestrian only, full of quaint shops and restaurants/bouchons which serve Lyonnaise culinary specialties featuring: quenelles (fish dumpling in prawn sauce), sausages, duck, eggs, salads (with eggs) and sweet treats such as praline as well. We took a short guided tour which was very good and described more of the history of Lyon and also we were able to traverse through some “traboules” which are tunnel like shortcuts within buildings between streets for the locals to use. You can’t access them other than on a tour. We also went on a boat tour up and down the Saône for a different perspective on the city. Despite being so old it is a modern city with a lot of new areas being developed.

Lyon’s initial industry was built primarily around the silk trade (now it is noted for chemical industries). The silk is produced and manufactured locally and has been for hundreds of years. We visited a museum about the history of Lyon as well as the silk industry which was very informative. We did see several silk shops in the old town and the ties, scarves and clothing were beautiful.

We left Lyon on a beautiful morning for our first ride of the tour toward Macon. It was a perfect day for riding and 95% on separate cycle paths. The route we are following initially is the “Voie Bleue”. We followed the Saône River (pronounced Sone) for the entire way which meant for a very flat ride and was appreciated as it was a fair distance to go on the first day, almost 85 kms. However, it was enjoyable with many parks, water, toilets and services along the way. We were ready to be done by the end, our rear ends had had enough!