Canal Nivernais Day One

Today’s the first day of our canal trip from Vermenton to Auxerre.  We drove from Hochstetten, Germany, to Vermenton in France, taking about 4 hours.  It’s interesting insomuch as journeying by road – to get from A to B quickly – is via the motorway and of course, there are no small villages with cafes to stop and have a leisurely coffee.  Stops are made at petrol stops laybys where there are large shops that also sell coffee, but via machines.  Put your money in, choose what you think is the right type of coffee and within moments it arrives in a wax cup.  Not so good.  But efficient and certainly no time wasted.  

I thought of the Brown Sugar café in Taihape and the little cafés up and down the country where we  stop, safe in the knowledge that the coffee will be excellent.   Are we now spoiled in New Zealand that we have such good food, coffee, and wine?  Are our tastebuds so used to luxury foods from all around the world that we feel jaded?  But one must not compare, for the whole reason of travelling is surely to experience the difference rather than complain about it.

Vermenton is a cluster of yellow stone houses with narrow streets; in the center of which is a large church.  Nothing was signposted, but we found our way to the riverside where saw all the boats tied to the side.  We were introduced to Guilliame, our boat for the duration.  William, or “Sonny Bill” as we decided he might be named (isn’t it odd to have a male name for a boat?) is smallish with two cabins, each with their own shower and loo.  One fore, one aft.  To begin with, I was sure there was no room for any of our clothes (which we’d reduced to one suitcase, leaving the other in the car, safely locked for the duration), but it is interesting how you can find nooks and crannies.  You have to be incredibly tidy, of course and since I am the only untidy person in the group of 4, it will be a test of my skills.

We were given at least an hour’s tuition by a guy from, of all places, Perth.  He came with us for the first lock just to make sure we were going to be ok.  Of course, we have John, Captain in the Royal Navy as our team leader, so we weren’t unduly worried.  Nick is the ‘boy’ and so far, he and Jenny are taking care of all the tying up business and doing the locks.  They are all in their element.  I am observing carefully, just in case my skills are tested.  We are lying-to for the first night in the Canal Nevernais at Ste Pallaye.  It is quiet and peaceful.  The canal water is dirty and more so since all bilge is simply pumped into it – you would think, wouldn’t you, that that kind of thing would be in the past?

We are going south, away from Vermenton to Prégilbert, to Maille la Ville, Mailly le Chateau, Merry sur Yonne, Chatel Censoir and ending up at Clamecy.  We return the same way.  Because the boat travels at walking pace only, this is about as far as we will get.  There are many locks, all of which take time, and so the mileage covered is going to be less than I imagined.  We come back the same way, but we will skip some villages out on our way south, and stop at them on the way north.  Nick and I will end up in Auxerre, but the boat will not be going that far.

I'm really sorry that we didn't get bikes.  I suppose I wasn't forceful enough when the decision was made.  It was raining and the 'boys' went to organise the boat and came back saying that bikes weren't really that necessary.  Pity.

The beds were surprisingly comfortable, at least mine was, since  I had the wider of the two single beds up the pointy end.  Mine was supposed to be a double, apparently, although I can’t see how two people would have ever slept comfortably there.  Nick had a single bed, bless him, while I had already tucked in two extra duvets on top of my mattress.  One might say, shame on me, but first up, best dressed etc.  And there're hips and knees to be thought of.

John and Jenny had the double bed, and bigger cabin and en suite, but the bed was hard against the wall with no way of getting out, should you be on the wall side.

The galley is perfectly adequate especially as we do not propose to be spending too much time in it.  There's plenty of room in the fridge for wine and cheese.

And so ends the first day.