Seascapes Travel Log
Michael Grew
Fri 16 Jul 2010 14:00
Up early (well fairly earlyish) and cleaned up the boat ready for a visit by a Swiss friend called John-Pierre. Went over to McDonalds with the laptop (they have a free WiFi connection and air conditioning!) and checked our E Mails. 12:30hrs walked over the bridge and up to Hotel Syracuse (where J-P was staying) but J-P had not arrived. Walked back to the boat ( stopping briefly for a cold beer on-route. Well it was yet another hot day). At 15:00hrs the sky went black and heavy rain started to fall, closely followed by thunder and lightning ( maybe that should be lightning and thunder!) J-P arrived at 16:30hrs soaking wet in spite of having an umbrella. Had coffee and cake (that J-P brought) sitting in the cockpit watching the storm pass overhead then when the wind changed watched it come back again. J-P went back to his hotel got changed and returned, but since it was still raining hard, instead of going out for a meal as planned, we ate on board. At 21:30hrs ( after the rain stopped and it brightened up) he retired to his hotel and we sat in the cockpit and chatted to our neighbours, George and Ann Bee in “Ygraine”.
13/07/2010 Chalon-sur-Soane.
Met JP (John-Pierre, our Swiss friend) outside the Hotel de Ville at 10:00hrs and together we did the guided walk around the old part of the town. In the square, outside St Vincent’s church we stopped for a coffee (beer for me thanks) in a bar by the very modern fountain. The fountain consisted of a huge, segmented granite ball that hat water coming out of the top of it and running over what looked like a slate pyramid. Around midday we parted company with JP, he to find a good restaurant for tonight’s dinner and us to visit the Niecpe Photographic Museum. JP found a good restaurant okay but the museum was shut. Instead we went and visited the heritage museum that was next door. Not very good, so we left and went back to the boat, via a small detour for food at the supermarket. After lunch we were visited by the Swede (we have since discovered is called Johnny) who has the shed-on-a-float called “Spice Too”. He stayed long enough to consume a beer and put the world to rights. Then Ann and George off “Ygraine” joined us for drinks, before we went off the meet JP at the restaurant in Rue de Strasbourg ( a street containing about 50 different outside restaurants) The food was good but the service from the queer waiter was very slow). Afterwards we walked JP back to his hotel then returned to the boat.
14/07/2010 Bastille Day
10:00hrs walked across the bridges to have coffee with Swedish Johnny on “Spice too” (the shed on a raft). Crumbs were we impressed or what? The outside looks dreadful but the inside is fantastic. Real high quality fitted furniture and even a proper FLUSH LOO! Clever devil! After the coffee break we left him and wandered over to the botanical gardens- very small but, well done. Saw some of the preparations going on for the Bastille day celebrations at the riverside. Had lunch back on the boat then returned to the waterpark to watch the water jousting. Very good and fun to watch. Then the heavy clouds came over together with almost hurricane force winds that whipped up dust, sand a leaves, causing everyone to run for cover. we went back to the boat and found our neighbours from “Ygraine” had taken our sun shade down and put our cushions below in the cabin and shut all the hatches. Bless them! As a thank you we invited them over for a drinks ( George is a devout Rum and Coke man so we got on famously). During the evening we had a violent thunderstorm and very heavy rain by 22:45hrs, the rain eased a bit so all four of us walked over watch the firework display. Not bad- we have seen better. The rain held off until the last firework had been lit then started to rain again. We got back to the boats without getting too damp.
15/07/2010 46:33:93N 04:54:84E
Left Chalon-Sur-Saone at 09:50hrs , passed through the huge lock just North of the town of Tours and tied up near the town quay at 13:30hrs, having travelled 30 kilometres in 3.5 hrs. We found the river much much quicker way to travel than by canal. After lunch we explored the old parts of the town in spite of the unhelpfull Tourist Information staff. The town has a really old church and a lot of dilapidated residences . When we entered the church the first time there was a funeral service going on, so we went back later and were pleased to hear the organist still playing. Very good. We did half the suggested town walk and then went back to the boat . By then a space had appeared on the town quay so we moved the boat into it. Much better we could now use the electric point to charge up the battery that keeps getting flattened by running the cold box. (its not good enough to be called a fridge). Today has been pleasantly warm and there was a cool breeze in the evening. (or is it that we are just getting acclimatised to the temperatures?)