Best of Burgundy Day 4
Best of Burgundy
DAY 4 - Thursday - 9-22-05 - Santenay/Chagny
We were able to sleep until 7:15 today. We smelled the coffee early and had our shower and went up to the dinning room for our breakfast. There was a little time while our colleagues were having their first cup of coffee, so we went out to the very cool morning to take a few photographs. The mist was rising from the canal and everything was cool and crisp, about 40 degrees. Our breakfast was excellent with a large variety of fruits, yogurt and French pastries and Jean, our chef, was making eggs to order. Jean does not speak English so most orders ended up as omelets because he did not know the terms scrambled or over-easy.
At 9 AM we were on our way over the bridge to a little grocery store to buy our assigned items for our picnic lunch. Our table was responsible for purchasing wine and I had a wide variety to choose some - all under 5 Euros. Others were to buy bread, cheese, and meats, so we could have a typical French lunch. On the way back to the barge we stopped at several shops to check for an internet café. No one in this small village was able to help us - "no internet" was the standard response. We spent the remaining time exploring this quaint little town before boarding the barge at 10 AM.
At 10:15, as promised, the captain started the engines and we made way on our first day on the continental canal system. As soon as we came to the first lock 7 of us were able to get the bikes off and rode along the canal path. We stopped at several tiny hamlets to take photo detours as we were riding much faster than the barge was traveling. We waited at the 3rd lock and got back on board to join the others for lunch. We had six different kinds of local cheeses, a variety of meats, several types of French breads, and eight different bottles of wine. Gennie's collection of corks is really growing! We sat on the deck of the barge and enjoyed our lunch in the sun.
After lunch and traveling for about 30 minutes we moored along the side of the canal and hiked to the village of Santenay about 1.5 miles from the canal. We walked around this picturesque wine village and had a chance to see many wineries at the height of production. We had to be back at the barge by 4 PM so we were able to take our time wandering back along the roadway.
We spent a little time in our room organizing pictures and then promptly at 4 PM, our captain Richard, slipped the lines and we were off to our next stop. We floated until about 6:30 and moored at Chagny where we will stay for the night. As soon as we were secure, Richard took us on a walk where he shared the history of the barge industry and a photographic display of this area in the early 1900s when the river barge industry was at its hay day.
At 7:00 PM we went back to the barge and indoors to enjoy our dinner with Gloria and Jerry who shared more of their adventures getting here from Travers City, Michigan.
The pictures you will see include our OAT Tour Guide Michel and the group at the prow of the Lafayette.
Accommodations: Lafayette - - - Meals: B, D
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