Apres Châtillon en Bazois

Châtillon en Bazois

Another wonderful day on the canal de Nivernais.  We started in Châtillon en Bazois this morning where we heard there was a market today.  All excited we all headed down to the center of town towards the town square expecting a full array of goods.  To our disappointment we found a fruit and vegetable stand, a fishmonger, and a butcher, period.  Oh, and I forgot the fellow selling mattresses and box springs.  Just what we need on the boat!!!!!! So we headed to the supermarket to buy groceries and WINE.  We then headed for the canal going up and up through the locks.  That means going through locks that raised our altitude.  

Bruce observing the operation of the lock

Bruce and Gerry each had turns helping the "éclusiers" operate the locks as most of them in this area are manually operated.  It is a sure way to build up your muscles for sure as turning those handles to open and close the lock doors is hard work to be sure.  

Gerry cranking the control for the gate to the lock

At one lock, a young fellow who was the lock keeper asked us if we would wait 15 minutes for another boat that was on its way.  Of course, being the polite Canadians that we are, we agreed.  He promised  us a surprise after we got to the next lock.  Once through, he proceeded to entertain us with a very old instrument called a "vielle".  It is a very  old instrument of more than a 1000 years originating in the Auvergne Department of France which just happens to be the area my parents were born in.  The instrument is hard to describe but has a crank that he runs and a keyboard he plays at the same time.  It sounds at times like a violin, sometimes like an organ grinder, and sometimes like a balalaïka, like nothing we had ever experienced.

  However, Antoine, his name, was a very engaging young fellow we all fell in love with.  We overlooked the fact that he kept us captive in the lock until he had completed his performance, somewhat like Al R. would have done!

From there we continued to climb through the locks until we reached the highest peak of our journey in Baye where we are spending the night.  

After a delicious meal of veal scallopini, risotto and local beans prepared by Barry and Carolyn, we are settling in for the night anticipating another adventure tomorrow as we start going down towards Collancelle where we will go through not only locks but tunnels as well.  Oh the pleasure of it all.  We are so enjoying this adventure and couldn't be any happier.

   

As an added foot note.  During our lunch there was a knock at our window.  Our parasol/sun umbrella was floating in the canal.  Carolyn in her wisdom had set it up to offer us some shade but had neglected to secure it. The boaters behind us managed to rescue it from the canal.  It looked a little bedraggled but none the less for wear.