I had really, really been looking forward to staying here and it didn’t disappoint. Great (free) mooring for the menagerie in the park too without the slightest hint of noise, let alone trouble – even at the weekend. This was the first real civilisation we’d seen since turning onto the Nivernais and I was looking forward to shops and restaurants, in addition to my usual meanderings with a dog and a camera. There are really no words, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking – glad we’re not still paying for films and developing.

I’ll start Riverside

Then there was our mooring, the park and the fountains – MR was still with us here

Then there was the town and the markets

….. and finally, my personal quirky bits

We had to move on; MR’s date with a crane was fast approaching. We stopped overnight at Gurgy before turning on to the River Yonne and moored at Laroche-St-Cydroine where I was left home alone for a week – again, sigh – I’m beginning to think I have grounds to file for a divorce on the basis of desertion! I liked this little place though, it had a bakery that did the most amazing maize bread and a little shop; unusually, the chemist had shut down so it was a bit of a hike into Migenne but the weather remained fabulous apart from thick fog in the mornings.

In desperate need of a chemist, I trundled in with Muttley, timing my arrival to hit the chemist at 12.15, before they closed at 12.30, and then find a little cafe for a light lunch. The location of the chemist wasn’t obvious, so I asked a lady who was heading for her car after buying bread. The ensuing conversation roughly translated to the fact that the town chemist closed at 12.15 (aaagh!), there was another up the hill and she would drive me there. Before we knew it, Muttley and I were bundled into the passenger seat and whisked away….and away and away. She dropped us off outside a vast shopping mall, wished me a nice day and indicated that the chemist was inside the complex. I thanked her profusely before starting on the long walk back into town. Even in France I couldn’t go into the mall with Muttley and I wasn’t going to tie him up outside – we had been stuffed with only kindness in mind!

Eventually reaching Migenne again, I found a small cafe and ordered a much needed beer; I asked if it was possible to eat; to which she replied of course. I waited and waited and no menu appeared. Eventually the penny dropped when people came in for a drink bringing with them their own food to eat on the premises  ….. doh. Some days just don’t work out – but it didn’t rain.

With G having gone back in the lorry carrying MR, he had booked all his return flight and train tickets. It was at this point that we discovered that there was to be a 4 week stoppage on the river Yonne with no movement allowed at all. G was due back very late on the 11th and the shut down was on the 15th – just 3 days to cover 85 kms and 17 locks to get off onto the Seine. Alternatively, we could go to somewhere like Sens and sit it out for 4 weeks – more decisions required.