HIGH RIVERS AND FAST FLOWS

We're stuck in Auxerre for a bit longer than anticipated as the river is closed for navigation in both directions. We're in the middlle of the worst floods here for 60 years! It's rained and rained for days, the river is running very fast and has risen by about half a metre. It's a good thing we're in a boat, and just go up with it, rather than in a house. 

The local paper. This garage looks a bit damp! Is there a car in it?

Huge logs/trees keep passing us and the ducks just can't make any headway upstream. They end up going backwards and eventually give up and fly instead! 

The river next to the lock, 100 yards from us. I think we'll stay put for a while!

The unfortunate people in the boat behind us have given up and gone home. They hired the boat on Sunday for a week, did a days cruising, arrived here yesterday just before the river closed and all 8 of them sat in their salon, crowded, getting bored, cold and dejected for a day. This morning they hired a minibus and went back to collect their cars which were left about 15 miles away. Don't think it was their best ever holiday. What a shame!! It could have been so different if the sun had been shining or the river hadn't been closed. Even the expensive hotel boats aren't going anywhere.

AUXERRE -CATHEDRALS AND CAKES

Came to Auxerre as an interesting place to be sans Margaret whilst she had a quick UK trip. Known to be 'pretty' and it is. Big cathedral, huge abbey and many, many churches. Must have been a religious lot. The crypt in the abbey was started in the fourth century and with its more recent ninth century frescos is stunning. The town is a maze of small streets to be explored. Soraya's mooring is great close to restaurants, bars and shops. Not to mention the tourist attractions.

Our mooring right in the centre of the city, below Abbaye de Saint Germain.

Auxerre is a lovely town for just wandering around, bimbling, the jumble of architectural styles, the maze of streets and tiny squares/open spaces.

One of the many streets with medieval timber frame houses.

There are lots of places to stop for coffee, beer and patisserie. Shame!

Patisseries au Eric Roy.

Well I thought we hadn't had cake porn for a while. I can assure you the purple bomb with cassis is sublime.

We have a slight problem at the moment, the not too good weather, yes the rain, has very seriously increased the river height and flow. VNF have now closed the river/locks so it's stay put. For us that's fine. Tough for the people hiring boats they can't go anywhere for the week. Well, there is always a trip back to the patisserie, or the pub? Tough choice, could be both.

CHÂTEAU DE TANLAY

Yes another château and it's still in private hands. It could do with a bit (lot) of money spending on it. All the same fascinating. The brochure states that '..... each generation has contributed to the castle's interiors, maintenance and enrichment'. This may have been the case in the past, we felt the château is now kept for the very occasional party, wedding or family gathering.

Margaret at the entrance. Like the pyramids, just for architectural effect.

Most of the rooms we were not allowed to photograph as they are still 'used' by the family.

Part of the château, plus the obligatory moat. Not a duck house in sight.

La Grande Galerie en trompe-l'oeil, by King's court artist Remy Vuibert in 1648.

Remarkable, including pigeons flying around, not sure they are a good idea.

Fresco in the 'Tour de la Ligue', one of the towers.

The fascinating fact about the fresco is that the room was a meeting place for Protestant allies in the religious wars and the people depicted in the fresco are the most significant politicians of the period illustrated as gods and goddesses. Not sure if we would get away with depicting our leaders naked in a semi public space. Mind you I don't think I would want to see them as naked figures from classical history.

I could mention the Grand Canal leading to the monumental Nymphaeum........

HUILERIE

We came across this huilerie (oil manufacturers) in a very nondescript town of Brienon-sur-Armançon on the Canal de Bourgogne. Whilst the town was ordinary the Huilerie was literally unique, apparently the only one of it's type and age in France. Actually called 'Huilerie artisanale Suguenot-Schultz'. Originally when started in 1809 it was basically equipped . This was gradually improved and in 1886 it got the state of the art machinery at the time, which is still in place and working. Well as they say if it works don't fix it. This stuff works and works. It was in the same family until 2003, 6 generations, when it had a short period 'en silence' due to illness. It was then acquired by the current owner who has carried on the tradition.

The sign that drew us in.

The main mill, where 'le mulage' takes place.

Manufactured in 1886 weighing in at 4.5 tonnes of marble, 2.6m diameter, it's quite a sight. The mill crushes the walnuts, hazelnuts, rape, sunflower seeds, linseeds ...... before moving onto the presses to extract the oil.

The presses with the current owner.

The oils are then filtered, heat treated (wood fired of course), or whatever is required for a particular oil before bottling. I think the only charge since the 1800's is a credit card machine. The oil is lovely and the place fascinating. A working museum, that was never set up to be a museum.

GNOMON

No, I didn't know what it meant either..... It's a meridian line or the part of a sundial that casts a shadow. It was traced on the floor inside the Hôtel Dieu in Tonnerre. When the rays of the sun come through a tiny hole in the wall, it is noon in Tonnerre.

Hole the sun shines through

Part of the Gnomon in the Hôtel Dieu

The sun shines in a beam onto the floor and illuminates the time, day and month. The area and length was much larger for the winter months as the sun is much lower. This was constructed in the 18th century by a Benedictine monk. Unfortunately the day we were there it was cloudy so we had to use our imagination!!

LAVOIRS

Lavoirs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. We've seen some really impressive ones recently near the Canal de Bourgogne. Doing the daily washing  was obviously a great social occasion.

La Fosse Dionne at Tonnerre

This is fed by an underground spring and has been recently restored.

The 18th century oval Lavoir at Brienon. 

This one had wood fires installed inside it in the 19th century. That must have made the washing a much more pleasurable task!!

The long Lavoir in Migennes 

A smaller, more intimate, Lavoir in Brienon

ASPERGE DE BOIS

Asperge de bois is wild asparagus, Ornithogalum pyrenacium or to those who come from Bath, 'Bath Asparagus'. It is also called Star of Bethlehem. It is not closely related to the normal asparagus Asparagus officinalis. Wild asparagus is normally hard to find and very rare to buy. Cruising into a lock on the Bourgogne canal I saw a sign saying 'À vendre - Asperge de bois, Champagne .....' As the saying goes, it would be rude not to. Whilst Soraya was going down in the lock money changed hands and goods transferred.

Asperge de bois.

The lock keeper arrived with a great bundle of asparagus, enough for a few meals. It was yummy. Not as overtly tasty as normal asparagus but very good.

LE CHÂTEAU d'ANCY LE FRANC

We are running through 'La Route des Ducs de Bourgogne' and there are some amazing châteaux. We recently moored at Ancy-Le-France as there was a château we had heard of that apparently had incredible interiors. As they say in the flyer for the château 'Le Palais de la Reaissance Italienne en Bourgogne'. I would say incroyable!

The interior courtyard. Liked the raked gravel, all in different directions.

The château was built in 1542. It's real claim to fame, I feel, is the flamboyant interiors. Every room is totally different. The château has been recently bought, 1999, by a French/Parisian property company who has and still is spending huge amounts of money restoring the place. Not quite sure why.

A corridor.

A dining room.

A private, one person chapel, off the private chapel for the château.

This is potentially slightly confusing as the decoration is based on 'scull and cross bones'. Not what I would feel is appropriate for a private chapel. Perhaps I could be enlightened as to scull and cross bones with water drops decorations for a chapel.

Sitting room.

Yes lots of gold. I assume the conversation went. 'I want lots of gold'. 'Is that enough gold?' 'No I want some more'. To be fair the suite, 3 rooms, were done for a visit by the King. Unfortunately the King's PA double-booked the diary and he never came!

These are a very small selection of the interiors. One of the most stunning châteaux we have been to.

RELIGIOUS STUFF

I'm not into this stuff, as you probably know, but there are some good bits. Recently in Tonnerre we went to the Hôtel Dieu. A 10th century institution looking after the ill and poor. Lots of stuff, however, there is an amazing sculpture of The Entombment of Christ. Not my core subject but the sculpture was good, very, very good. One of the oldest and well preserved representations of this genre,1454 Burgundy art.

Part only of 'La mise au tombeau'.

So when you've finished with the serious stuff there is always the new board game. Those Internet and video games will never have the longevity of 'Récréation Spirituelle'.

Récréation Spirituelle.

Was it ever a best seller? Did it end up sending you to hell if you committed a mortal or even a venial sin?

NEW DESSERT

My new favourite friend a unique 'potentially' dessert in Tonnerre.

A dessert made from amongst other things Chaource, a local cheese, one of my favourite cheeses.

Not sure of its name, it was amazing. OK the bad news if you have Charource you have to have it with Champagne. It's the old terroir story.