companionway to watch the spectre of
mist, like ghosts dancing across the little
harbour.
Next, was Chalons-sur-Saône, a large
town famous for being the birthplace of
photography, which is showcased in a
museum. The marina is sheltered by a
fortified island and well protected from
river wash. On the island we found a street
packed with restaurants, and opted for an
indoor barbecue at the Braseiro. Individual
barbecues of glowing charcoals were
brought to our table. I ordered a mix of
beef, duck and kangaroo, which I cooked
right there in the middle of the dining
room. It was huge fun. It’s always nice at
my age to discover something I haven’t
experienced before.
After two pleasant nights we continued
south to Tournus, a medieval town with
history stretching back to Roman times.
The town quay was full so we pulled
alongside a barge owned by an eccentric
Dutchman who runs cycling/barge
holidays between Tournus and Dijon.
First whiff of the Med
With its ‘Tuscan’ roofscape – probably
reminiscent of its Roman history – Tournus
was our first whiff of the Mediterranean.
Hereon the landscape would become
increasingly more ‘Med’, and gradually
less Burgundian.
Janet had to leave early as her dog was
sick, so Janie and I gave her a shoreside
barbecue send-off before her departure
the next day. It’s a pity because she
missed out on seeing the medieval abbey
and a pleasant three-course lunch at a
little brasserie.
After Tournus, Mâcon was a bit
disappointing. The marina, a 45-minute
walk north of the town, was smart and
super-secure but quite expensive (r18).
We later discovered a town pontoon on
the opposite side of the river, near some
brasseries, so we missed a trick this time.
C’est la vie. As a city, Mâcon was fine, not
unlike Chalons, but not as good on just
about all criteria.
At lunchtime the following day we
dropped onto a free pontoon at Belleville.
It’s a handy place to overnight on an
attractive stretch of the river, though I gave
up waiting for my cold beer at the outdoor
restaurant bar. It was a pity because it was
a lovely place in a charming setting.
A further 2^1 ⁄ 2 hours’ motoring brought usto Trevous, which feels distinctly
Mediterranean. We watched a national
boules championship, where there were
barbecues, beer and wine aplenty and
everyone was made welcome.
And so to the final leg to Lyon. The
approaches were far more attractive than
anticipated – none of the neglected
wasteland that had surrounded other
lovely cities such as Reims.
In Lyon was a new marina, part and
parcel of a huge retail/leisure complex
designed to re-energise the old
docklands. It seemed small considering
how much space there was in this former
dock but at r18 a night, you can’t
complain about the price, considering
you’re in the centre of France’s ‘second
city’, which I personally find more
enjoyable than Paris.
With a retail centre and huge Carrefour
on our doorstep, we didn’t want for
provisioning. However, we chose to
explore the old city as well, and climbed
up to the basilica to enjoy the excellent
views. Lyon is famous for its ‘bouchons’.
These are rustic restaurants with a
no-nonsense ethos, where the dishes are
heavily oriented around meat. However,
this being France, most of them were shut
because it’s August (... don’t get me
started!). Outside one of them, a
chalkboard read: ‘I’m sorry. We don’t have
wifi. Your best wifi is your neighbour’s
table.’ I think I would have liked a
bouchon...
One day was not enough to get to grips
with Lyon, but I had an imminent Ruby
Wedding anniversary to attend in early
September. Before then, we needed toCRUISING
ABOVE Arles isn’t just
about Van Gogh, there
were the Romans too
RIGHT Tournus hard
quay, viewed from the
east bank
LEFT From Tournus
southwards the
landscape becomes
increasingly
MediterraneanTournus has an impressive medieval heart