Juniperadventures

 Before the overheating, we stopped at Ray sur Saone for lunch and a lovely walk. Beautiful town with a chateau overlooking from atop a hill.  Built in the 12th century, it was a fortress and the home of the Ray family.  Kept in the family until 2015 when it became a historic landmark.   Beautiful Church in town as well dating from the 12/13th century.  The carved friese is from 13th century.  We walked up the hill and had lunch overlooking the valley and Saone river below. There was also a wash house in town. Well preserved.

 On the night of the wild tie at the Nature Bollard, whenever the water pump would come on normally all the lights would go out. So onward to Port de Savoyeux and to check out the batteries.  They turned out to be physically deformed and not functional. Luckily they had three batteries for us. We got fuel and water and stayed there. Nice marina.  The next day we headed towards Soing and most of the way there Juniper overheated again. We stopped 4 times before it began to get dark, and we tied to two trees for the night.  Luckily it was a good spot with easy off and on the boat. And big trees! In the morning we made our way to Soing slowly and got a spot on the dock. We thought we had a spare impeller but it was the wrong one. Called Port de Savoyeux (holiday May 14) and they told us to call in the morning. Soing was a nice town. It is known for its "Eiffel Tower" seen below.  Next day called at 9am and mechanic was there by 11am! Back to Savoyeux to pay and get ...

 Before we went to Dijon, we needed transportation and a safe place to leave Juniper for two days. After we got to Gray we realized it was not a marina after all. We tied to rings by the road and there was power.  But after two different sources told us it was not safe to leave her, and after looking into transportation from the next port, we decided to head back to Auxonne.  Left Juniper with our best Capitainerre,  John and then took a late train to Dijon. After our lovely time in Dijon we headed back up again to Pontailler and then to Gray for lunch and groceries. Lovely Church there. Than, onwards. We ended up tied to a very nice Nature Bollard. Luckily there was a spot for us. Beautiful there and we were greeted by a herd of young cows.

 Pictures of the meal. Such beautiful presentation.  And delicious!

 We had a late train ride into Dijon and checked into hotel. Next morning was bright sunny and warm. Coffee/tea in the square with delightful crossaintes and pastries. Then on to the Market. This time the streets were filled with stalls selling everything. A holiday weekend and lots of people,  all French. Saw very few tourists. The Market was wonderful. Bought good foods to take back and lunch at La Buvette! I got us a table and we had raw oysters, wine, and yummy snacks.   Back to hotel to put the food away. City Apartment Hotel comes with a frig and a kitchen. Then to the wonderful Park, the Cathedral, a mustard tasting and the Place de la Revolution with its fountains and beautiful buildings.  Went to La Fine Heure for a delicious dinner.  Our third time here. Good food, good wine, and dessert! We throughly enjoyed this fine city and our time with Christina who heads to see Paris and then home. 

Pontailler-sur-Saone At the restaurant,  La Nymphea. We left Auxonne and headed north on the Saone. We tied up at a dock to have lunch at La Nymphea in Lamarche-sur-Saone. It is a lovely restaurant and we had fish and chicken, desserts and cheese. A special and unexpected meal gifted by Christina. Then we continued on to Pontailler-sur-Saone and stayed at the Canalous boat marina. Canalous is one of the hire boat companies. Nice place to explore the town, in the rain. Interesting architecture and lots of flowers. Spring here is about a month ahead of Seattle. Days are longer, with sunset after 9pm.