The Derrineel -- Day 3

The Derrineel inside a lock, with high level water held back by gate in front

Tien assisted a lock keeper by hand-cranking closed one side of the gate behind us 

Sometimes he had to put some muscle behind it

In front of the Derrineel, the sluice was opened to allow water into the lock
The Derrineel rose to meet the water level of the canal before us

Plant life grows from cracks in walls inside locks

Tien waited for water to fill the lock
Then he removed rope from bollards

Rope removed from bollards, gates cranked open
and the Derrineel motors on

Today's snake-like route on the Canal du Nivernais

Saloon/kitchen (and Simon's lower half as he kept watch while Tien drove) 

Saloon/kitchen (door towards Simon's/Ilene's cabin)

Water skippers

Lock keeper's cottage

Grafitti

Metal sculpture

Purple flowers (what are these called?)

Simon expertly turned the boat around
 and reversed to moor near the black boat for electricity and water

While waiting for electricity and water to fill,
Tien and Simon pedaled off for provisions

My knitting, iPhone, book and iPad
No need for these while visiting the French countryside

Tien and Simon returned with food
Tien's bike was falling apart on this run, but he later put it back together

Watch your head

Lovely cross over a bridge

Ilene found takers for our stale bread

Hungry!

A garden gate

A building on the grounds of Château de Châtillon en Bazois

Same building, different point of view
A grounds keeper watched us

Château de Châtillon en Bazois

Château de Châtillon en Bazois, the other side

Same point of view many years ago
(the trees have grown)

The silly goose whose tail you see on the left has a snail in its mouth
The others want it 

We watched the farmer chain his little goat to the stake

After mooring the Derrineel for the evening at Mont et Marre,
we took a walk and came upon this lovely spot

A pretty little garden

Tien noticed a structure beneath the greenery

Simon found a way inside

Inside the crumbling building

"a bad Victorian example of a Romanesque church"

This kitty only thinks it is camouflaged

Flan, yummy!

Dusk at Mont et Marre

* * * * * * * *

Simon started the engine at 9a and we waited for the lockkeeper to open shop.  We were the only boat in the lock.  Thankfully, as a guest I have been waking early, like NLT 8a.   Ilene, as a jet-lagged hostess, has been appearing at 10a.  For a chronically late sleeper, I sure appreciate this.

Today's portion on the Canal du Nivernais was snake-like.  Tien did most of the driving, and quite skillfully I'll add.  Simon coaches and comes to aid in sticky situations, such as navigating a curved bridge.

About locks and the need for them:  We were traveling UP the canal, which meant the water flowed opposite of our travel direction.  Locks usually have room for two boats.  Locks are a pair of solid metal gates, in front of the boat and behind the boat.  The boat is carefully maneuvered through the first solid metal gate.  While someone drives the boat (Simon), another person loops rope onto a bollard to still the boat while inside the lock (Tien).  The second gate in front of the boat holds back downstream water.   Once the boat is secured inside the lock with rope, the engine is put into "tickover mode" (forward idle, moving forward very slowly) and this keeps the rope taut so the boat doesn't slam back/forth against stone walls inside the lock.  The lockkeeper manually cranks closed the solid metal gates behind us.  The lockkeeper then walks to the front gate and opens the sluice.  The sluice slowly allows water into the lock and the boat eventually rises to meet the level of the canal before us.  Meanwhile, the boat engine is given more power while the water flows in, still keeping the boat from being sloshed about.  Then the far gate is hand-cranked open, the loop of rope is removed from the bollard and, voila! the boat is driven out.  Often times, a lockkeeper works more than one lock and must speed-drive or bike-pedal to the next one.  We said, "Merci, au revoir" and waved as we motor out of every lock.

About my germaphobia:  After the first day when I fell thigh-high into sewer/canal water, I relinquished control.  I could not stay spotless.  I wore the same shorts that were clean before I stepped into the canal.  Bugs and flies were everywhere, esp at night when we had a light on, and I caught gnats and other small insects with my bare hands.  I also collected good-sized large (dead) flies between two pieces of paper (used like chopsticks) and tossed them into the canal.  Control is overrated and no one ever died from dirt or handling creepy crawlies, but I always washed my hands anyway.

Paté, ham, saucisson sec and soft cheeses, yesterday's remainder of sliced tomatoes and butter lettuce, and the last of the baguette were the midday meal.  Simon moored inside a lock and we ate while waiting for the lockkeeper to return from his break.  Ilene cleaned up the kitchen.

At the next town, Châtillon en Bazois, Simon turned the boat 180 degrees (he made it look so easy) and moored for electricity and water.  This part of the canal had a hairpin turn along the massive Château de Châtillon en Bazois.  The château is surrounded by a garden of topiaries.  A wall with arrow slits remained from the fortress that was there before the château.  Visits are from late July to August.   Notes from French Wikipedia: Built on rocky outcrop, inhabited since 900, former fortress site, located in loop of river A’ron and Canal du Nivernais; tower defense, cellar and underground parts of 13th century still visible; first occupants were lords of Châtillon.

Tien and Simon biked about a mile to a grocery store and boulangerie. While they were gone, the electricity and the water were finished filling, so I packed the connectors, hose and cable.  My cell phone kept ringing -- they could not find soy sauce for me to make soy/OJ marinated pork chops.  Oh well, I will make do.  Tien and Simon returned with baguettes, chocolat, tomatoes, zucchini, chicken bouillon, bananas, cherry pastries and a flan as weighty as cheesecake.

We moored for the night at Mont et Marre.  A young blue-eyed lockkeeper told Tien he was a first year med student waiting for results of his exam.  Lockkeeping was his summer job.   He lived in Nevers and spoke some English (they like to practice with tourists).  The lockkeeper's cottage was a tiny farm of chickens, ducks, parakeets, doves, some kind of still black bird in a cage, two mix-breed largish dogs, and the tiniest bleating goat that the farmer had chained to a post.  We watched a hen run around with a snail in her beak, being chased by a gaggle of geese wanting her escargot.

Simon, Tien and I set off on foot to explore the village with a goal to reach the church at the top.  We passed perfect little homes, pretty gardens with flowers and vegs, a large old stone home that was restored to modernity inside with a gravel U-shaped driveway flanked by carved stone elephants, a high stone wall and a pool.  One house had a garden of poppies -- big ones that look as if they produced opium.  Tien discovered ruins of a home overgrown with ivy, climbers and berry vines.   Simon peered inside and, though the outer walls and peaked roof were largely intact, everything else inside had crumbled.  We reached the church but it was locked up, so we walked around it.  Simon knows his churches and called it a bad Victorian example of a Romanesque church.  On our way back to the Derrineel, a dark brown/black kitty pretended to hide in a golden field of cut hay.   It watched us all the way down the hill.

For dinner I made OJ/oregano marinated pork chops, boiled and pan-fried flattened potatoes with paprika, and parboiled zucc and leftover carrots in the pork chop sauce.   Phew, it came out nicely.  We finished another bottle of red wine, shared two large slices of brick of a delicious flan, and enjoyed a bar of milk chocolat.  Simon sure likes his chocolat.

Simon sometimes lost his temper when Tien made boating mistakes (although Tien let it roll off his back).  Once Tien went too fast into a lock and gently bumped the stern.  Another time an oncoming boat passed us, creating a wave, and Tien ended up almost facing the shore.  Simon didn’t lose his temper then, but had to get Tien out of the mess.  Simon got over his anger very quickly.  Tien likes Simon and understands his nature.  Good thing I used to be his admin too.  It makes it super-easy to be on this trip with him and Ilene.  We are having a grand time together.

The Derrineel -- Day 2

Morning pastry

A lock that accommodates two boats

Finding Nemo on the Canal du Nivernais

A large country home 

Hay bales 

Chateau de Tremblay (more info below)

Pink roses at a lockkeeper's cottage

This well became a planter

 Evidence of rope-wear from horses that pulled cargo

A working farm and ivy-covered house

Lockkeeper's cottage

View as we exited a lock
Notice the water level is lower beyond the far gate

Simon moored the Derrineel and we had lunch by the horse/foot path

Happy campers!

What could be better for lunch in the French countryside?!

Charolais beef cows

Once inside the lock,
Tien clambered from the Derrineel to tie up to bollards

Waiting for the lock to fill with water

Lavender, the scent of heaven!

Most locks are pleasantly landscaped
for the benefit of tourists

Sometimes lock gardens were amusing

Grrr, where is the lockkeeper??
Must I do everything myself?

The lock filled with water and the Derrineel rose to meet the next elevation

The temporary captain and his wife

Lauren made it her mission to eliminate flies with Simon's working gloves
(because that's what Simon was using)

Lockkeeper's cottage and vehicles
Some were charged with operating two or three locks

Tien and Lauren took a walk

Faded glory

Dainty roses

Pied Waxwing

Stone bridge

Cherry tree by the stone bridge
They were sour, most likely for baking

Al fresco dining at La Libellule

What will you have?

Wine with dinner

Assiette charcuterie

Salade Libellule

Boeuf Tournedos, frites maison

Côte de porc

Crepe

Fromage

* * * * * * * *

I thought I'd be without good morning coffee, but dear Ilene shared her instant Starbucks.  We walked to a patisserie within a stone's throw of where we moored.  My choice was like a Boston cream pie, a light wedge of thin dry cake with custard between and chunks of sugar sprinkled on top.  Tien had an éclair.  Simon and Ilene had pain raisons.  Our lock appointment was 9a, but the lockkeeper said there was someone ahead of us.  No boat was in sight, so we were allowed to take their place.

I got pretty excited about seeing a chateau and discovered later it was Chateau de Tremblay, owned by the Earl of Armaille, built about 1450.  He lived all of his 85 years there.  He was a local mayor, had a passion for race horses and bred Charolais cattle.

Canal du Nivernais is for use only by leisure craft.  Most boats are rented, therefore many are navigated by boaters with less experience than, say, Simon.  Yesterday we came upon such a craft, Le Boat Mustique 27, being (poorly) motored by four retirees.  We followed Mustique into a lock meant for two boats, but they didn’t realize it and had to be told to move up.  Nor did they rope up properly, causing their boat to shift left and right inside the lock, sloshing the Derrineel in the process.  Simon became quite agitated with them.  We followed Mustique through at least three locks, argh.  Eventually they stopped and we got ahead of them.

The canal scenery was beautiful, tranquil, idyllic.  Stone barns, grand country homes, chateaux, more cream—colored Charolais cows who drank polluted canal water, wild Queen Anne's lace, buddleia, cascading tree roses, purple lavandula bushes, grasses, rolls of cut hay (instead of our American rectangular bales), ivy-covered buildings, ducks, birds of prey, crows, couples on bikes, a few local fisherman with poles along the banks.  It was dragonfly mating season and the males' tails connected to the females' heads.  A pair came into the wheelhouse and I managed a photo.  I glimpsed a rusty-red furry animal climb a tree trunk; about 20-24" long -- maybe a weasel?  I became an expert at killing beastly flies using Simon's leather gloves (since that is what he used), collecting and throwing the carcasses overboard ("burials at sea" we called them).

At every lock, I took a photo of the lockkeeper's house; always quaint.  Tien noticed wells at every lock usually planted with flowers.  Tien got really good at maneuvering the Derrineel, quickly.  His experience on his dad's boat was helpful.  Simon was an excellent teacher to Tien too, and Tien was already able to get in and out of locks.  He mastered driving the boat easily yesterday.

Simon moored to the side for our lunch.  Ilene and I prepared cheeses, pate, charcuterie, lettuce and tomato slices on trays.  Simon put down a gangplank so Ilene could disembark (she uses a cane).  Who needs butter when there is creme blue cheese?!  We ate like kings on a bench and two chairs, with lovely trays of food and French bread under the shade of big trees.  This menu became our usual midday meal and I was always happy to eat it.

After lunch, we motored on and tied up in a few more locks.  By 3:15p, our travel was done for the day.  We moored at Fleury/Biches, plugged in for electricity and relaxed.  While Ilene napped, Simon, Tien and I walked over the bridge to make a dinner reservation for 7p at La Libulelle (dragonfly), in a converted lockkeeper's cottage.  It seemed to be owned by a Londoner and few others:  French, Dutch, all young people.  The women had hair that was becoming dreadlocks.

Tien and I went for a walk and found a charming stone house with the most perfect garden and gravel paths.  Lots more lavender bushes here too.  Too hot, this afternoon sun, and so we walked back.  We sat by a swimming area with a stone bridge and a fruiting cherry tree.  A Pied Waxtail posed for photos.  Tien read while I napped in the boat.  It was hot.  I got up and found Tien and Simon outside.  The rest stop where we moored offered nice roomy showers with good pressure for €2.

Dinner was €15 prix fixe and it was yummy.  I had a charcuterie entree, lamb plat, chocolat menthe glace dessert.  HEAVEN!  Tien had salade, bouef tournados (just a steak) and caramel crepe. 

I discovered a pitiful €0.09 balance on my prepaid SIM card, probably from texting with my sister.  I kept updating this journal and syncing so she can travel vicariously.  Although we all walked back together to the Derrineel following dinner, I ran back to La Libulelle with my iPad to sync my journal so my sister could read this entry.