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.