About noon we headed out of the marina in a Le Boat flotilla. One Le Boat ahead of us and two behind. The one behind us turned off fairly soon; the lead boat pulled off at Port d’Ouroux and the other boat behind us overtook us to run in the lead but never going any faster than we had been. It was our French and Swiss friends from the Canal du Centre of Wednesday.
Not a lot to see on this stretch of the river and the sun got hot. One large commercial lock to traverse and we watched swans, herons, egrets, cows and horses as we floated by. Eventually we reached Tournes and got one of the last two spots on the public pontoon. We had a chat with a couple returning to their home in Chalon sur Saone at the end of a one month holiday in their nine meter sailboat where they had spent time in the Mediterranean. She spoke good English as her father had been secretary to the French ambassador in Washington, D. C. while she was a teenager.
Once secured to the pontoon we opened the bottle of Cremant Rose that we had purchased next to Santenay and Tamra spoke for all of us when she wished we had purchased a case. It was perfectly balanced and had the nicest little bubbles. Just right with cheese and a baguette on a sunny afternoon.
What a surprise as we wandered Tournes to see the number of art galleries. We bought a serving plate from a “ceramatist” that
should match our Denby dishes at home. We also explored a beautiful cathedral and the crypt below it. Things got a bit creepy
when someone turned off the lights while we were in the crypt but Lynn found the light switch and all was good. There were folk’s
remains from the 800’s and they were still dead.
Next we discovered the “Banque of Grand Cru’s” which was an Englishman running a shop in Burgundy that sold “whisky and rhum” plus wine while his wife and brother-in-law ran a winery nearby. I tasted five whiskies (Swedish, Irish, Scotch and two Japanese). I preferred the first three over the Japanese while he was so excited about the Japanese whiskey. We also saw a bottle of “Ichiro” whiskey that we would have bought but it was 175 euros per bottle and we weren’t that interested. The ladies tasted his wife’s Rose and a Givrey-Chambertin (of which we bought a bottle for the boat) and we got a dinner recommendation. We think he said they have four Michelin rated restaurants in the town.
We went to the “Aux Terraces” and had the chef’s choice for 49 euros per plate and one bottle of Mercurey Rouge. All courses were interesting with beautiful presentation and use of fresh fruits and vegies and fish and lamb. And two dessert courses (one petit, one not so petit). Between the dinner, the pace, the whiskey and the wine, it was a slow walk back to the boat and out for the night at 10:30 p.m.