Ouche Valley, Burgundy Canal, Burgundy, France

We are loving our time in the Ouche Valley hanging out on the Burgundy Canal.  I've told Tom that we could spend the whole summer tied up in Vandenesse and I would be happy.  We go on nice walks, see friends both new and old, and the choice of great restaurants within driving distance is excellent.  As it is we can walk to two restaurants, each about 3-5 minutes from where we are tied up.  One drawback is that we must drive to get our daily baguette.  We can suffer with that.  Alas, all good things must come to an end, and shortly we must return Rabelo to St Jean de Losne so we can cruise the Baltic States on the Regent Seven Seas with family and friends.

Lock 59 is adorned with gnomes

A talented artist found a wonderful canvas for displaying their art

Philippe found an audience of children to speak with.

Spring flowers along the canal set off the vibrant greens in the distance

The tow paths are popular for bicyclists

The local kids hang out and cool off in the river that runs along side the canal

There are duck ramps along the canal.

 We returned to the Abbaye de la Bussiere for dinner in their Michelin starred dining room.  The meal was amazing.  I won't bore you with all the delicious courses they served us.  Three of us had the Signature du Chef meal.  It makes sense to do that instead of ordering a la carte.  There were at least three courses of desserts.  All were beautiful.

A nice little start to tickle our taste buds

Green asparagus with Morvan bacon, herbs and mustard sabayon

Catfish hand caught in the river Saone, roasted in frothy butter, corn mousse from Bresse and grapefruit

Tom had the traditional grilled beef in red wine and onion sauce which was part of the Signature du Chief

They were nice enough to change the beef to rack of lamb for me.  Perfectly prepared

The cheese selection was extensive

Our friends Carol and Michael.  Not only did we try various local restaurants together, but they dined on Rabelo and then Carol cooked an amazing meal for us on the barge they had chartered.  We never ran out of things to talk about.  They were fun people to visit with.

A corner of the dining room at Abbaye de la Bussiere

 I normally prepare 2-3 meals a day 5-6 days a week.  Eventually I say enough, I need a night off.  Tom is always willing to oblige.  It has been a few years since we had last eaten at Sainte-Sabine and I was anxious to return for another great meal.  It was during a heat wave and in France air-conditioning is not the norm.  Fortunately for us, I was late in making reservations so they asked if we would mind eating in the dungeon.  With those thick stone walls we were thrilled.

Sainte Sabine Church

Sainte Sabine courtyard

While the local french diners were enjoying an aperitif in the blazing sun outside, we contented ourselves with starting our evening in the bar where it was cooler.

You can see why we were happy in the dungeon.

 We are always toting some sort of camera on our walks as we never know what we will find.

Someone was clever in their use of garden pots.

This is what we found on a street corner.

Not all villages have a boulangerie any more.  The tradition seems to unfortunately be dying out.  I hope it doesn't end during our lifetime.  There is a delivery system which brings baguettes to villages that no longer have a boulangerie.

 The village Veuvrey sur Ouche has been around a long time.  If only these walls could talk.  I'd love to know the stories of these old buildings.

1865

1729?

1851

 

1891

Throughout France every village has a reminder of what war has done to their families and their country.

Carol and Michael joined us at Chez Camille in Arnay le Duc which was so good (and reasonably priced) that Tom and I returned alone for another meal.