Saturday 10 December 2016

Auxerre - Settling In




Can you spot us on the right - we are TINY!!!!!!
We’ve been here for just over a week now, probably one of the fastest weeks of the year, or that’s how it feels to me anyway.  We’ve not done an awful lot, just trying to get used to day to day things and working out how things work – or don’t work…….

We’re trying to forget our first full day in Auxerre as nothing worked.  I know it’s all first world problems, but we had a terrible internet signal and Mike was trying to work, trying to do his accounts with his online bank and trying to reconcile his Enterprise Account for our recent car hires, which looked like it had charged both him and me for the last hire!  It was a very frustrating day as nothing was achieved and it all seemed so difficult and we were well narked.  The next day we were shuffled up the port a bit, nearer the office and the internet signal improved but still wasn’t great.  We’d hoped to get a French sim card with Free offering the best deal, but Auxerre doesn’t have anywhere to get a Free card and our order didn’t work online, so I would have to get the train to Migennes where there was a machine in a Tabac that takes your cash and spits out a sim card – easy peasy!!  Mike was still having problems with First Direct online banking.  We’ve had the problems before when we tried to use the online system in France and I’d say they don’t like you being out of the country but we’ve had the issues in the UK as well.  By day three of his hour(plus!!) long calls to them, he told them to move a lump of money and close one of his accounts.  All our other bank accounts work fine, so it’s not on that this one doesn’t.  They’ve tried to remedy it but the first time he tried to make an online payment from the account, it failed and he had to phone them to do it……kind of defeats the purpose….

Meanwhile, he was still working away on the report for his current client.
Pretty town centre of Auxerre

The only narrowboat in the village

So whilst he’s been hermitised in the boat hunched over his new laptop, which IS working – so far…….. (although he’s in dispute with a spreadsheet template as I type)…. I have been doing odds and sods and exploring Auxerre a little.  It’s a nice town and I think we’ll enjoy our time here.  We’ve met our neighbours, an American couple, Chris and Liz, but have yet to socialize properly with them and pick their brains on boating in France.  Liz is a retired French teacher and is happy to give some lessons to Mike, so that’s one more little thing sorted out.

On Monday my mum called and shed some light on the Enterprise discrepancy; they had charged Mike £35 for administering the police notice for speeding  - booooooo!  The most annoying thing about the speeding ticket is that cars coming the other way had been flashing us, and we saw the mobile police camera and slowed down to 39 in what we both thought was a 50 area.  Turns out it was temporarily down to 30 for roadworks – which neither of us can recall seeing.  Mike would feel better if he’d been doing 90 on a motorway, at least he’d feel justified.

There was also a bit of excitement in the port on Monday; a barge had arrived on Sunday to load up the Christmas tree for the Champs Elysees in Paris and take it there by waterway.  It drew quite a crowd and was mentioned on the radio.

Crane lifts the tree from the lorry into the hold - I was a bit late to see it swinging through the air!

Fairly drew the crowds.
Off she goes - next stop Paris!!
Although we’d arrived knowing that it’s harder to get diesel on the waterways in France, we hadn’t thought about fuel for the stove; coal and wood.  So that was another search that proved fruitless, having found a wood supplier locally, we walked round to find out it was shut down!  We did find bags of logs and compressed wood in the local L’Eclerc supermarket, but it’s expensive, so we’ll need to find a supplier to deliver a pallet to us that will last a bit longer and work out cheaper.

On Tuesday, I put the Christmas decorations up.  It’s early for me as I usually leave it to the weekend before Christmas, but everything is gearing up in Auxerre and as we’re away over the festive period, at Mum’s, I wanted some time to enjoy my fairy lights.
The Most Important Find So Far.......
.......The cake shop!!!!
On Thursday, having done all my boat tasks; chopped the logs to fit the stove, cleaned the bathroom, changed the bed and done the laundry, made the coffee, I headed off to Migennes to buy our French sim card.  It turned out to be the most expensive sim card ever bought.  I confidently purchased my return ticket from the machine at Auxerre, boarded the train, hung about at Migennes until the Tabac reopened from lunch at 2.30pm, although it was 2.40pm when the doors were finally unlocked – must’ve been a good lunch.  Migennes is a strange little town, nothing much there but a hub for rail and waterways and they pipe music into the streets!!!  Very odd.  
The Canal du Bourgougne frozen over at Migennes
Anyway, I succeeded in securing a sim card from the machine and headed back for the return journey and only realised I’d lost my ticket when the conductor came round.  I had the receipts but when I showed them to him he said that what I’d paid for was only for a single journey, not a return.  He was terribly nice, tolerated my poor french and thankfully spoke good English and only charged me the full price (13,60) for one leg rather than for both legs, which he should have done as I didn’t have the ticket for the way out.   So I hadn’t actually bought a return ticket as I had only paid 8,80 and it should have been 8,80 each way – 17,20 return.  You get charged more when you buy on the train, so I was lucky he only charged me one way.  Anyway, I felt I could join Mike on the criminal bench as I had unwittingly almost fare-dodged on the train.

So we’re getting there.  Once Mike has this report finished we’ll get out and about a bit more.  I’ve been around the town, found the pattiserie, Monoprix supermarket, the market, and this morning we went to the Christmas market, which had a St Bernard dog, a pig and some pygmy goats on display but was lacking in reindeer.
Starting to feel French - we have a loyalty card for the supermarket!

And a railcard for discounted journeys on or over the weekend
You Know Who welcomes you to Auxerre's Christmas market!
I’ve also been for a couple of runs, there are a lot of runners in Auxerre, good paths, so I’ve enjoyed a wee trot along the bank of the Nivernais and if this fab weather continues, we'll be exploring further on the bikes.  It's cold, most mornings we've had ice on the windows, but when the sun warms up in the afternoon it's glorious - no rain for over a week!!
View from the kitchen by night
And from the living room.
 

Thursday 1 December 2016

Migennes - Auxerre: Our First French Lock!




Successfully up our first French lock

In a slight state of shock, that we’d actually been lifted in, and excitement, that we were actually on our way cruising in France, we left Migennes behind and made our way to the first lock about 1km away.  We realised we’d need to get used to measuring distances in kilometres now, rather than constantly translating them into miles and it’s the same for the Euro, though it’s only just below like for like with the £ just now.  Through a couple of bridges and we could see the lock appear through the slight mist, gates open ready for us.  There was a HUGE weir to the side of the lock and I had to put quite a bit of power to dodge the current and get over the choppy section of water just before the lock – slightly scary, but not as bad as the Wash……

We pulled in and and got ourselves roped up and waited for the lock keeper, ecleusier, to appear.  And waited.  And waited.  There was no sign so Mike said I should go and find him, as I speak more French.  However, it was a bit of a climb up onto the side and there were no ladders and the boat was still covered in a substantial layer of frost making it very slippy, so Mike ended up climbing up and went to find him.  The first search proved fruitless, but a few minutes later the chap in blue (VNF uniform) appeared.  He spoke a little English, but Mike sent him along to speak to me in French and we managed a basic conversation.  He hadn’t seen or heard us come into the lock, something we will probably have to get used to as we are so tiny and so quiet compared to the normal river traffic.

Bye bye Migennes
Not too shabby a start
Frosty first lock - oh and our new chimneys!!
Big weir on the other side
The lock keeper passed us through and said he would see us at the next lock.  As we continued the mist became thicker and thicker and we soon found ourselves in reasonably thick fog.  We weren’t too concerned as we know there is no commercial traffic on this stretch of river and no one else was moving today, so I just kept the bank on my right in sight and followed it along.  When we could see the side, it was beautiful.  Wooded land with the trees sparkling with frost opening out into white, crispy fields and not a soul in sight nor sound – wonderful.  We were using our Breil guide (equivalent to Nicholsons) but because of the fog misjudged which side the next lock was on and found ourselves approaching the weir.  In time we saw the lock on the left and crossed over without too much turbulence.  The gates were closed and the light on red although we could see the lock keeper was there, so we pulled up towards the gates expecting them to open.  There was an electrical problem with the gates and the lock keeper couldn’t get them to open.  We pulled right back and moored up on the dolphin lock mooring, only just reaching each end with our new long ropes, and I got off and walked up to the lock.   Eventually one of the gates started to open, though they’re both meant to open together and the lockie asked if we’d be okay coming through just one. “Bien sur – nous sommes etoit!!!”  This lock had a sloping side to the left with short floating pontoons spaced along it, to which we tied up, our front rope on the end of the second pontoon and our back rope on the front of the first pontoon, as we were too long to tie to one pontoon entirely.  We were up and on our way, with the sun starting to break through the fog.
Does anyone know where we're going??......
After a slight delay, we're up our second lock on the pontoons
At the next lock the lock keeper spoke good English but wasn’t as chatty as the last chap.  He put us through the next two locks then said they all stopped for lunch now, it was 12.30, so we should stop as the next lock wouldn’t be ready to go through until after lunchtime.  Vive la France!!  I love that they treat the lunch hour with such dignity and respect, so civilised.  We said we’d be at the next lock at Monteneau at 2pm, so we could have a stop for a quick lunch at Gurgy.
Gurgy - I suspect these mooring are rammed in the summer months
Another sloping side lock with rising pontoons to attach to
I know this looks like the first lock without the frost, but it's not, trust me.
By now the sun was out properly and we were loving our cruise.  It felt great to be out on the move again and restore our peace of mind after the last few days.  At the next lock, the lockie didn’t speak at all, apart from a reluctant “Bonjour” and an acknowledgement when I said we’d see him at the next lock (in French!).  Quaintrelle was enjoying the width and depth of the river and at the seventh lock of the day it was apparent this lock keeper went to the same school of social graces as the last one.  Not even a bonjour and as Mike was trying to lasso the bollard, he just walked right passed and didn’t offer to loop it over for him.  Thankfully he did stop to help the poor little lady at the front who was also struggling with her lassoing and he grunted as she ‘Merci Beacoup’d.’

The last lock keeper of the day, passing us into Auxerre was more like the first, chatty, and also spoke English, though when I spoke some French he reverted to French, but nice and slowly so I could understand.  The sun was going down as we reached Auxerre and the temperature dropping so we were pleased to get to the port and moored up.  We had absolutely loved our cruise and it made the thought of being moored up for the next four months even harder now we’ve had a taste!!  The locks were fine, some a little feisty but the lock keepers advised us to stay as far back as possible, and with our new balloon fenders, Quaintrelle was in and out of them without the slightest bump.
Showing off our courtesy flag which you must fly.
Happy days at the tiller leaving the penultimate lock of the day
And into the last lock of the day taking us into Auxerre
After making ourselves known at the port office, we made our way to the supermarket to stock up on supplies.  We were about half way through our list, which had taken some time as we kept stopping to look at all the different things, then we couldn’t find things we wanted, when we both were overcome by tiredness, gave up, paid for what we had; wine, cheese, chocolate, crème brullee to name but a few and headed back to the boat.  After dinner we overdosed on Line of Duty, which we’d bought the box set of last week and headed to bed – residents of France!
Home in Auxerre for the next four months