Canal de Bourgogne / The Burgundy Canal

This morning we said goodbye to our one-night, spacious room in Joigny, France.  We took bikes and backpacks down the road to the Intermarche (French Safeway) and loaded up on groceries.  The girls where in HEAVEN!  After being at restaurants and with family, they were ready to decide for themselves what they wanted to eat!!  Not surprisingly they spent the whole time in the produce department: peaches, apricots, plums, apples, watermelon (that was interesting on the bike), artichoke, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, potatoes…. On and on.  Peter stayed in produce with them and I walked around the rest of the store getting other items we needed.  I LOVE grocery shopping in a foreign country.  So fascinating and fun.  A couple days later I was able to do it all by myself.  I walked slowly down the isles and took in everything… 

So third leg of this trip has begun!  We have boarded our small barge which we will live on and drive down Canal de Bourgogne (The Burgundy Canal)  exploring small villages along the way.   We will be motoring from Joigny, France to Montbard, France for one week.  The boat has one bedroom, a bunk bed, kitchen/dining room and bathroom on board.  We also have three bikes.One with a child’s seat attached for Phia and a child’s bike for MJ.

photo from burgundy-canal.com

Team Wow-We're-Driving-A-Boat.

After we moved into our Penichette 935 (i.e. putting everything away in drawers and closets and leaving our luggage at the Locaboat office to be picked up on the way back), we received the 4-1-1 on how to actually drive the thing.  No, neither Peter or I HAVE EVER really driven a boat before.  But, this is a canal (hardly any water movement) and we go at a snails pace.  Bikes are faster than us.  And we're almost 40, somewhat intelligent and ready for adventure.  We can do it!  Right?!

We took off from Joigny at about 5pm and muddled our way through the first couple locks (they open at 9am and close at 7pm).  We will be traveling through 51 locks on this week long journey.  We moored that first evening in a tiny little town with one mooring station and one restaurant.  After dinner, the girls and I went for a walk with the canal on our left and the tiny town on the right. Peter did the dishes.

First you drive into the lock.  Then you throw up your line to the lock keeper, or jump onto the ladder with your line, or you hook your line with a long pole to the moorings.  (I did not know any of this until we did it).

This is what it looks like as the lock begins to fill.

After the lock is filled and your boat raises up (or down) you drive on out.

All but four of the locks we went through were manually operated and held a maximum of three small boats, two medium boats or one large boat.

A boat coming out as we waited to go in.

Do I look like a Pro?  Na, I look like a tourist.

The second night we arrived in St Florentin around 6:30pm and immediately did dinner and bed.  

Madelyn has her side of the bunk organized just so with decorations from her coloring booked placed for viewing upon waking in the morning.

Sophia  is more of an all over the place sleeper with things strown about.  

They slept foot to foot in the single bunk.

First thing in the morning… which this vacation seems to be up at 8:30am and breakfast 9am (life is tough)... 

...we headed up via bikes to the beautiful, old gothic church we could see from our boat.  Here was the view:

This church is literally sandwiched in the middle of an ancient old town; roof lines from stores in the city center were connected to the church.  Wow.  Ya, so, history literally dripping off every corner.  The only thing that indicated it was 2012 was the Citron, Peugot and Volvo cars racing at top speed.  Bike riding with Madelyn was… worrisome… to say the least.  We managed to find a meandering way to the top of the hill through old narrow streets.  

Here we are looking at the canal bridge. So this bridge is the Burgundy Canal going over a river.  How crazy, cool is that!!!

We had a very specific and complicated discussion with MJ and Phia about how and why these buildings were so much older than we were used to seeing at home.  It was a little confusing for them :)  We went to an old public bathhouse and the concept of not bathing at home was another long and interesting conversation.

After sitting in on a catholic service we wandered over to the Boulangerie and stood in line with the locals for our baguette’s and treats.  After our éclairs, we were able to explore the church more before a baptism.  This church in St Florentin was truly magical.  It was beautiful and crumbling, but also still in full use.  It’s amazing to be in a building where people have worship continuously for over 500 years.  The girls were in awe too.  Regardless of their fully understanding, they totally got that mystical nature of history.

"Mommy, stop taking pictures!  We are playing Mini-Mouse goes to Church right now."

Here are some scenes from the "road":

Heading into a lock.

Each lock or Ecluse had a little house with it.  As we rose up, we waited to see what scene awaited us.  Some where occupied, some were not.  Some where "decked out", some were abandoned.  Some sold wine :)  

  

Ummmm, illegal or not?  Not sure.  But fabulous?  Oh ya....  I mean, that is BURGUNDY WINE in my hand!!!!!!

Phia and MJ assisting and waiting to see what this ecluse had in store...

Peter and MJ would sometimes jump off the boat and ride along the path next to the canal.

Here is Phia and I driving and they rode bikes.

MJ decided he boat needed a wash.

~Lisa

July 7th

Zurich, Switzerland TO Joigny, France

Today we traveled from Switzerland to France today.  We woke in plenty of time and then hit “rush/stress” mode about 8:20am.  The schedule worked perfectly though – very Swiss – we sat in our seats just as the train started to pull out. Goodbye, for another year, good friend Berner Zurich…

We stopped in Dijon for lunch and then arrived in Joigny, France at 3:15… in a torrential downpour!  We called the taxi, I had pre-researched before our arrival (I am so fabulous) and we were told “yes, no problem, we will be there at 5pm.”  WHAT?!!!  Ummmm… two hours at the no-services, tiny train station that felt like the third world in a waterfall with two children.  No, I don’t think so.  We called the hotel.  “Is there anything you can do to heIp us??”  A guest of the hotel offered to come rescue us in his uber clean, stylin’ silver Mercedes.  I held one bag in my lap, Peter held one in his lap, the girls obviously did not have car seats and the trunk of the car fit one suitcase.  Peter said “Merci” about 10 times during our 2 km trip to the hotel.

So tonight I write staring at a very French scene:  beautiful vineyards, old beautiful ramshackle houses staring at me across the canal and a gothic church presiding over us on the hill.  It is very French and not touristy one little bit (read: no one speaks English except the lady at the front desk).  I am very thankful for my French speaking husband tonight.  The evening was difficult:  several massive, all body drenching, rain storms, no food until 7pm (restaurants don’t open unitl 7pm in France) and then Sophia fell in the canal.  Somehow the evening was magical though.  We all laughed and enjoyed each other through it all.  Oh yes, of course, we had some wining, we had some boredom (I mean seriously… once we sat down it was 2 hours for our food… with children??? I don’t care what country you are in that is just plain cruel torture), but we somehow had fun.

I love these very authentic experiences.  We did not see an amazing old cathedral today, but we sat in an old bar in Burgundy and a very French man with two buttons missing and a tear in his shirt came over and stroked my children’s cheeks and was genuinely happy to see us Americano’s enjoying his town.  The restaurant owner was very sympathetic to our drenched, hungry-children-plight… not enough to make us dinner early… but enough to start preparing hot chocolate for the girls before we even ordered it.

It is now about 10:30pm and my girls are still awake.  I am looking forward to sleeping in at this great hotel tomorrow.  It is not fancy, but it has square footage.  Space in Europe.  The girls were going crazy when they first entered the room.  They went from space to space telling us what went where:  “the shoes will go here mommy” and “this is a great spot for our toys.”  We have a balcony looking over the canal.  It is quiet.  It is quaint.  I feel very relaxed and peaceful.

Oh and lastly….  I have never had a wine from Burgundy because they are usually totally outside my budget.  I walked into a little grocery today and purchased a Burgundy wine for $10!  I am gonna have fun here…


~ Lisa
July 5th

Where is our train??

Having a serious conversation about chocolate while Mommy and Daddy 

slave away at getting our luggage stored away.

Pausing while reading Ivy and Bean to look at the French Countryside.

Being crazy in the rain at the train station... waiting for our ride to the hotel.

The view of the canal and Joigny, France.

Hot chocolate break from the rain!

Flower collecting while walking about town during a pause in the rain.

Come ON MOMMY!!!! Hurry up!

The girls favorite game of Tickle Monster being played in a small village in Burgundy.

My girls checking out the view on the Burgundy Canal.

The Burgundy Canal.

Madelyn wringing out the water from Sophia's clothes after she fell in.

Jam and Marmalade Eyes.

Zurich, Winterthur and Obfelden, Switzerland

This Kuhnlein family has been enjoying the Swiss Kühnlein’s this week (the North American family has dropped the umlaut – ü – in our name).  Peter’s father was born in the German region of Switzerland and moved away when he was in his mid-30s.  Urs has not lived in Switzerland since.  We all travel to Switzerland every year for a family reunion of sorts.  Madelyn has been six times and Sophia three times.  Peter and I have lost track with how many times we have been here.  We always enjoy our time in the Berner Zürich.

We began the week with Peter’s cousin who lives in a suburb of Zürich called Winterthur.  Now we are with another cousin who lives in a village outside of Zürich called Obfelden.  We don’t do a lot of sight seeing while here, as we have been here many times, but concentrate on spending time with family.  While in Winterthur we went to the Albanifest (largest fair in Europe) and the girls rode a million rides.  We dropped about 100 Swiss Franc’s in about 2 hours.  The girls LOVED it.  It was actually better than Disneyland because they could quickly go from ride to ride.  No lines!

Yesterday we went to Alpamare indoor water park.  Wow.  The girls were in HEAVEN.  Waterslides, wave pool, river, swimming pools… inside the park they had restaurants cafeteria style but you cook your own food.  We’ve never seen this before.  So you select a Brat, chicken breast, whichever meat you prefer and then you go to a BBQ and cook it.  My girls are truly Swiss.  They love Bratwurst.  No hot dogs please mama, just wurst.

Today we headed to St Gallen in the NE part of Switzerland.  We spendt the late morning and early afternoon visiting the grand old church and eating lunch in the old city.  I was proud of the girls.  They were quiet and respectful in the Abbey, but also very inquisitive, impressed and interested in the church.  Then we headed to extended family for a backyard BBQ.  As we raised our glasses and said “Prost” this evening, we all realized it was July 4^th!  Happy Independence Day America.  I am definitely felling free and relaxed.

~ Lisa

July 4th

Playing in Cousin Carola's sand box for about 2 hours one afternoon.

The Stroller Striders "hiking" through the forest in Obfeldon on the way to the river for a dip. 

All three of my cuties after a hard day at the waterpark.

Playing with Cousin Nico at lunch in St Gallen.

Fountain play.

This young Swiss girl obviously took a few old, unused things out of her toy box and set up a little stand in front of her house.  

She was selling her wares and she found eager buyers in MJ and Phia.

My tiny thing taking her place in history.

Awe.

More Awe.

The Abbey of St Gall.  Spectacular.

There's always time for a daisy chain break.