Decize and the Canal de Nivernais

After our brief sojourn in Dijon, it was time to move on to the fifth and final leg of our multi part European Ride - the ride along the Canal de Nivernais in Burgundy.

After enjoying a lovely light breakfast at the Aparthotel in Dijon, we made the short walk back to the Gare de Dijon. Originally, we had thought that today's transfer to Dijon would have only involved a single train journey of around an hour. Unfortunately, the French railway people had chosen this time to undertake major works on the lines in this region. Instead of a simple, single train ride, we discovered that we would have to make a train ride and then two bus rides. This was not a prospect that we were looking forward to.

At least the first part went according to plan. The train departed on time and it was only sparsely occupied. We even managed to find secure space for our luggage. It was only when the time came for us to get off the train that we almost encountered a real disaster.

As we were getting off the train, we had to negotiate a series of steps and (most dangerous of all) a door handle that was specifically designed to catch on to any loose luggage strap that happened to be near. As I dismounted, I came close to being hooked, but managed to break free, Gordon was not so lucky.

As he negotiated the steps, his backpack was ripped out of his grip and fell right down between the train and the platform, finally coming to rest near the massive train wheels. If that was not bad enough, Gordon then started to climb down onto the tracks in an attempt to retrieve it!

"It's only a backpack", I yelled, "let it go". Gordon reluctantly climbed back onto the safety of the platform and looked forlornly down at his lost luggage. In the meantime, the incident had caught the attention of the station staff. They communicated with the driver by walkie talkie, and gave permission for the train to leave.

Fortunately the train wheels narrowly missed the bag, and it was then safely retrieved by the station guard. Disaster was thus averted.

While all this was happening, we were also conscious that another clock was ticking - the next bus was due to leave in only a couple of minutes. We charged from the station and climbed onto the first bus we saw. To our relief, it happened to be the right one.

We then had a very comfortable bus ride to Le Cruisot, and waited for the final bus to arrive. By this time the day was really starting to heat up. The sun had a fierce sting to it, and we went in search of any shade we could find, while we waited for the second bus to arrive.

The second bus did arrive on time, but we found that the inside was like a sauna. The driver did not seem to know how to turn the AC on. To compensate for the heat in the bus, the scenery outside was absolutely sublime. This is a beautiful part of France, and it was impossible not to be impressed.

We finally rolled into Decize around 1.30 pm, but which time we were hot, hungry and thirsty. We also knew that the hotel was too far from the station to walk. What we didn't know was that the small city has NO TAXIS.

About 400 m from the station we rolled our cases into a small Boulangerie, where the owners were obviously very glad to see us. They were even more glad when we ordered baguettes, soft drinks, coffees and cakes. When we explained that we wanted to get to our hotel, the (very) friendly lady said that her husband would drive us. And he did.

Travel is often like that. Just when a problem arises, an unexpected solution arises soon after. It took two trips for the husband to transfer us and all our luggage, so it well worth the 50 Euro tip we offered him. Although he did not want money, we knew that he needed it, so it felt good to help him out. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

Our hotel is right next to the beautiful marina, where we watched the big fish jumping out of the water while the sun set. That evening we dined outside, celebrating Maggie's birthday. It was an absolutely special end to an eventful day.Read more