tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30313958358143930382024-03-13T16:40:22.125+08:00Travel and foodHints and tips about travelling to various destinations and the food that makes these destinations more memorableshell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-36732304831948269032022-01-02T19:39:00.004+08:002022-01-02T19:40:35.714+08:00Iberian Peninsula road trip - part 1 - NW SpainDue to issues with blogger and not having an app any more I have started using Wordpress for the blog https://wordpress.com/post/kmbondtravelandfood.wordpress.com/950shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-87401274405246972152019-02-07T00:00:00.000+08:002019-03-04T22:49:57.964+08:00Adventures on the Canal du Midi - Part 1Our first major town on the canal du Midi was Beziers. Another barge, MicMac, had arrived in Beziers a few days before us so had organised a mooring next to them. This was handy considering the number of hire boats around. On other canals we tended to just roll into a town/marina and generally would be able to snag a mooring spot. However, on this canal we deemed it prudent to book a berth a few shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-10287237144677843392019-02-06T22:09:00.001+08:002019-02-06T22:09:56.434+08:00Canal du Midi
The Canal du Midi’s reputation precedes it, especially amongst the barging world. There are many myths, tall stories and warnings about this canal and we had heard them all before we headed into the canal from the Etang du Thau. We had been warned that the first impression of this iconic canal would be a disappointment as there were many disused and derelict boats lining the canal. This was trueshell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-3324517956800932432019-01-13T15:45:00.000+08:002019-01-13T17:28:15.176+08:00Canal Rhone a Sete
We were reluctant to leave Avignon but as we are only meant to stay a month and we had lots of places to see, we decided to "hit the road" and continue our journey down the Rhone and onto the Petit Rhone. While we had been sitting in Avignon there had been thunderstorms and torrential rain on many days. This meant that the river was flowing a lot faster than when we shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-62384343030779602172018-11-13T14:17:00.003+08:002018-11-13T14:17:27.985+08:00The Medoc
West of Bordeaux and bordered by the ocean and the Garonne river estuary is the area known as the Medoc. This area grows grapes that supposedly make some of the best wine in the Bordeaux wine region, if not the world. And it attracts some pretty impressive prices as well.
The best time to visit this region is mid to late summer but we were here in March so the area looked a bit windswept and shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-89951764305359576682018-06-12T18:00:00.004+08:002018-06-12T18:05:21.803+08:00side trips from Avignon
With the incentive of cheaper mooring rates by the month we decided that, as we weren't in a hurry, we would get our car and base ourselves here for a month. Avignon itself has much to offer and, being in the heart of Provence, there are so many little villages surrounding it that are worth seeing. With tips and advice from the capitainerie and the tourist bureau we made a list of places to shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-71984098338777065002018-06-08T02:42:00.003+08:002018-06-11T17:13:06.202+08:00Sur Le Pont d’Avignon
The Saône and Rhone rivers had abated and so it was in the third week of April that we decided to head off on our cruise south. The speed of the rivers and lack of moorings for boats our size meant that we put in long days with few stops.
Colourful apartment buildings in the rejuvenated old port at Lyon
We did manage to get into Valence marina which was a welcome stop as it was only a shortshell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-39670694239309855272018-05-13T18:34:00.004+08:002018-05-13T18:34:39.456+08:00Side trips from Pont De Vaux
It's the middle of April and we have only just arrived at the boat in its winter mooring at a Pont de Vaux. We have started cruising later this year because the weather has been pretty cold, with lots of rain. As we will be cruising on the Saône and Rhone and both have been in flood, we have had to wait till both of them are at reasonable levels and speed.
artichokes are in season and shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-4515121484306535322018-03-26T22:04:00.000+08:002018-03-26T22:04:42.421+08:00Pretty Dordogne Villages - part 2As the weather has started to improve and the sun is slowly making an appearance we decided to check out some of the pretty villages that we haven't seen before but are highly recommended on various web sites. Strictly speaking a couple are in the Lot and Garonne but what's a few kilometres between friends.
Starting at Bergerac on the northern bank of the Dordogne, we had a quick wander around shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-4959151479589027992018-03-26T21:53:00.000+08:002018-03-26T21:53:49.540+08:00pretty dordogne villages - Part 1France has many pretty little villages and there is even an association called Les Plus Beaux Villages that lists all of them. The Dordogne has a a great many of these and we have been fortunate enough to see a few over the years. This year we have revisited a few of our favourites.
We started with Sarlat. While Christmas was done and dusted the Christmas markets were still set up. The theme thisshell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-7132591760990197772018-03-25T21:59:00.000+08:002018-03-26T21:54:48.363+08:00Food Adventures in Bordeaux - Let's have lunch
Wherever you walk in the centre of Bordeaux you are faced with a huge choice of restaurants. Wine bars, tapas bars, high end restaurants, snack bars, cafes, bistros - the choice is seemingly endless. So far we have tried 2 restaurants and we have either been really lucky or the quality here is second to none.
Le Carreau is a mixture - wine bar, tapas bar and bistro. We shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-15992871473525205282018-03-25T21:47:00.000+08:002018-03-26T21:55:45.426+08:00Food Adventures in Bordeaux - where to have a decent coffeeI always planned this blog to be more about food but as our barging adventure began it slowly became more about travel. We have been living in a village near Bordeaux for several months now and have had numerous opportunities to try the food in this great city. Bordeaux has recently supplanted Lyon as being the best food destination in France after Paris and I can see why. There are lots of shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-20586750804623951632017-10-17T19:48:00.003+08:002017-10-17T19:48:55.453+08:00Finding a Winter MooringSince we purchased the barge in 2013, we haven’t spent winter in the same place. Our aim is to see as much of the waterways of Europe but mostly France, before we decide to base the barge in one spot. So far the barge has wintered in Uxbridge UK, Cergy Pontoise France, Bruges Belgium, Strasbourg France and Pont de Vaux France. Mostly we have chosen our winter moorings based on either shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-25436951341216263082017-09-09T23:20:00.000+08:002017-09-24T17:05:28.649+08:00Digoin to Pont de Vaux
Fortuitous indeed! Our next town was Paray Le Monial. So glad we missed Digoin for this gem. In the DBA (Dutch Barge Association) waterways guide someone had mentioned that this town had the most moorings they had seen for a town of this size. We certainly didn't have a problem finding one. As we were entering the tree lined canal that runs on the edge of the town we were bombarded by a shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-15465667355669427482017-08-14T04:35:00.002+08:002017-09-24T17:23:18.116+08:00Canal Lateral a La Loire
After leaving Briare we crossed over the aqueduct and left the Briare Canal behind. We were now on the Canal Lateral a La Loire. This area is most noted for its chateaux and wine. Two areas are particularly well known for their wines - Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. Our plan was to stop near Sancerre, go up to the village, taste some wine and buy heaps. There are, however, some very enterprising shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-73825615976973202632017-08-05T22:40:00.001+08:002017-09-18T16:33:00.759+08:00Loing and Briare Canals
Moret sur Loing is a very picturesque town set on the Loing River. The old mills on the river have inspired a number of painters over the centuries and the town is also renowned as being the place where barley sugar was invented.
Lovely town of Moret Sur LoingWatermill on the Loing River in MoretOld mill now the Moret museum
We stayed here for a couple of days but as mooring space was shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-5074774898920408402017-07-29T03:48:00.002+08:002017-07-29T03:48:45.237+08:00Auxerre to Moret sur Loing
The barge rally was done and dusted so it was time to "get on the road" again and complete the circuit of the central French canals. We wouldn't be doing the Nivernais as we had concerns about bridge heights and water levels.
Map of Central French Canal SystemSo it was back along the Yonne revisiting some of the places we had stopped at before. Once we passed Migennes, however, we were in shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-32952605848798583622017-07-10T15:44:00.000+08:002017-07-10T16:25:52.629+08:00DBA 25th Anniversary Rally - Part 1
View of St Stephens church from the Aquarelle marina
We chose to cruise to Burgundy this year so that we could attend our first barge rally. This year was particularly significant as it is the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Dutch Barge Association. Auxerre was the destination and what a lovely town it is. It probably has some of the best examples of medieval shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-15060850514566172182017-07-10T15:43:00.005+08:002017-07-10T15:47:00.034+08:00DBA 25th Anniversary Barge Rally - Pt 2
On day 2 a walking tour of Auxerre had been organised but as we had already done our own self guided tour we skipped that so that we would be better prepared for the afternoon's boules competition. With so many people keen to take part, the rules became quite fluid, otherwise we would have been playing long into the night. By the end of the afternoon my partner and I had been eliminated but shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-2803206226815813592017-06-07T22:20:00.000+08:002017-06-13T16:22:24.741+08:00Chateau Tanlay
We arrived in Tanlay after a very long day of cruising to find plenty of mooring spots available. It was a lovely spot where we could even have a game of tennis if we felt inclined. We opted to stay here for a couple of days. An added bonus was a bar right next to where we moored - and even better it was a creperie and pizzerie. So as soon as we had secured the boat we popped over to the bar forshell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-22992668103665921842017-05-27T04:44:00.001+08:002017-05-27T04:44:26.716+08:00Pouilly Tunnel
During the last three years of cruising in France we have been through a number of tunnels - short ones, long ones, well lit ones, fairly dark ones, straight ones and bendy ones and even one where we had to be pulled through in convoy by a chain tug as it was over 5kms long and there was no exhaust/ventilation so we couldn't have our engine running. But we didn't stress out about them, didn't shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-75957855424774954712017-05-22T00:07:00.000+08:002017-06-13T16:22:37.263+08:00San Sebastián - pinxtos aplentyAfter a rather dismal stay at Salou on the Costa Dorado in Spain, with terrible weather, not so good accommodation and a town that was basically shut down over winter we decided to cut out losses and head off to the, hopefully, warmer and livelier area on the west coast of Spain. As we came out of the mountains and headed down the coastal road to San Sebastián the sun came out and illuminated a shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-78698736942666205312017-05-22T00:05:00.002+08:002017-05-26T21:24:36.957+08:00Abbaye la Bussiere
Sometimes when you travel around you come across a gem of a place. Abbaye de la Bussiere is one such place. A short walk from our overnight stop of Bussiere sur Ouche on the Canal Bourgogne, it was certainly impressive.
The abbey has been converted into a lovely hotel and classy restaurant
This former abbey was bought from the church by English couple Clive and Tanith Cummings shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-21955712765333881012017-05-17T23:01:00.001+08:002017-05-26T21:24:36.943+08:00Auxonne to Dijon
Auxonne is a fairly typical medieval town with remnants of a town wall, a church, a Chateau, a market place. Auxonne also has an army garrison and it was here that Napoleon Bonaparte started his military career. While not a huge town it does have all the facilities you need for an extended stay.
Pauline and Stewart arrived to splendid weather and spent a couple of days recovering from jet lag shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031395835814393038.post-56636267020093687132017-05-08T22:42:00.001+08:002017-05-26T21:24:36.949+08:00Where is the best patisserie/boulangerie in France?
I'm sure every town and village in France thinks their boulangerie/patisserie is the best. I have to say we have tried a few and when we find a really good one we think it's the best - until we find the next good one. But so far I think the patisserie, Valette, in the town of Branne, east of Bordeaux in the Gironde, has to be our number 1 choice - until we find the next one.
Who can shell007http://www.blogger.com/profile/04613085911882690062noreply@blogger.com0