It was such a delight to be on the move again after all the work we had done on Eben Haezer in the port at Saint-Florentin…. getting back into the rhythm of slow, calm movement along the canal, the neat little lock-keeper’s cottages with their garden gnomes, and of course the lunch-break stuck in a lock for the éclusier’s lunch. On our first day we made it as far as Migennes, at the very end of the Canal de Bourgogne, ready to enter the river systems of the Yonne and Seine.

The next day we went through the last lock on the canal and entered the river, increasing our speed and covering a good distance to Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, where we endured a vigorous downpour before the evening turned calm and mild.

Our next stop was at Pont-sur-Yonne, modern pontoons without services, but a pleasant walk over the bridge to a riverside park and walking path, and a welcoming little bar in the town square for a pre-dinner refreshment.

The next day we made good progress to Montereau-fault-Yonne,, at the river’s confluence with the Seine. We reacquainted ourselves with one of our favourite friends along the waterways,  Thierry, who used to be responsible for managing the municipal mooring, which is now absolutely chaotic since the authorities withdrew their agreement and basically abandoned the place to chance. Thierry found a mooring nwhere we could not, and ensured we were able to connect to water and electricity. Wonderful man!

We experienced a very pleasant awakening at our next stop, on the Seine at Melun. We had previously formed the impression that this was a necessary but not very attractive mooring, buffeted by the wash of large commercial vessels. We found this time that the town has charms if you seek them out beyond the immediate environs of the quay., and we enjoyed a lovely meal at L’ Atelier des Saveurs just off one of the little town squares, where live music entertained the dinner crowds..

After spending the next night at a waiting pontoon before one of the big river locks on the Seine, we endured one of the hardest, longest days  – 9 hours in total – that we have so far experienced on the European waterways. We had to deal with lots of major commercial traffic. In itself this is not normally as problem, but coming off the Seine into the lower reaches of the Marne, we were forced to wait for extended periods on precarious dolphins as the big vessels and tourist boats were given priority into the difficult high locks, and we then had to follow them through narrow tunnels before we could emerge into the easier sections of the river. It didn’t help that they were laden the aromatic garbage refuse of Paris!

The rigours of the day were more than compensated by the delights of our first stop on the Marne, at Lagny. This delightful town offered peace, calm, a good bistro and an excellent boulangerie/patisserie, which was nearly everything we might have wanted. It also boasted the very atmospheric abbatial church of Notre-Dame-des-Ardents, an attractive church with an interesting history and a connection with Joan of Arc. Plus a very excellent tourist office. We spent a couple of lovely days in this delightful town.

We were now well and truly on the Marne River, cruising our way westwards to the delights and indulgences of Champagne.