A River, Two Canals and No Trucks
September 3rd
In France most large trucks over 7.5 tons are prohibited from driving on the national roadways from 10pm Saturday night until 10pm Sunday night. The exceptions are for refrigerated trucks and those serving sporting events or fairs. We noticed as we drove down to Annecy on last Sunday that all the rest areas were packed with trucks so we looked up why and found out that they can't drive on Sundays. It made for a nice drive to Pagny-le-Château today where we started our ride.
We started our ride on the Canal de Derivation de la Saone for about 2 kilometers before we met up with the Saone River. This trail is very bumpy for several more kilometers before turning into a smooth surface. Along the trail in the town of Chaugey there is actually a designated parking place with a sign for the Voie Bleue. We decided that would be a great place to park if we return so we can skip the bumps. Just before the parking area there is a cute little trail side cafe, La Cabiotte, where we eventually stopped for a fantastic lunch with prices we couldn't ignore. A drink, a charcuterie board and a dessert was 10 Euros (pictures below). We continued along past Losne where there are lots of boats moored and a nice view of the village Saint Jean de Losne across the river. After another few kilometers the trail takes a turn and travels along the Canal du Rhone au Rhin which we followed to the town of Abergement-la-Ronce for a 20km one-way ride/40km roundtrip.
Because many restaurants are closed on Sundays we returned to the Brasserie Carnot for a dinner of BIG salads. Jay thought my Salade Nicoise looked so good the other day he ordered that but I went for the Salade Carnot which was really yummy with a big hunk of runny camembert cheese in the middle. Of course a pichet of Rose was the perfect accompaniment. Many places in France have the name "Carnot" attached to it as does our restaurant and the main square in Beaune. I believe it is because Lazare Carnot was a hero of the French Revolution.
On our walk back to the apartment I couldn't resist snapping this sunset picture. Bon Nuit! 😴
