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Day 10, Tonnerre to Montbard - 66 kilometers

Route: Easy if somewhat bumpy riding along the canal path, not recommended for bikes with less than 700x26mm tires.  Directions: Take the canal path south along the canal from Tonnerre to Montbard.

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    We were excited. We were finally going to see and ride along the Burgundy Canal. We cleaned up the apartment, packed our stuff and went down to breakfast. Our host had arrived, having driven back from Paris the day before. He served a nice selection of breads and croissants, coffee, tea and juice, something we were accustomed to by this time. We thanked him for leaving the room open for us and admired the inside of the dining room, a project still under some construction.

    Breakfast finished, we were on our way under threatening skies. We were soon riding along the Burgundy Canal and admired the canal boat/yachts that were either tied to the bank or slowly motoring up and down the waterway. Each lock (ecluse)  had its own lock keeper and a house usually decorated with flower boxes. The locks had names and usually had signs above the door telling how far to the next town in each direction.

    The weather was brisk and the wind was blowing strong in our faces as we rode along. The surface of he path varied from smooth packed gravel and dirt to pot holes with a center ridge and we had to maneuver to stay on a smooth a path as possible. Our rears became sore with the bumpiness and we stopped often. Even so, we could see that travel by bike on the canal was a much faster affair than by yacht. We'd ride past the boats as they motored along, moving about a third of the speed that we were on our bikes. In addition, the boats would have to stop and pass through a lock every few miles which would slow their progress even more. 

    The town of Ancy La Franc was heralded as a place to stop and view a large and impressive chateau so we left the path and rode into the town, bought drinks and a picnic lunch and then looked for the chateau. We found it only to find that the tours would not start until 2:30 and that much of the castle was closed for renovation. We didn't feel like waiting and weren't impressed with what we saw from the outside so we decided to continue on. A public toilet was in the park where we had stopped  to eat lunch and I decided to step in to do my business rather than water the flowers along the path as I had done the rest of the trip.

    I walked into the room to find one of the legendary French hole-in-the-floor toilets. In addition, recent customers had badly missed the target and the place smelled terrible. I took a photo while holding my breath and then left, bushes are much friendlier.

    We rode along and the wind became stronger and it started to sprinkle. We put on our raincoats and continued riding. The sky really darkened and the wind came on very strong right in our faces. Jeanette said we should find some cover. I agreed. I looked and saw a building within 100 feet of the path and we rode over to it. It was an abandoned lavoir, perfect for our needs. We tucked the bikes and ourselves inside and waited for the storm to pass.

    Twenty minutes later the wind had slowed and the rain changed from a downpour to a mist. We got back on the bikes and rode on. We had hoped to visit an abbey outside Montbard rated by UNESCO as a world heritage site but the weather didn't look like it was going to co-operate. When we reached Montbard it started raining heavily again. 

    Roxcie needed some cash. Her parents had gotten her an ATM card before the trip but she had never used it. We went to a bank and she tried using the card. Instead of getting money, the screen flashed a red warning and the card was not returned! Jeanette went inside and tried to find out the problem using her basic high school French. The clerk told us to come back in an hour.

    We hadn't booked a room in Montbard and were going to go to the TI booth to see what they could find for us. I saw what seemed like a nice hotel close to the bank and thought that we all agreed to check there first before going to the TI. Roxcie and I, on the tandem rode over to the hotel, found a room, and made arrangements to stay the night. I waited for Jeanette who was on the single bike, thinking she might have stopped at the grocery store next to the bank. After waiting a half hour, I got on the tandem by myself and went looking, finally finding her at the TI. She was not a happy camper!

    After DISCUSSING the confusion, she came with me to the hotel, mumbling under her breath that it was probably some smoke polluted dump that I had booked. She was surprised to find that it was a neat and clean room equal to most that we had been staying in. She mellowed and I rode over to the store for snacks and drinks while the girls "freshened up."

    The rain stopped about 5:00 and we headed back to the bank to talk to the clerk about Roxcie's card. She made a few phone calls and then handed us back the card once we had showed her Roxcie's passport. She said the card should work and told us to try it again. We went to the lobby and Roxcie tried the card for a second time. The machine ate it again! I turned to go back into the bank just as the security screen clunked down in front of me. The three of us stood there dumbfounded. The lights were being switched off inside the bank. A clerk walked by the door and saw the three of us. She came out and we explained that the card was eaten again. She went inside the bank, got the card and passed it through the security screen with a shrug of her shoulders. It looked like grandpa was going to be Roxcie's bank for the remainder of the trip.

    We rode around the town on the bikes, looking for places to eat dinner and agreed on a Pizza and Spaghetti house within walking distance and in sight of the hotel. Dinner was great although a lot more like, "American" food than French. The place was packed though, even the outside tables since the weather had improved enough to serve outside.

    It had been a long day and not the best given the rain, wind, sore rears from the bumpy path, ATM card problems and confusion about hotels. We walked back to the hotel a little more subdued than normal, switched on the TV and looked for the latest Tour de France results. Lance Armstrong had taken the lead that day. Some days are diamonds for some and stones for others!

Accomodations and Recommendations:

Neptune Hotel
Montbard (no other info)
E60 for three, breakfast not included

Day 11, Montbard to Pouilly en Auxois - 61 kilometers

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