Canal de Bourgogne: Abbey of Fontenay

Inside Fontenay Abbey’s church

We first visited the Abbey of Fontenay in Burgundy France in 2010. It was the first Cistercian abbey that we visited. It still ranks as our favorite.

Canal de Bourgogne: Château de Bussy-Rabutin

Château de Bussy-Rabutin

Roughly 9 kilometers from the mooring in Venarey-les-Laumes is Château de Bussy-Rabutin. It is reachable by bike, as are several other notable destinations in the area. We missed this one when Wanderlust transited the Canal de Bourgogne in 2016 and only found it by chance later in August of 2018 when we visited the area by car.

The Rhône: Tournon-sur-Rhône and Tain-l’Hermitage

Looking down the River Rhône from Tournon-sur-Rhône

In May of 2018, as the grit blasting and coating of Wanderlust’s bottom was ongoing, we headed out from Saint Jean de Losne. While she was in the paint shed and covered with plastic, there was no way for us to live on board. As long as we were off the boat we might as well head out on a road trip.

The Saône: Château de Savigny-lès-Beaune

Jet fighters and vineyards in Château de Savigny-lès-Beaune

Being confined to the area around Saint Jean de Losne for an extended stretch was not ideal. We wanted to take Wanderlust out on a cruise, but practically we could not. With the dispute ongoing and the need to have work done, staying in or near Saint Jean was the only real option. Though Saint Jean de Losne is not the most interesting town in France it does have one advantage: It is in Burgundy. With time and a rental car, we could explore the area.

River Saône: Lyon, Restaurant Paul Bocuse

Wanderlust at the pontoon in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or

The rumors are true; we do brake, or moor, when fine dinning opportunities present themselves.

The Rhône and Saône: The Trip From the Mediterranean to Saint Jean de Losne

For Wanderlust’s return trip to Burgundy there were no viable route options. She could get back in days on the Rhône and Saône rivers, superhighways on the scale of the inland waterways of Europe. Short of loading Wanderlust onto a …

The Rhône: Avignon to Port Napoleon

Pulling away from the quay in Avignon’s port Wanderlust turned about and headed downstream on the Avignon branch of the Rhône. Once again she passed by Pont Saint-Bénézet, Avignon’s partially intact bridge made famous in the song “Sur le pont …

The Rhône: A Close Encounter in Vallabregues

While we were moored in Aramon we saw a pair of French Canadair firefighting planes working downriver in the distance pulling water from Rhône. We learned later that the planes were fighting a fire near Nîmes, about 30 kilometers away. …

The Rhône: Villeneuve-lès-Avignon

In the 13th and 14th Centuries Avignon was at the wrong side of the border with France. The commune’s bridge, Pont Saint-Bénézet, linked the two sides of the Rhône River. It was a strategically important connection. On the left bank …

The Rhône: Aramon to Avignon

Avignon’s famous half bridge, Pont Saint-Bénézet

Wanderlust left Aramon heading upstream towards Avignon. For now her journey to the Med would be suspended. Instead we would backtrack up the Rhône to Avignon, with the hope that we’d find a mooring spot at the town’s quay this time. If there was no space available to moor our plan was to turn around and head back to Aramon. The next comfortable mooring option was too far downstream to comfortably reach.