It was just a week ago that the pipe from our water tank below the garage floor in the bow froze. Solid. We had no water until Ian, our saviour on Daisy, crawled into the tiny hole where the uninsulated pipe was and thawed it for us. It was another example of how willing everyone here is to help out others in trouble. It is an amazing community.
In what seems like a blink of an eye, the temperature has skyrocketed. Today, it hit 21-degrees. Yup, PLUS 21-degrees! We have gone from frozen pipes to a summer day almost overnight.
And just about everyone took advantage of it. Here’s Pete, the port captain, able to sit in the sun and read – in shorts, no less!
It made us think that maybe it was time to de-winterize the aft deck – raise the Bimini, unwrap the BBQ, and set up our al-fresco dining table and chairs.
Maybe.
Instead, we went for a drive. We had lunch outdoors in a park in Brazey-en-Plaine. Population 2,400. We grabbed sandwiches (on a baguette, of course) from a local boulangerie and ate them in a lovely park that doubled during the lunch-hour as a playground for the local school.
A bit nicer than the entirely-concrete playground my school had.
Continuing our journey, we went to Beaune – 60 kilometres from Auxonne. It is the wine capital of Burgundy. We didn’t visit any vineyards. Instead, we drove under the arch that brought us to the centre of town and began walking the streets.
While having a population of only 21,000, Beaune is a shopper’s paradise. Stores of every description line the streets.
Of course, in France you should expect to find a cooking store in just about every city. We found one that had what every home-chef should have – from multiple styles of rolling pins – to copper-handled whisks. €40 each.
There were restaurants everywhere. All closed due to Covid. Jeannie and I hope they all survive. We’d love to come back and try them. Every one of them.
We did find a take-out restaurant that was open.
And we could get more than a croissant and coffee for breakfast.
Beaune is just an hour’s drive from Auxonne. Maybe we’ll return for an English Breakfast and stay for dinner. Whenever it is safe to do so. Let’s hope that’s not far off.