The Yonne is a river. It flows. Sometimes, very fast. It can flood. This morning, as we left Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, it was as smooth and shiny as a mirror.
We had to rush. Because of work the VNF was doing, it had restricted use of one lock to 10am, 2pm, and 5pm. Arrive after 10 and we’d have sit outside the lock and wait for four hours. To make sure that didn’t happen, we left Villeneuve-sur-Yonne early. We were first into the lock – and turned around to find six other boats right behind us. Fortunately, this lock had straight walls and tying up was straightforward.
We were on our own when we arrived at the lock in Saint-Aubin-sur-Yonne. We were disappointed to see it had sloping walls – and then pleased to see it had a floating pontoon. (As one approaches the locks, the sloping sides are visible from a fair distance. The pontoons are tucked just inside the gates and don’t come into view until the last moment. Once we see the sloping walls, we cross our fingers that a floating pontoon will soon appear.)
We arrived shortly before noon – not enough time to get through the lock before it closed for lunch. In a kind gesture, the lock-keeper allowed us to wait in the lock. That does not usually happen. Since we had time, we decided to get off Aleau and explore the town. Until we saw the stairs.
Covered in very slippery algae and with no handrail, we decided it was too risky to try. We chose to stay put and have lunch on Aleau. Not a bad way to spend our time in the lock.
In late afternoon, we arrived in Joigny. We found a mooring near the centre of town and overlooking the vineyards.
It seems we weren’t the only people visiting Joigny that day.
There was an antique car show going on. Some of it was in a large parking lot right across the river from Aleau.
We looked at every car there – and all the ones lined up along the main street. Timing is everything. And we arrived in Joigny on the right day.
This old Citroën truck looked normal from the front.
But at the rear was something that was probably not a Citroën option.
Amongst all the cars, Jeannie’s favourite, a Citroën Traction Avant.
With or without the flags, it’s gorgeous.
The next day, we explored Joigny. We decided to start by climbing to the top of the hill…
…to the Église Saint-Jean de Joigny.
We stepped inside.
As majestic as it was, we found out God wouldn’t protect us if we went past the barrier.
We were told it was unlikely God would call us on our cellphone and were asked to turn them off. The sign says if we want to see God in person, we should try texting while driving.
Smiling, we walked over to where we might meet God if we used our phone while behind the wheel. The route was along a colourful street.
Inside, the texting drivers were laid to rest next to a vineyard. Was that a message about drinking and driving?
As we walked down the hill back to the centre of town, another sign made us smile – although I don’t think that was the intention. On the door of a centuries old lavoir, a sign saying it is forbidden to wash your car there.
Joigny, too, was once a fortified city.
Fortified by the charm of the city, we returned to Aleau to witness a wonderful sunset and prepare for the next days’s journey to Auxerre.
