Biking and Barging in Burgundy

I'm not certain how this biking and barge trip came about. In an idle moment, I may have googled 'tours in France without a single supplement'. Anyway, I found this trip in Burgundy, a small barge, about 16 people, into and out of Dijon, which is a really nice town about 2 hours south of Paris. Franklin and I were there about 10  years ago. I bet you think this is where they grow mustard seeds and traditionally you are right, but these days 80% come from Canada. That's your surprise fact of the day.

I like bicyling but have never tried long distances so I rented an electric bike for our two long days of biking (more than 20 miles each day). Over the summer I practiced on an ebike a few times to get comfortable and familiar with how they work. E-bikes are wonderful, I recommend that you try one.  I plan to get one or possibly convert my regular bike next time I live somewhere long term. 

This trip included barging on small canals and one larger river, the Saône, some biking, visiting some wineries and small villages, and a day in Dijon, a charming and attractive city that has a surprisingly good museum.

Although I am usually an independent traveler this tour was really wonderful and I can't recommend it highly enough. The tour company is called Gadventures. Although they are a large tour operator, this is their only barging trip. Too bad, I would do it again. 

Barging is the traditional method of moving cargo from one part of Europe to another. Here is an old photo of a barging family. Often the woman walked along the canal and did the actual pulling the barge along while the man steered. That's right. She pulled this boat via a strap around her body. Here the man is wearing the strap. 

Our barge, the Danielle. No cargo,  but a hot tub, and bicycles.

As the barge moved along the canal, we had choices to stay on the barge or walk or bicycle along a path alongside the canal.

Sometimes there were just inches between the barge and a bridge

There were vineyards everywhere. 

The photo above and below is a private home/castle with moat/B&B that we toured. I think it only had one guest room so  one could rent a more or less your own small castle. 

Happy hour on the barge

 Dijon is a very nice small city about two hours southeast of Paris. It has interesting architecture, a good indoor market, and lots of cultural attractions including a good free museum.

 

Not so different today. 

Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, and Colmar, France

My biggest surprise in France is that while I may not understand everything that people are saying to me, I had very little trouble making myself understood in French. I haven’t spoken it for many years and my accent was always terrible, even when I worked at the United Nations. But once upon a time I had a decent working vocabulary.

I watched a few French movies before I left and understood very little so I had no expectations of making myself understood. But communication really hasn't been a problem at all. I give credit to the French for becoming more tolerant of tourists who are not perfectly bilingual.

 Another thing that was not a problem is having a lack of cash. I mentioned in an earlier post that I arrived with only three euros and didn’t manage to get any on my first day. But I didn't really need cash except for buses or small snacks. Crédit cards are accepted everywhere. Up to this point I only spent €70 cash in six days.

The helpful lady at the tourist bureau in Strasbourg suggested when I visited Colmar (my next stop) that I should also visit Kaysersberg, which she called "The Most Beautiful Village in France".  I don't believe there can be such a thing any more than there can be a most beautiful village in the United States. Aspen and a rural Vermont village are too different to compare yet both are charming and lovely. Same thing with villages in different parts of France.

I visited both Kaysersberg and nearby Riquewihr. Although they are only 5 km from each other,  you can't-get-there-from-here, a concept those of us who have lived in Phoenix are very familiar with. So I visited them on two separate days.

Kaysersberg was charming and beautiful, with winding streets, ruins of a castle, a stream, and backstreets to explore.  It also seemed as though almost no one lived there. There were no locals visible and few tourists. The few restaurants closed at noon! Clearly, they were not aiming to attract more tourists. I think when travellers seek out picturesque spots this is what they hope to find. But often they have a different experience. Like my experience the next day, in Riquewihr.

First some photos of Kaysersberg.  This really is a quiet, charming village, surrounded by vineyards.

Grapes in the foreground. This is the middle of the Alsace wine district. 

You may have noticed that all the half timbered houses are larger on the second floor than they are on the first floor. I was told that is because they had to pay to build by the square foot on the ground, not for the airspace. 

Riquewihr, a smaller walled city in the center of the Alsace wine district, is aiming for tourists. And they are eager to sell you their wine and souvenirs.

This photo was taken from the ruins of an ancient castle on top of a hill outside of town. It was just one more charming detail to help make a visit to this village a delight. 

Riquewihr, a smaller walled city in the center of the Alsace wine district, is aiming for tourists. And they are eager to sell you their wine and souvenirs. It was chocked full of people, both locals and tourists. The bus schedule gave me a choice of spending only an hour, or the entire afternoon. I don't think this was a coincidence. I think they wanted you to hang out, drink their wine, buy their souvenirs, visit their wineries, try their restaurants and cafes. I chose to take a quick look around and take the next bus back out.

One interesting feature of Riquewihr is that many of the shops had wrought-iron signs outside identifying what they sell. In the olden days, when most people were illiterate, this was how stores were identified, rather than with words.

I stayed in an apartment in the charming city of Colmar.  I see online someone called it Europe's Most Picturesque Town, which might account for the flocks of tour groups there. The center of town is called Little Venice because of the canals. Here are some photos:

Japanese tourists, perhaps a cosplay outfit? 

The food was still heavily German. And heavily heavy.

I am not sure what this dish is. I didn't try it. I know it was called a knuckle. Possibly a pork knuckle or shank, if pork has shanks. 

 Potato Rosti, grated potatoes covered in cheese with a sausage or two on top. Yummy actually. 

This sign features traditional Alsace costumes and storks. Storks images are everywhere and have been associated with this region for many centuries.  

Colmar was the last stop in my solo travels before I joined a small group in Dijon for a barge and bicyling trip.  I'll talk about that in my next blog.