2022 · Cruising

Auxonne to Paris · 2022

North through France,
to the heart of Paris.

From Auxonne we travelled through Chagny and Santenay, then on through Paray-le-Monial and Digoin. We followed the Loire and Briare waterways through Montargis and Moret-sur-Loing to Melun and Paris.

The season covered 211½ cruising hours and 198 locks.

27 May—September211½ hours198 locks

Reconstructed from our cruising record · schematic waterway route, not GPS

Paris was our destination, but there was time to enjoy the places and people along the way.

Maria on the Canal du Centre · May 2022

Santenay · On our way to Paris

An evening walk in Santenay.

Santenay was one of the highlights of our journey through Burgundy: a gorgeous village, attractive restaurants, vineyards and even a casino. We stopped at Le Terroir and thoroughly enjoyed being there, with no reason to rush on.

The stone frontage and terrace of Le Terroir in Santenay — Le Terroir, Santenay — one of those stops that turned into rather more than lunch.

Kaz smiling among the vines in Santenay — Kaz among the vines in Santenay.

“Hey Bear — where’s the wine?”

Later, while walking around Santenay, we met Romain and his partner. We started talking and they offered us a wine tasting. There are certain invitations in France that it would be extremely rude to refuse.

What began as a chance conversation became a wonderfully enjoyable evening of Burgundy wine, talking, laughing and tasting. It was completely unplanned — and all the better for it.

Romain and his partner smiling together — Strangers when we met; new friends by the end of the night.

Romain knew his Burgundy wines and was enormously generous with his time. We got on so well that the talking, laughing and tasting continued until approximately three in the morning. Somewhere along the way we chose five favourite wines and bought a case of each.

Not quite what we had expected when we went out for a walk.

See what came back to Maria

Bottle label: Santenay · Le Chainey · Domaine Edmond Monnot — Santenay · Le Chainey · Domaine Edmond Monnot

Bottle label: Mercurey · Champ Ladoy · Domaine Belleville — Mercurey · Champ Ladoy · Domaine Belleville

Bottle label: Maranges 1er Cru · Les Clos Roussots · Domaine Regnard — Maranges 1er Cru · Les Clos Roussots · Domaine Regnard

Bottle label: Côte de Nuits-Villages · Les Chaillots · Domaine Gachot-Monot — Côte de Nuits-Villages · Les Chaillots · Domaine Gachot-Monot

Five favourites chosen. A case of each. One very successful walk through Santenay.

The view from Maria across the water, with Oscar on deck — Back aboard Maria, with Oscar on deck.

Eventually, with rather more Burgundy aboard than when we arrived, we continued west towards Paris. From the Canal du Centre we travelled through Paray-le-Monial and Digoin, then followed the Loire and Briare waterways north.

The historic flight of seven lock chambers at Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses in Burgundy — Sept Écluses de Rogny · Burgundy

A plate of French escargots served in their shells — It would not be France without trying the snails

The old locks at Rogny were one of the sights along the way. Beyond Montargis, we reached Moret-sur-Loing on the outward journey, before continuing through Melun towards Paris. Moret would become our winter home later; for now, the city was still ahead.

Maria in Paris · 2022

Arriving in Paris · 2022

Bastille on the doorstep.

And then we brought our home into central Paris. For around eight weeks we lived aboard Maria at the Port de l’Arsenal beside Bastille. The Métro was close at hand, the city was outside the door, and at the end of the day we came home to our own boat.

One favourite restaurant gave us a lovely meal and, we later discovered, had also appeared in Emily in Paris. Kaz’s smile afterwards tells our own version of the story. And, inevitably in France, there was Burgundy in the glass.

At home in the Port de l’Arsenal

Kaz after a lovely meal

The Métro close at hand

Le Temps des Cerises · Paris

Maria at home in the Arsenal.

Notre-Dame from Maria’s deck.

Maria’s mast and the Eiffel Tower.

Our floating neighbourhood

Living aboard in the Arsenal meant Paris was not simply outside our door — we became part of a little floating neighbourhood.

On one side was a Paris comedian and on the other Éric Vincent, a French singer-songwriter who had spent much of his life performing around the world. His biography records performances in more than 140 countries; between tours, home is a péniche in central Paris.

We spent evenings talking, eating and drinking together with Éric and his family. Before we left, Éric gave us one of his CDs to remember them by.

It was another reminder of something we were beginning to understand about travelling on Maria: the places may provide the scenery, but very often it is the people you meet who make the memories.

An evening with our Arsenal neighbours — one of the pleasures of staying long enough somewhere to get to know the people around you.

Night in the Arsenal — for a few weeks this was not simply a Paris mooring, it was our neighbourhood.

September · Back to Moret-sur-Loing

A quieter place for winter.

After nearly eight weeks in the centre of Paris, we left the city and headed back to Moret-sur-Loing for winter. We had passed through on our way north; now it was time to settle here.

Moret-sur-Loing made a beautiful winter mooring — a peaceful conclusion to a season that had taken our home from Burgundy into the heart of Paris.

A sunlit street seen through a medieval stone gateway in Moret-sur-Loing — Moret-sur-Loing · seen on our outward journey, July 2022

Cruising · 2022

North through France,to the heart of Paris.

A quieter place for winter.

North through France,
to the heart of Paris.