First night's anchorage at Gurgy	Pretty posies in a Gurgy garden

Auxerre from the Pont Paul Bert. Our fleet is in the foreground. Cathedral St. Etienne center and Abby St. Germaine far right.  Auxerre, the largest city on our trip, was my favorite spot. We stayed three nights going upstream and two nights returning.  It is full of interesting sights and good dining.

One of our favorites is Le Quai Cafe'.  It is a moderately priced restaurant that features Pizza and regional favorites. A dozen of us went there one evening for dinner.

Marion said, "I'm really not very hungry. Perhaps just the Mussels for an appetizer, and the Coquilles St Jaques. I loved them at Gurgy."

"I will just get 12 Escargot and a salad verte," I said, "and perhaps share a few of your mussels?"

She smiled saying, "Just a few".

We ordered a bottle of white and placed our order for dinner.

The Mussels came first. Marion exclaimed, "Is that what I ordered?"

The waiter presented a gallon sized black enameled pot with the word "Moules" on the side. The lid to this pot was a good two inches deep and would be used for the empty shells. Atop this pot was a 12 inch plate overflowing with french fries.

Opening the pot she found perhaps 150 - 200 mussels simmered in a  Normandie sauce (cream, wine and herbs).

After Marion had her fill, I had at least a dozen. Then the pot and the french fries made the round of the table. Bread was dipped in the sauce, mussels were taken and the fries were sampled. The pot came back still a third full. It was sent again, and again, as we waited for the main course. All had their fill.

I was prompted to proclaim: "Ladies and gentlemen, do you remember: The Loaves and Fishes?  Well you have just participated in the Miracle of the Mussels and French Fries."

There were still some left when the main course came.

We passed under a bridge covered with flowers.	The lock master's Garden at the Auxerre Lock.

Marion makes friends quickly.  A stale baguette seems to be the Swan's favorite.  Swans don't just paddle around. They also fly.   One morning we were walking along the river path when we heard the "Fwop, Fwop, Fwop, Fwop" sound that I usually associate with a helicopter. The trees overhanging the river blocked our view of the oncoming chopper. The sound grew louder: FWOP, FWOP, FWOP, FWOP. Suddenly a flight of four swans burst into sight and silently glided to rest on the river.

I admit, I was smitten. Meet the lovely Lock master at Parc Ecluse...  It took a lot of convincing to get these photo's. She was not on duty the next day when we came downstream.   I was disappointed.

The anchorage below Mailly-le-Chateau is the point where we would turn back for Migennes. We arrived in the early afternoon, and this gave us plenty of time for exploring.  The road seen in this photo extends in a long switch back to the  castle and the town above. Bob Rakel, Marion and I set out on bicycles to make the ascent.  At about a third of the way, we resorted to walking our bikes up the hill.  Later we had an exhilarating high speed coast down.

The valley below Mailly-le-Chateau is a beautiful sight. The river, hidden by the trees, makes a 180 degree turn around the plowed field (left).

Several climbed the path and stair shown at the right: Don Thomson, Hank Knippa, J. J. Wallace and his companions, Diane and Tom Byer, also Claire Wallace and Luke Sterling. Any others to list for this hike? Help by Email!!!

At the town we found a four star restaurant. Don inquired about reservations. Due to an employee shortage that evening, only 4-6 could be accomodated. There were 26 hungry people down on the river.

No one starved... there was food aboard.

That evening Luke Sterling and I created a bon-fire, and invited all to attend.
    Programme:
    Don Thomson lead the choir in a bagpipe rendition of "The Valkaries Decend to Earth."
    Ed Herndon taught and successfully directed "The Orchestra Song".
    Julie Graham lead "Inky Dinky Spider" and other campfire ditties.

There were stars on the water... all of the wine was either spilled or consumed...

Very late that night, nymphs came out of the woods and danced around the fire.

It was a magical night.