Day 9 - Auxonne to Pontailler

 We got up this morning and showered in the very comfortable and spacious facility at the marina.  I stopped to chat with Carol and Roy (dockmasters) about places to go in Paris.  We’d been hoping to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but sadly it was sold out for Friday, the only day we have left in Paris.   We decided to walk up into town to see if we could eat breakfast out, but couldn’t find a place selling any kind of breakfast food.  We did have café au lait there.  We also stopped into two bakeries and bought a fresh, still warm baguette and some pastries.  We (mostly I) ate half of the baguette before we got back to the boat.  I tried the pastries as well – best I’ve ever had!!!  Our new friends and boat neighbors were all up and about so we chatted with them and exchanged email addresses while I uploaded pictures on my computer.  Then we had to sadly bid them all adieu.

Last look at our marina in Auxonne 

Pastries bought in Auxonne - YUM!!

We headed north on the Saone again for our final destination, Pontaillier Sur Saone where we will spend the night and then head back to Paris.  We need to take a cab back to Auxonne and then catch a 9:30 train to Paris, changing trains in Dijon. We went through only one lock today, and we were in it with two other boats.

Heading towards Pontailler - traffic on the river

We're heading out of the lock and the boat in the picture is going in. 

Inside the last lock of this trip (above and below)

Shortly after, we arrived in Pontailler Sur Saone, our final boating destination.  Just before the entrance to the small canal where the FPP marina was, the current became very strong.  They way it was set up, it was hard to see if another boat was coming out before we pulled in, so David steered past the entrance, made a U turn in the wide river and then turned back into the small canal.  We docked in the FPP marina and were met by Irwin, who works here.  He was very nice and answered all our questions and also allowed us to go on some of the other FPP boats that were here so we're already picking out boats for our next adventure!  Then we took a walk from one end of the town to the other, which took about 15 minutes.  There are not even too many stores, and only one restaurant open for dinner tonite.  No restaurants were open for lunch so we just ate all the food we had left on the boat for a lovely lunch!

On the bridge over the entrance to the small canal in Pontailler 

WW2 Memorial with a rooster on top.  No explanation.

All the leftover food for lunch 

Then, we were just relaxing on the boat and we got into a conversation with another boating family from Germany.  The husband, Markus, invited us on their boat and we chatted with him and his wife Gitta for about two hours while we drank champagne!  Again I have to say, we've met the nicest and most interesting people on this trip!

Markus and Gitta 

We all decided to have dinner together, Markus, Gitta and their two lovely daughters, Anna-lea and Katharina.  We went to the only restaurant in town and had a wonderful dinner... and David finally got his frogs legs!  The food in the restaurant was delicious but there were only two other people besides the six of us!  We walked back to our boats, said good bye and promised to keep in touch.  Then David and I packed our stuff for our early morning departure.  I think we must have "grown" some new clothes because there is so much left to pack!

In the restaurant with Gitta and her daughters - these are just the appetizers!

My steak (with some kind of sauce)

Markus' frog's legs

David's frog's legs in a cream sauce with puff pastry

Markus with DJ  (you can bring dogs into restaurants!)