July 23, 2018 Desormais departs for one of the goals of the Canal du Bourgogne, some of the finest Chateaus in rural France. Five locks before lunch and a short cruise later led to Tanlay, home of the Chateau de Tanlay.
The port provides accommodations on both the left and right banks, and the pizza restaurant on the upstream right bank is quite good. I found the late afternoon service to be a bit grumpy, but dinners were fine. There is a good boulangerie and some other basic services, but no local grocer.
The star of the community is the Chateau de Tanlay, complete with a moat and gated approach over the water. Built in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries on the ruins of a thirteenth century chateau-fort, the property has remained in the family Marquis de Tanlay from 1705 to the present. It is a remarkably chateau, both in
design and in furnishings. The only room in which pictures are allowed was the long hall, with remarkable carvings lining the walls, the surprise being that, upon closer inspection, all of the sculptures are 2 dimensional paintings. I can assure you, the artistry is so perfect that close inspection is required to actually see the 2 dimensional effects.
Leaving Tanlay on July 24th, the next stop was Liezennes. A more modern town, most of the community here is uphill on the left bank side. A nice small grocers is available, but the restaurant has moved further uphill to the far edge of town, quite a hike from the canal. After exploring the town by bike, dinner was a more convenient meal on the boat that night. A nice, free mooring, but not terribly exciting.
July 25th was the departure from Liezennes for Ancy-le-Franc and the famous chateau located there. The trip didn’t take long, arriving around noon in the wider “port” area. Unfortunately, after taking into account the area reserved for a hotel barge and the spaces taken up by obviously more permanent moorings (I say “obviously”, as some were half submerged!), it became clear the most reasonably available moorings were downstream on the left bank as one approached the port. Fortunately, about 1 km downstream there is a widened part of the canal where one can turn about and head back to a bankside mooring.
Ancy-le-Franc is a remarkable town. At one time a bustling center, it still retains some of that spirit. The chateau entry sits about 1 km from the port, at the edge of the community. Immediately adjacent is a large square, upon which sit a number of shops and restaurants. Having arrived in time to have a late lunch, and enjoying the meal at one particular restaurant, I was inspired to make a reservation at the same restaurant for dinner that evening. While reservations for dinner are always advisable in these small communities, I had not made it a practice to think that far ahead, and have no idea what inspired me to do this here. Still, it proved providential. The reservation done, and it being later in the afternoon, I wandered some and returned to the boat, with the intent of touring the Chateau the following day.
That evening, I returned to the square outside the restaurant and the Chateau for my 8 PM dinner reservation. I was surprised to find the square absolutely filled to the brim with tables, people, and a stage for performers. The three restaurants were https://voyagesofdesormais.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/53F806ED-5A32-4047-B0D8-BD1FC4934BCD.movhustling to feed all their guests, and my reservation proved to earn me a table for one near the front entry to the restaurant. The crowd was quite enjoyable, with those choosing to dance to the tunes the band provided being of all ages. One elderly gentleman (saying something, given my age) was quite taken by the music, and entertained us all with his dancing, immersed in the music as he was. The meal was excellent, the environment enchanting, and it proved a thoroughly diverting evening, surrounded by tables of people enjoying the evening and conversing in both French and English.
The following morning brought another clear, beautiful day (yet increasingly hot, as the trend had been, with not a raincloud in sight). I puttered on the boat, taking care of a few things, thenheaded in to tour the Chateau.
The Chateau of d’Ancy-le-Franc was built on the site of a 12thcentury fort, with construction beginning in 1544. The chateau is in remarkable condition, and the design reflects a passion for symmetry. The exterior of roughly equal sides is
reflected in an interior courtyard of equal symmetry. The gravel in the courtyard on the day I visited reflected the disciplined raking of the gravel one might expect of a Japanese Zen garden. While more limited in furnishings than the Chateau de Tanlay, the Chateau still boasted remarkable spaces, and the array of copper pots displayed
in the kitchen is enough to stir any Chef’s envy. The discipline of symmetry of design extends to the exterior gardens, where the flowers are planted with equal discipline. Overall, an amazing structure.
I filled in the day with some shopping, a meal on the boat, and some reflective time. The goal was to head upstream to Montbard, a stop just prior to the final climb to the heights of the Canal du Bourgogne, before moving back downstream to Mignennes, where Evans Marine would become Desormais’ winter resting spot. But more adventures certainly lay ahead.