The morning we woke up in Flogny-la-Chappelle saw us a bit behind schedule, and our aim was to make it to Tonnerre that day, and this was done with little effort and we arrived a little after lunch. It was baking but since we arrived early, we found a mooring in the shade to keep our boat nice and cool, while we (daftly) set off into the heat of the town.
A short walk saw us dehydrated and hungry. We decided on a small deli-type place that did outside eating. It seems that the only thing they were prepared to feed us was a lunch of ‘plats de region’, or bits and bites of stuff found in the region of Burgundy. So, I can tell you that they find ducks, snails and cheese in Burgundy. Or perhaps they make cheese. We weren’t’ sure, as the lunch came with wine too. Wine at lunch is foreign to us, and while it’s tempting to blame the heat, it’s probably improbable that it was the heat that left us even more drained! It IS worth mentioning that the wine was good as were the snails, ducks and cheese.
After lunch, we set off to get some more clothes for me, as the Sword of Damocles that is my luggage had left me slightly short on clean clothes. Turns out that the best place to get clothes in Tonnerre, it not in Tonnerre, but OUTSIDE Tonnerre at Le Clerc’s. This meant more walking, but at least when we got there we had a magnificent array of cool beverages to put out a few fires. And of course the lovely aroma that is cheese aisle in any French supermarket. We didn’t forget the shirts and shorts, and soon, I’d be palatable once more! Perhaps even more so than the cheese.
A walk around town brought us to a few memorial sites. This region of Burgundy saw a lot of conflict during the Great War of 1914-1918, and listed casualties are a stark reminder the those that fell during this time. Tonnerre was also bombarded during the Second World War, and those that lost their lives are remembered to this day. Fresh flowers and wreaths show that even generations later, the pain of lost loved ones is not forgotten.
We rounded off the evening with cheese and bread. Now there’s a surprise!!!
- Aperture: ƒ/2.8 Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Focal length: 50mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/1600s