The Hills are Alive

Day 19 – Aix Le Bain/Chatillon sur Seine

Before we set off on the next leg of our trip , we decided to get some fresh air and visit the Jardin Vagabond, 10 minutes walk away. It’s a small piece of land put aside for some wild gardening and a very tranquil place for people to walk their dog, go for a jog or just sit and read one of the books available in a little covered book case. The air was crisp, the sky blue and the ground damp with dew. A perfect Autumnal morning.

It put us in just the right mood for our journey.

Rather than going straight onto the peage, we ambled along the side of Lac Du Bourget and through some beautiful old villages.

Just before we got on the motorway we stopped at a bakery and bought the biggest filled baguettes ever.

Even the motorway was easy on the eye. This trip has been a reminder of what a picturesque country France is. To be honest, we have always known this but in our younger days found it dull and too quiet. We also found the French people to be very unfriendly. It’s still quiet but we quite like that now and this trip we’ve found people far more friendly. Maybe now we have some solidarity as we are all struggling with similar political issues.

Chatillon-Sur-Seine is in the heart of Cote D’or region, where Burgundy wines are produced and the trees in Autumn turn a golden hue.

CSS is not quite so romantic and I can safely say to our road warrior compatriots they haven’t missed much not coming here. The river Seine here is barely a trickle and although the town has some nice parts (the church and some of the back streets are examples) it’s a bit “ the town that time forgot”. However, the sun was shining and we hit the town centre to enjoy an aperitif and decide on where to eat.

S was quite excited about eating here as there were loads of restaurants with good reviews on Google but it would appear that many had closed permanently or were having a “rest.”

We finally decided upon the town’s Japanese restaurant which really was a surprise to find in such a workaday town. However, it was obviously a great hit with locals as while we were eating, loads of people were coming in to collect their takeaways. Seated near me was a young girl and her mum hoovering up the sushi.

Our meals were pretty good but the wine was a shocker. Not as bad as the wine from the Cinar restaurant in Turkey (so terrible it is etched on my memory) but I couldn’t drink it. But Steve did as he can’t bear to leave anything. Think he may regret this.

Our accommodation is basically a nicely furnished shed, perfectly sized for me but a bit of a challenge for S. I don’t think this is going to go down as Steve’s favourite stop-over.