2003, Day Six, Dijon

Day six  7^th June

We need some things from a supermarket, so before breakfast I get on my bike and go and look for one, I head left out of the campsite, but this time instead of heading into town, I crossed over the river, over the canal and head down the cycle track following the route of the canal. The cycle tracks in Dijon are excellent, and because I'm following the canal it is also very flat. On our street map there is a port de canal, so I reckon there will be shops to serve this port.  I'm not wrong, there are shops and a supermarket, although I have money and a bag, I have not brought a lock for the bike, so all I get is a baguette and a small bottle of water, I think this is safe, as I can see the bike through the patisserie window. 

Picnic packed we set off for a walk along the canal, it is hot again but we soon get to the port and the shops. Rather than shopping, we continue to walk along the canal but come to a dead end, the path runs out on the side we're on, we should have crossed over on to the other side. We head back to the port to have our sandwiches, a group of people ride past us and all greet us with bonjour, bonjour we reply but notice that they stop at a canal barge registered in New Zealand. 

A man is cleaning his canal boat with a jet washer, next to the first seat we pick so we have to move as we keep getting wet.  Just along the canal from where we do sit to eat, something is going on, a few people are gathered round looking at something, it's a young Heron that seems to be lost but the parents are close by.

After our sandwiches we decide to read for a bit in the sun, I notice the New Zealanders coming towards us, bonjour they all say again, good afternoon we reply, this seems to throw them for a bit and they take a long look back as they ride off. They soon reappear and one explains that the shop they had gone to wasn't open yet, strange as all of shops we had seen were all in the other direction anyway. After a walk all the way round the port, we decide it is time to go back to get ready for a night out but first we need to go to the supermarket.

When we got out of the supermarket it had started to rain, as we waited for the rain to stop under the supermarket entrance, Dot took the opportunity to repack our bags, we had bought far too much to carry. By now the rain was horrendous, what we call cloudburst at home, it was bouncing and we had not bother to bring your waterproofs just a small umbrella.  The rain eased to a trickle, so we decided to make a move, Dot suggested we go to a bar and wait for it to stop but I foolishly said "lets just get another one of those nice baguettes from that shop I used this morning, it's only on the corner". Well the heavens opened up again, and we were in a bread shop and not a bar, tragedy, we had to stand under a small ledge outside the shop and wait.  Every time one of us moved the automatic doors would open and the shop assistant would appear from the back of the shop to see who had come in. This must have gone on for about 20 minutes but we had entertainment, the fire brigade rescue were rushing about and the young girl who was operating the lock gates was getting very, very, wet. It was about this time that a gentleman who had been sat in a parked car (I had assumed he was waiting for someone or for the rain to stop) came over and asked me if the shop was open, when I answered yes he gave me a strange look and he rushed into the shop.  He emerged almost immediately carrying several pizzas, jumped in his car and shot off, he must have assumed that, as we where waiting outside the shop must be closed. 

 

That night we walked into town to get something to eat, the place was buzzing, all the bars were full, so we decided to eat first and then go for a drink.  After eating we return to the bars to find them all empty, with staff clearing tables and chairs from the outsides.  We find a place with people still drinking, so we sit down and order two beers, the beers are gorgeous, I look at Dot and she knows what I am thinking, these are not going to be cheep.  They where not cheep but they where worth it, our first encounter with Grimbergen, I will be buying plenty of that to take home, I know it will be much more economical in the supermarkets.  The restaurant we are drinking outside is in a small square with a fountain in the middle, around which people are sat, one of them looks like a tramp, a drunk tramp.  The drunk seems to be harmless, that is until the man at the table in front of us starts calling him, he is showing off to his girlfriend, he keeps shouting to him, then, when the drunk looks around the idiot looks away.  Obviously the rest of us are looking though, luckily the drunk doesn’t come over and eventually falls asleep, spoiling the idiot’s fun, I hope the girl was really impressed and dumps him.

On our way back to the campsite the place is beginning to liven up again but we have an early start tomorrow.