Now the ArgoFram lies just outside Lyon, the second largest city in France. It too has a lot to offer – would have a lot to offer… architecture, for example. But I chug right through the city, enjoying the sight of it from the flowing waters. And here I turn from the Rhone into the Saône, continue north, deeper and deeper into the continent.
Fortunately, the rain decreases, as does the water level – but so does the temperature too… It gets bitterly cold. Near Macon I find another marina, go to the toilet, wash my face, refuel. I don’t feel very comfortable here, I am noticed as a stranger and greeted with dismissive gestures – perhaps sensitivities and moods are now mutually reinforcing? I drive on.
I drive the whole day again. I pass bridges that still carry the rest of the washed-up material on their pillars (and I am shocked at the risks I have exposed myself to while speeding up the river). I drive and drive and finally arrive at Saint-Jean-de-Losne, just before the entrance to the Rhine-Rhone Canal – there is also a marina here (which it shares with the neighbouring municipality of Saint-Usage). It is, however, poorly maintained, full of aquatic plants and rotten jetties, but at the same time it is populated by boating enthusiasts who polish their lifelong dream here (on dry land) and make, repair or lovingly care for their own canal boat.
I take a shower, eat, and walk around the harbour area; I talk to river captains (also Swiss) who spare neither effort nor expense to get their boat ready for next year. And I decide to take it easy tomorrow, to explore this seemingly ancient Saint-Jean-de-Losne, and to visit a bakery that is already closed at this time of day, but looks delicious… And I realise: I have made better progress than I would ever have imagined. In three days from the mouth of the Rhone to here, to the entrance to the Rhine-Rhone Canal, it went quickly – but the price is high, because basically I didn’t see anything on the way, at least not what I would have liked to see (Arles, Avignon… I console myself with the fact that these places can be reached quickly from Basel at any time, and I can make up for it at a later date). On the other hand, I can say that I got through in one piece, from Tallinn around Western Europe all the way to here. That’s something!
I end this day with a serious thought: starting tomorrow, I will probably face an unusual challenge – for days at eight kilometres per hour through the canal and through umpteen locks to the Rhine… Neither I nor my ArgoFram are built for that. A test of patience?