'L'ART DE VIVRE' - BURGUNDY & CANAL DU
NIVERNAIS ITINERARY:
An Introduction to Burgundy
The Nivernais Canal was built in the early 1800's to
transport firewood from the Morvan forests to Paris,
essentially connecting the River Loire to the River Seine.
The lake at Baye is the water source for the Canal and also
the Canal's summit. It is a recreational spot offering
sailing, swimming, and fishing.
The village of Chitry-les-Mines takes its name from the
small veins of silver that were mined here during the
Renaissance. Chitry was home to French novelist and
dramatist Jules Renard, who was buried in the village in
1910.
Situated at the junction of the Morvan, the Nivernais, and
Lower Burgundy, from the 16th century to the completion of
the Nivernais Canal in 1834, Clamecy was a major logging
center. Logs cut in the forests of the Upper Morvan were
piled along the river banks. On certain days, dams that held
back the floodwaters were opened, allowing the logs to flow
en masse to Clamecy -- where the floating bûches perdues
were harpooned by an army of workmen and made up into rafts
to be floated on to Paris. This contact with the capital
created a flow of egalitarian ideas and political thought
among the area's inhabitants and the peasants and workers of
the Morvan staged a number of insurrections before the
revolution of 1789. Today, Clamecy is a charming town with
narrow, winding streets and old houses. It remains "the town
of beautiful reflections and graceful hills" described by
French writer and philosopher Romain Rolland, who won the
Nobel Prize for literature in 1915.
Feudal Le Château de Bazoches counted King Philippe-Auguste
and Richard the Lionheart among its first important guests.
They visited on their way to the Holy Land during the Third
Crusade. The Château's original 12th-century construction
included four towers and a keep surrounding an interior
courtyard. In 1675, Louis XIV gave the property to his
brilliant military engineer Vauban, who rebuilt it into a
beautifully-furnished home. The present owner is directly
descended from the eldest daughter of Marshall Vauban. In
1808, Vauban's heart was placed in the Invalides in Paris by
Napoleon I. The rest of his body, however, is buried near
the Château in the church at Bazoches.
Ever since the Capetian kings made it their capital in the
12th century, Paris has been the center of political,
intellectual, and artistic life in France. The oldest part
of the city is on the Ile de la Cité, which has been
occupied since the time of Caesar. By the middle ages, the
town had spread onto both the left and right banks. Later
periods of growth led to successive enlargements of the town
walls, but real development did not begin until the time of
Henry IV in the late 16th century.
The museums and monuments of Paris are legendary. The
12th-century Cathedral of Notre-Dame is situated on the Ile
de la Cité on a site that was occupied by two earlier
churches. Though it was severely damaged during the French
Revolution, the Cathedral with its massive flying buttresses
remains one of the most recognizable buildings in Paris. The
Louvre is one of the world's best-known art galleries. Once
a Royal residence, it first opened as a museum in 1793. On
the opposite end of the Champs-Elysées sits the Arc de
Triomphe de l'Etoile, the largest triumphal arch in the
world. It was completed in 1836 and commemorates the
military glory of Napoleon. Near the Hôtel des Invalides is
Paris' most famous symbol, the Eiffel Tower. It dates from
1889 when it was constructed for the Universal Exhibition.
There is a flight of sixteen locks on the Nivernais Canal
between Sardy-lès-Épiry and Port Brûlé. In some places, they
are less than 200 yards apart. Beside each lock is a pretty
waterfall that maintains the water levels in the Canal, and
many of the, once-abandoned lock cottages, are now occupied
by artisans and craftsmen.
Surrounded by vineyards, the village of Tannay sits high on
a hill overlooking the River Yonne. The ancient houses here
each have a round tower on one side. The charming Church of
St-Léger was built between the 13th and 16th centuries, and
the vaulting of its nave is supported by "palm tree"
pillars.
The charming village of Vézelay contains many old houses
with sculptured doorways, mullioned windows, and corbelled
staircase turrets. But Vézelay is best known for its
impressive Basilique Ste-Madeleine, which was built in the
11th and 12th centuries. It became one of the greatest
pilgrimage destinations in France, and its crypt is said to
contain the relics of St. Mary Magdalen, "the beloved and
pardoned sinner." UNESCO declared the basilica and the hill
on which it sits a World Heritage Site in 1979.
SUNDAY
You are met in Paris at 1:30 pm at Hotel Ampère and
transferred to 'L'Art de Vivre.' After a champagne welcome,
there is time to wander the nearby streets of the logging
capital of Clamecy before dinner on board.
MONDAY
Tour Clamecy this morning, with visits to the Cathedral
and the Logging and Barging Museum. Then cruise to
picturesque Villierssur- Yonne for an excursion to the
impressive half-built fortification at Guedelon, set up to
demonstrate traditional building methods of the 12th to 14th
centuries.
TUESDAY
This morning's cruise is beneath the first of many Van
Gogh-style hand-operated lift bridges. Take an optional
cycling excursion to the village of Anois to visit Le Bouc
que Fume ("The Smoking Billy Goat"), a curiosity shop set in
an old chapel. After lunch, visit the local wineries of
Tannay before cruising to the logging port of Monceau-le-Comte.
WEDNESDAY
Visit picturesque Vézelay to see the magnificent Roman
Basilique Ste-Madeleine with time to browse in the craft
shops. This afternoon, cruise to Chitry-les-Mines, passing
through Dirol.
THURSDAY
Cruise through the remote countryside today, passing the
meadows of La France Profonde en route to Sardy-lés-Épiry.
Then, visit the illustrious Château de Bazoches, home of
Maréchal Vauban, Louis XIV's military engineer and siege
director extraordinaire.
FRIDAY
Begin your day with a cruise through the 16 locks
leading to the summit of the Nivernais Canal, one of the
most beautiful stretches of canal scenery in France. Moor
for lunch at the last lock before continuing through three
tunnels en route to Baye. This evening, join the Captain at
his farewell dinner on board.
SATURDAY
Disembark after breakfast to transfer back to Paris,
where your tour ends on arrival at the Hotel Ampère.
Note: This route is run in reverse on alternate
weeks.
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