By Friday afternoon the weather had cleared; the rain had cooled things down and we were ready for some exploration. The town was just a 10 minute walk from the boat so off we went.
The village is surrounded by hills and it was just a short walk up to get a panoramic view of the area. Below us was Haute, or upper, Santenay.
The Cote d'Or is known for several grape varieties but it's probably most famous for it's pinot noir grapes. There are a couple of wine shops in town that specialize in tasting and sales of the local wines so we just had to visit. Since we'll be leaving in just about a month we didn't want to really stock up; the winters are pretty cold here and that's hard on wine storage but we'll be back in the spring for some serious shopping. The prices are very reasonable.
Sunday morning we bicycled the 4 kilometers up the cycle path along the canal to the town of Chagny. They have a large market and we plundered the stalls for fresh fruit and vegetables. After lunch it was back on to the bicycles for a trip along an abandoned railroad bed converted to bike path to Nolay, about 8 k away. Next to the church in the village square is the covered market. Built in the 14th century, the roof is made of limestone and the framework is chestnut wood.
The ride to Nolay was a little arduous as it was all slightly uphill. The trip back was a blast. We barely had to touch the pedals.
After a serious discussion, Cathy Jo and I decided the halte in Santenay was tied with Cumieres in the Champagne for the most beautiful stop. The canal runs along the side of the hill so you actually look down on the village and the picnic tables provided for the boaters and cyclists make it very pleasant. It didn't hurt that the weather was gorgeous the three days we were there.
Monday morning it was off to our last stop on the Canal du Centre, Fragnes.
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