Croix Rouge on Roanne Digoin Canal to Paray-le-Monial on Canal du Centre

Cold and Frosty this morning, -2 when I steeled myself to get out of bed at 7.30 - very late for me.  But it was a beautiful sunny morning and the temperature rose quickly so by the time we left the mooring at 9.15 it was 4C.

When we reached the end of the Roanne Digoin Canal at a T-junction we had to make  the decision.  Left to Paris and Belgium or right to the Canal du Centre, lock closures of unknown duration, but pastures new.  

The junction 

Turning right

We turned right.  And shortly after that I received a reply to my email to the VNF enquiring about how long it would be before the leakage would be repaired and the locks reopened.  Their answer: later today or at the latest tomorrow.  Yipppeeee. Right decision.

The aquaduct across the Loire River

The Loire

Canal du Centre at Digoin

Oops

Please, Sir, can we have some room?  The Canalous maintenance base and no one in sight.  It was a tight squeeze.

We have stopped at the halte nautique in Paray-le-Monial, and ancient town on the River Bourbince, a tributary of the Loire river.

It is a place of pilgrimage, with an important Basilica and a huge park where the pilgrims gather and there is a stage/stadium section for the Pope to address the crowds.

The convent in the centre, the basilica on the left and Tour Saint Nicolas on the right

The basilica dates from the 12th century and the convent from the 17th century

The central nave

The mural over the choir was discovered in the 19th century when the basilicas was being restored

The entrance portico dates from the 12th century

The garden inside the cloister of the convent

An ancient doorway connecting the original convent to the church

Soon after we arrived a lock keeper came to tell us that the stretch from here on is impassable because of low water levels, only 60cm deep! But it would probably reopen on Thursday.  Well, this is not a bad place to spend a couple of days.  But when I returned a couple of hours later Ian said he had come back to say we could continue tomorrow.