It’s 9pm on a hot Thursday evening. Still over 30° and the sun has finally gone behind the Notre Dame church. The view from our boat in the quai is amazing…

I love Dole. It is one of the most beautiful towns I have visited in France, and that’s saying a lot.
We left Choisey yesterday morning, through two locks which were pretty shallow.

and then headed into Dole. There is a very strong current in the area where the quai is and it’s well known amongst boaters. This quai is run by the Nicols Hire boat company and the poor first time hirers must get a nasty shock when they try manoeuvring their boats in and out of here. We parked next to a lovely couple from Auckland, Graham and Maree who, the previous night, had moored next to the lovely couple from Wellington, Peter and Wendy, who we had moored opposite in Auxonne! Kiwis are everywhere!
Dole is worth a visit for anyone coming to Burgundy. There is an indoor food market with good quality fruit, veges and meat. The basilica is stunning, both inside and out. When we were inside the organist was playing which added to the ambience.

Beautiful stained glass windows…

It was so hot we were forced to head to a local tapas bar on both nights for some shade. And of course a glass of rosé.

I still can’t believe how picturesque the quai is. It’s amazing to park in the middle of a town.

On Friday we will leave Dole and head up the canal, heading towards the east and we are hoping to find a spot to moor up in Rochefort-sur -Nenon. We hear there is a small space for 2 boats in an amazing spot beside a vertical cliff face.

Here are a few more pics from Dole…