I was surprised we made it to Mâcon before nightfall. Of course, France in June means nightfall is at 10pm. We were there by 7:30pm. We chose to dock downtown rather than in the boating slip north of town a few kilometers. We wanted to grab a bite and then watch the England-USA game.
Mâcon is the southernmost town in Burgundy, it is 20 kilometers south of Chardonnay, 400 kilometers from Paris and only 150 kilometers west of Geneva. According to Henry's boating guides, Mâcon is France's mythical Mason-Dixon line. It's the point where you officially cross into the south. The town itself looked like any other French town to me though you do notice more roman tile rooves. Mâcon's 40,000 inhabitants enjoy much better weather than their Parisian counterparts for sure - it was warm and summery.
We found an outdoor cafe that had flatscreens set up for the match. We drank beer and ate like kings while watching the scrappy Americans tie their English cousins. I was the only one standing up and cheering the US. The French seemed indifferent while my two red-faced compatriots thrashed in their seats and muttered obscenities. Henry: "We're rubbish! For now on I am rooting for the Yanks and the Aussies."
There was a small hotel next to our cafe. After the game I asked a taboo question: "Anyone want to get a hotel room?" You would've thought I said "Anyone want to stab themselves in the neck?" I got harassed and booed. "After I tidied up your sleeping area, you want to sleep in a hotel?" Henry asked. Yeah, ok, I thought to myself - you two have roomy beds on the boat. I went and got a room anyway - it was only 30 Euros. I walked with them to the boat to get my luggage and tried to break the tension "You guys can use my shower in the morning." Apparently, this was against the rules too. You're not supposed to shower on a boating trip. Neither of them took me up on my offer the next morning.
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