boating on French canals
Dec 24th, 2007, 12:32 PM
#21
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Susanna,
Your experience on the Midi echoes our own on the upper Soane. We went in early September, and most of the restaurants within easy reach of the canal/river were shut down for the season. One exception was in Gray, where we had a truly superb meal in a hotel restaurant just at the East end of the bridge.
We don't like to cook on board, and the joy of a nice dinner in a different restaurant each night is one of our chief motivations for canal travel. We do make an early morning run into the nearest village for baguettes and pastries for breakfast, and combine the remaining bread with cold cuts, and pate for lunch. But we try very hard to be moored for a pre-dinner drink before heading out for a leisurely dinner.
I think that cruising in September is out for us in the future; as lovely as the season can be. Sorry your last trip was a bummer.
Your experience on the Midi echoes our own on the upper Soane. We went in early September, and most of the restaurants within easy reach of the canal/river were shut down for the season. One exception was in Gray, where we had a truly superb meal in a hotel restaurant just at the East end of the bridge.
We don't like to cook on board, and the joy of a nice dinner in a different restaurant each night is one of our chief motivations for canal travel. We do make an early morning run into the nearest village for baguettes and pastries for breakfast, and combine the remaining bread with cold cuts, and pate for lunch. But we try very hard to be moored for a pre-dinner drink before heading out for a leisurely dinner.
I think that cruising in September is out for us in the future; as lovely as the season can be. Sorry your last trip was a bummer.
Dec 25th, 2007, 07:42 AM
#22
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Susanna - I enjoyed your trip report, though I had to wince a few times. We have been on the Midi twice and were blessed with mostly good weather each time.
One of our crew fell into the canal at the'top' of the canal, where the water is a bit cleaner, but I've never seen anyone head for a shower faster.
One of our crew fell into the canal at the'top' of the canal, where the water is a bit cleaner, but I've never seen anyone head for a shower faster.
Jan 3rd, 2008, 06:26 PM
#24
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You may want to contact Max Renau at this web site--he was "born on a barge"--and would be able to give you great recommendations. We stayed at one of their apartments and took the wine tour with Max--wonderful!!
Jan 4th, 2008, 03:06 PM
#25
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Connoisseur Cruises, already mentioned above, has my highest recommendation. Their boats are great, easy to handle, and perfect for what you want. We had a 2-bdrm, 2-bath boat and did the exact trip Tod mentions above, one-way from Auxerre to just outside Beaune, but I daresy at far less than half the cost. It was easy, relaxing, and GORGEOUS. The locks are easy to handle, although the lock-keepers generally do that for you, and we appreciated the slow pace.
One disagreement with some of the other advice: we had bikes on board but they spent just about the entire trip there. At another barger's suggestion, we moved our rental car along with us rather than leaving it in the compound at Auxerre, selecting first a lunch stop and then a nighttime mooring by scoping out the canal options, the villages nearby, and restaurants. Also a good time to pick up groceries for lunch! Then the explorer would walk back along the canal to meet the boat as it moved forward. Big advantage was being able to take side trips, esp. in the evening (for example, when we traveled into Chablis for dinner from the canal), and to go to chateaux, museums, etc. Also, buying heavy things like bottled water--a necessity--is much easier to transport! In fact, we made good friends with the French couple on another barge traveling along near us by offering them a ride to the market for just that, and still correspond with them. In return, they gave us expert advice on wines and cheeses!
Being able to stop and chat with locals, fishermen, artists, or other boaters, made an independent trip our dream come true. We went in October and had IDEAL weather--warm and sunny in the daytime, cool at night. Remember, no a/c and it's been HOT in Europe the past few years. When we left the boat at the other end, we were then free to travel on by car to dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Beaune, spend the day touring there and doing some wine-tasting, and then travel into Dijon before returning home.
One disagreement with some of the other advice: we had bikes on board but they spent just about the entire trip there. At another barger's suggestion, we moved our rental car along with us rather than leaving it in the compound at Auxerre, selecting first a lunch stop and then a nighttime mooring by scoping out the canal options, the villages nearby, and restaurants. Also a good time to pick up groceries for lunch! Then the explorer would walk back along the canal to meet the boat as it moved forward. Big advantage was being able to take side trips, esp. in the evening (for example, when we traveled into Chablis for dinner from the canal), and to go to chateaux, museums, etc. Also, buying heavy things like bottled water--a necessity--is much easier to transport! In fact, we made good friends with the French couple on another barge traveling along near us by offering them a ride to the market for just that, and still correspond with them. In return, they gave us expert advice on wines and cheeses!
Being able to stop and chat with locals, fishermen, artists, or other boaters, made an independent trip our dream come true. We went in October and had IDEAL weather--warm and sunny in the daytime, cool at night. Remember, no a/c and it's been HOT in Europe the past few years. When we left the boat at the other end, we were then free to travel on by car to dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Beaune, spend the day touring there and doing some wine-tasting, and then travel into Dijon before returning home.
