Canadian World Traveller

egional and seasonal cuisine; a Tour Guide
coordinates onshore excursions; a Hostess
performs daily tasks; and a Captain expertly
pilots the barge from mooring to mooring.
Leisurely in pace and intimate in ambiance,
almost all barges gently cruise approximately
50 miles over the course of a week at the
canal speed limit of four miles per hour. The
scenery is glorious, varying between pastoral
vineyards, rustic farmlands, and verdant
foliage. These factors differentiate barge
cruising from any other type of boating or
sailing as the experience is more intimate
and personalized in terms of cultural access,
culinary excellence, and authentic connections.”
What Makes Barge Cruising Unique?
An entirely different experience than a gigantic
cruising vessel or even a traditional river
cruising ship, a barge cruise often holds
between two and twenty passengers. This
intimacy allows guests to not only bond with
one another throughout meals and activities,
but also necessitates impeccably attentive
service.
Many novice cruisers confuse barge cruises
with river cruises for obvious reasons - both
advertise themselves as small boats that can
snake through Europe’s rivers. So what is the
difference? For one, barge cruising is often
shorter - 6 days of sailing as opposed to the
7 to 21 nights of river cruises. While barge
cruises sail down manmade canals and
some rivers, river cruises exclusively stick to
the latter. While barges only sail about 50
miles per day, river boats sail several hundreds
of miles, often through multiple countries.
What is a typical day like onboard?
Before my voyage, I reached out to veteran
barge cruise passengers for any pre-trip
advice they could provide. One piece resonated
above all else: “You will have the
most delicious food at your fingertips the
entire week. Eat lightly the week prior to
boarding.” Both me and my stomach were
thankful for such poignant advice because
the sheer amount of cuisine offered to guests
was unlike any prior trip I’d been on.
Most all Barge Lady Cruises have a culinary
and wine focus, beginning in the morning
when guests wake up to the smell of fresh
pastries from local bakers wafting into their
cabins. A spread of yogurts, cheeses, fruits
and cereals is also available for breakfast, as
the barge slowly cruises down the canals, at
a speed of about four miles per hour.
By cruising at a slower speed than
most guests walk, the barge becomes less a
ship and more a moving hotel. Unlike a typical
cruise, passengers have the freedom to
roam off of the boat, exploring the stunning
nature of the area by foot or on bike. The
complimentary bicycle program was my
favorite aspect of the barging experience, as
I could leave the group for few hours and
feel as though I was solo adventuring in villages
that were reminiscent of the fairytale
books I read as a child.
I would hope to build an appetite biking or
walking, as lunch would also be a decadent
spread of salads, quiches, local cheeses and
main meat centered dishes, with a red or
white expertly paired. Once satiated, there
would be time to relax and enjoy the passing
scenery before an afternoon tour. The tours
would showcase a mélange of the cuisine
and culture in the region. For example, one
day I toured the medieval town of Nerac and
its imposing chateau, where our group
treaded in the footsteps of King of France
Henry IV and Queen Margo. We then
stopped at the Lapeyrade Estate for a tasting
of their small batch Armagnac, further tying
the area to its food and drink.
Dinner with the barge is always a colorful,
gourmet occasion, with local ingredients
being the forefront of the four-course menu.
There is local cheese aplenty and wine is
poured generously by the staff, precisely
paired with each course. As Stephanie
explained, “Dietary accommodations are
handled with French flair; vegetarian, glutenfree,
Paleo – having a private Chef who
shops at local produce markets and purchases
baked goods from tiny boulangeries and
spends all day prepping and cooking means
an extraordinary gourmet experience no
matter what the dietary restriction.”
The day ends as the stars begin to waltz
across the sky, over the floating hotel.
Stomachs full and feet tired, in mere hours
the small of pastries will be wafting into passenger’s
rooms, as a new day meandering
the canals with Barge Lady Cruises begins.
www.bargeladycruises.com
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Canadian World Traveller Fall 2019