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Luxury Barging Information & Prices
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Linda just got back from a barge trip.
Please email or call Linda Conway
Barging in Europe
For Those Who Enjoy Being Completely
Pampered in Style there is no better way to experience
the best of the countryside and meet its friendly people
than a barge cruise holiday. Cruise down an 18th Century canal through moss covered locks, passing thorough a countryside that seems forgotten by time, ride a bike along the towpaths or stroll along a country lane in the fresh morning villages to wander through open air markets and taste the pleasures of the regions vineyards.
Your intimate journey will connect you to the real flavor of the rural countryside the food, the wines, and the romance of it will come to life in your memories forever.
You come to discover ...
the storybook châteaux, medieval villages,
magnificent museums, and partake of wine tastings in
world-famous vineyards. Instead of taxing driving along
the autoroute, you relax on the deck of your hotel barge
as each bend in the canal reveals a new landscape of
pastures dotted with vibrant wildflowers, farmhouses and
grazing herds, rolling vineyards, tranquil forests filled
with bird and wildlife, and bustling river towns with
their towering cathedrals, shops and ancient pedestrian
centers. You opt to disembark at the next lock to bike
along the towpath, exploring a tiny canalside village
before rejoining the barge a few locks down. There is
time to change before the evening aperatif and your
sumptuous five-course gourmet candlelight dinner.
Daily excursions on each barge's private mini-coach
feature the most interesting regional highlights. In
France, you'll visit fortified towns and splendid
châteaux, pre-Christian Roman settlements, beautifully
restored abbeys, imposing romanesque and gothic
cathedrals and walk the narrow, cobbled streets of tiny
medieval stone villages little changed over the
centuries.
Tours of major monuments are usually private and
conducted by English-speaking guides.
In England, your river cruise will take you through the
pages of British history as you visit the most famous
stately homes and gardens, thatched cottage villages,
historic inns, river towns, and universities such as
Oxford or Cambridge.
And in Holland during the Spring Tulip Season, your
roundtrip cruise from Amsterdam encompasses the wooden
\ houses and windmills of Zaandam, Delft, Haarlem, cheese
capital of Gouda and many more.
Hot air balloon flights are offered by most vessels in
France and England. Arrangements are made by the Captain during your cruise. |
ACCOMMODATIONS
Every vessel we use meets the highest
standards in accommodation, service and on-board cuisine.
All have well-appointed outside staterooms with en-suite
baths. The warm, wood-paneled salons and dining areas are
tastefully furnished and equipped with stereos, libraries
and games. All are carpeted throughout and have central
heating. Many are air conditioned. There are furnished
sundecks rimmed with planters of bright flowers, and most
French boats carry bicycles.
CUISINE, WINES & SPIRITS
Dining is a major highlight of the cruise experience.
Every vessel carries a highly-skilled master chef who
prepares the finest regional specialities which are
accompanied by quality local wines. A well-stocked,
complimentary open bar is usually included.
Breakfasts are typically continental - steaming pots of
coffee and tea, baskets of fresh fruits, freshly squeezed
juices, cereals, and jams to accompany the buttery
croissants, brioche, and crusty breads still warm from
the local boulangeries. Luncheons are delectable buffets
of assorted salads, charcuterie, pâtés, perhaps a hot
dish such as quiche, desserts, and are accompanied each
day by a different selection of wines and regional
cheeses.
Dinners are exquisite four and five-course meals served
by candlelight. The finest meats, seafood and vegetables
fresh from the market are prepared with delicate sauces
and accompanied by fine wines chosen especially to
compliment the evening's presentation, which concludes
with the traditional cheese tray and an irresistible
desert. |
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