Taking a slow boat to the land of plenty
DECKHAND Albert may look like Manuel from Fawlty Towers but with his expert knowledge, unflappability and dexterity, he couldn’t be more different from the hapless Spanish waiter.
We are on La Belle Epoque, a European Waterways barge built in the Netherlands in 1930 to carry cargo. It has since been transformed into a floating hotel, and Albert is one of the six crew pampering the passengers on this six-cabin vessel.
Bedecked with potted flowers and herbs, La Belle Epoque drifts along the scenic Burgundy Canal between Tanlay and Venarey-les-Laumes.
It is a world apart from ocean-going cruisers or 200-passenger boats that sail the rivers of Europe. We travel at a snail’s pace, covering just 40 miles in six days.
The pace is so sedate you can stroll alongside the boat on the towpath or burn off calories by cycling ahead and veering off to explore hamlets on the hillside. Those staying on board can savour the timeless pastoral landscape from the comfort of sunloungers or the on-deck Jacuzzi – a perfect antidote to city life, the silence broken only by birdsong or the splash of a heron diving for fish.
Skipper Pierre Yves steers with aplomb, while young Irish chef Brendan concocts exquisite dishes and hostess Erell gives passionate descriptions of the wine and cheeses for dinner.
Wine pairing is as professional as you might expect in such a prestigious region, and over six days we drink our way around the region (and beyond), starting with Chablis and ending with a big-hitting Charm esChamber tin Grand Cru. We also visit a family-owned winery in the Chablis area.
Dinner is a candle-lit, multicourse affair. And whether it is wild green asparagus, stuffed escargots, smoked beetroot mousse or Charolais beef, the ingredients are sourced from the larder on the doorstep and enhanced by herbs from the onboard garden. Every dish is a treat.
Between meals, Jolanda organises visits to Renaissance chateaux, the Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay and Alesia, where Vercingetorix failed to resist the Roman siege in 52 BC.
At Noyers-sur-Serein, a medieval market town, we have pork en croute, pâtés and rabbit terrine. Returning to the barge, we are greeted with exotic cocktails and canapes – anyone for frogs’ legs or foie gras?
The last excursion takes us to hilltop Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, famous for aniseed sweets and as the setting of the sinfully delicious film Chocolat.
The foodie theme is never far away in this land of plenty.