Southern France barge cruise a vacation dream come true
I realized a 25- year dream in June of 2011 when my husband and I, along with our best friends took a weeklong small barge cruise along part of the Canal du Midi in southern France.
After much online research and on the recommendation of a friend, we booked with Canals of France ( canalsoffrance.com) on their barge Tango with owner and captain, Daniel Sak.
The history and beauty of the Canal du Midi was a big draw, but so was the boat, which had only four staterooms, each with a private bath, and a crew of four. From the moment we were picked up at our hotel and met our other travelling companions, David and Robina from Australia, we knew we were in for a good time. Since there was only six of us we got thoroughly pampered and indulged by the amazing crew.
We were met with a champagne and h’ors d’oeuvres reception upon boarding the barge in Marseillan, at the edge of the Mediterranean, and after meeting the crew and unpacking we settled in for the week of our lives.
With the canal’s twists and turns continuously following the landscape, our 100- foot barge puttered along at about six kilometres per hour so we were forced to slow down and adjust to the leisurely pace as we lolled about on the deck being served gourmet meals prepared by chef Tony, local wines and as much history of the area as we could absorb.
Every day brought a land excursion to some historical town and our van driver and local historian, Christophe, would lead the way, telling us everything we needed to know about where we were. Beziers, Narbonne with it’s famous market Les Halles, the ancient Minerve and the stunning Carcassonne were highlight stops of the cruise.
A more history- rich and beautiful landscape you could not hope to find.
Upon returning from shore our rooms would be tidy and clean and our hostess, Libby, standing at the ready to prepare cocktails and snacks as the crew cast off again.
The canal itself was hand excavated and has a series of locks that the Tango could just barely squeeze into. Going through a set of seven locks in a row was an enthralling experience. We are featured in many a tourist’s photos as the cameras were snapping continuously from the shore as the Tango moved up through the locks. The higher we went the better the view from the barge. We could see between the beautiful old plane trees that line the canal all the way to the Pyrenees and Spain. The best experience of the trip for my husband and I was an excursion to a vineyard where the owner toured us through his crumbling 18th- century château, winemaking room and cellar. After tasting wines from the barrels in his cellar, we trooped out to the vineyard and drank white wine and ate fresh mussels that had been steamed over an open grate right next to the vines. We gave a toast to our good luck and fortune to be there at that minute as the early evening sun began to sink in the blue sky and life couldn’t get any better.