CRUISING THE CANALS
Cruising the Canals - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Cruising the Canals | |||||
| By: Alice Coomans, Issue 33 - Summer 2008 | |||||
| (Canal du Midi - France) | |||||
| WHAT COULD BE MORE RELAXING THAN AN INDULGENT WEEK BARGING THROUGH SOUTHERN FRANCE? | |||||
| It is very early morning, the sun is gently pushing its way through the leaves of the giant Plane trees; it’s a light that seems to trickle down onto the water of the canal below. The barge I am travelling on is gently swaying on the water, though tied to the trees. A vineyard runs away from the water banks, and stretches off into the distance. Everything is quiet – my fellow travellers are yet to rise and gather for their morning coffees and French pastries. I have risen at daybreak on this last day of my trip to walk the old towpaths and soak in every last minute of the serenity on the Canal du Midi, in the South of France. A 17th century engineering feat, the Canal du Midi joins the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean. The creation of the canal took nearly 15 years, over 12,000 men, and bankrupted its architect Pierre Paul Riquet, who died one year before its completion. In honour of the innovative engineering along the length of the Canal (there are over 350 massive locks, bridges and aqueducts) it is included in the UNESCO world heritage list – and it has also been a trip on my must-do list. When I arrive in Marseillan at the beginning of the week to board my mobile barge home, The Tango, the Greek winds are blowing across the Mediterranean and up over the southern town. On what should have been a balmy Summer evening, they bring a chill and icy rain. Boats line the harbour of Marseillan, geranium planters add a splash of red on the banks, and the almond and peach houses of the Languedoc-Roussillon region crowd the shore. Marseillan draws many canal travellers, as the canal opens to the Mediterranean on its harbour. Dinner on the first night (the barge has a private Italian chef) is meant to be a light airy affair up ‘on top’, before heading onto the Canal in the morning – but the wind drives myself and the two other couples on-board down below. The lounge/dining space is warm and inviting, with a long table, well-stocked bookcases and leather lounges. The Tanjo is one of two luxury Canals of France barges owned by mother and son team Hazel Young and Daniel Saks. Daniel, who has nurtured this barge’s transformation from a grain-carrying work-barge to floating luxury hotel, which can carry six guests plus staff, has carefully decorated it in a classic French style. The suites, which fit two cosily, come with ensuites, and L’Occitane products. (The second barge, The Fandango, has been decorated by Hazel, and has a relaxed gypsy caravan feel.) By the time we have settled in and satisfied ourselves with a slow four-course dinner with matching wines (including a memorable dark chocolate, red wine and Foie Gras terrine), the wind has stopped. And up above, the lights of the fishing port of Sete are now twinkling across the harbour, like the night sky gently draping itself over the land. In the morning, after a short trip to stock up on Noilly Prat vermouth, which is made in Marseillan, the motors start and the barge slowly pulls away. The soft Summer sun of southern France has returned, and with only enough time to inspect the Jacuzzi at the front of the barge, and settle into one of the large deck chairs, the opening to the canal comes into sight. “These are the lost boats of love,” says Hazel, who has joined us onboard, surveying the scene. Disheartened would-be sailors, who have discovered that their dream of living on the canal is not quite as easy as imagined, have abandoned dilapidated boats to litter the opening of the canal. Gradually you leave the lines of boats behind, and are then stopped by the first of many locks. Going through this first lock is like unfolding a magical fairy tale landscape in front of you. With the rush of water into the lock that lifts the barge up, the view on the other side is so different to what has preceded it, and so reminiscent of a childhood story book, that it takes a while for your brain to register what your eyes are seeing. The verdant green slopes stretch out, the giant Plane trees line the banks of the canal, their twisted roots woven like basket edges holding back the earth. You can catch glimpses of the wild white horses of the fields of Camargue. Châteaux are mingled with vineyards and olive groves, and the smell of wild lavender perfumes the air. With this captivating landscape unrolling like a private movie around me, each day passes by. The routine onboard is happily shaped by the rhythm of meals: late lazy breakfasts, followed by long lunches, afternoon canapés, and three-course dinners, with some local cheese-tasting thrown in (the cost of the trip is all inclusive – which means as much French wine-tasting as desired). Sitting on a barge travelling at walking speed, a million miles from fast-paced city stresses, has to be one of the best ways to see this countryside, but a week with Canals of France also includes land-tours to some of the more intriguing local attractions. The covered food markets at the ancient Roman city of Narbonne are a welcome excursion. Inside the markets the smell of fish, olives, and cured meats mix. I count 25 varieties of olives at one store, and for lunch unpasteurised oysters, which our host and guide Vivianne describes as “a small wave from the sea”, are piled high in front of us (along with squid pies for the brave). There are many barging companies that will take you along the Canal du Midi. What makes a trip with Canals of France special is the attention to detail, and the small number of guests onboard (in fact they prefer to only take one family or group at a time – which means an experience like having a private floating home, with staff). At dinner one night a fellow Australian guest confided in Vivianne (who spoke five languages fluently), that he loved a hard-to-get-in-Sydney variety of Italian tomatoes. The next day they are served with lunch. With the food and wine flowing and the French country-side floating past, the week is over before I am ready. As I return from my final walk down the towpath in the early morning light to a breakfast of French pastries, yoghurt, and teas and coffees laid out on the table, I am in a perfect state of holiday torpor. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| Canals of France: www.canalsoffrance.com | |||||
| Stay: For on-land luxury to complement your Canals of France experience, start your trip in Carcassonne at the Hotel de la Cité. Set inside the walls of the largest medieval walled city in Europe this Orient Express hotel is a grand affair. After your cruise head to Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier; A Relais & Chateaux property, its restaurant is rated three Michelin stars. Make sure to plan ahead in Summer as both these hotels book out quickly. Hotel de la Cité: www.orient-express.com | |||||
| Le Jardin des Sens: www.relaischateaux.com | |||||
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