May 5, 2012 Last week of France

The morning would start bright and early so we could start the drive to Paris and say goodbye to new and old friends.  Bev, Bob, Mike and Beth all headed to Paris Nord to continue on to Belgium, Gail and Jim stayed in Paris one more night and Bob and I rented a car to head to Beaune to sample some more fabulous wines.  Our first stop  was a gas station and as we ordering a sandwich our driver Glen ran into us also getting a sandwich for his trip back to the boat it sure is a small world.  We stayed overnight  in Nuits St. Georges a small town not far from the larger city of Beaune.  The B & B we stayed in is called Domaine Comtesse M de Loisy this is a real culture shock after being on a luxury boat for 6 days.  Words cannot describe this place, it was built in 1860 and the character and structure is of that age.  Entering from the street you are not sure exactly what is behind the big green doors, upon entering you are surrounded by a beautiful courtyard with lush plants.  The main floor has high ceilings and a fireplace in every room, the back part of the house is a complete atrium with plants and grottos.  The owner is a charming french woman named Francoise who shows us to our room on the second floor.  The decor is still much like the 1800's and so nicely done. This place is a must see.  Francoise recommends a great restaurant down the street where we dine on Coq lo Vin (spelling?) and sauteed veal, this is by far the least amount of food we have consumed in the last weeks, and excellent.  On our walk back we stop at a local bar for a night cap before ending this great day. 

Last day on the barge May 4, 2012

Today is our last day on the boat so we must enjoy every minute of the luxury cruise.  We departed at 8:45 am to start the last leg of the trip.  There are 7 locks we must complete and then turn the boat around so the crew can transport the boat back to the beginning of the canal where we got on.  This is a perfect weather day for me to walk, so Gail and I get off the boat and walk about 3 miles wandering into a small village,  making sure not to miss the boat at the next lock.  Gail decided to not walk any farther but Jim says it is time for him to walk so Jim and I walk to the next lock. The morning hours walking were spent  along the canal and adjacent to the river,  great day for a hike.  We board the boat for a fabulous lunch of salmon, cabbage salad, crab salad, and tomatoes with mozzarella cheese.  I am personally saying this was my second favorite lunch.  After lunch we loaded in the van to the town of Auxerre where Glen would give us a history lesson on the area.  Auxerre is on the Yonne river that flows into the Siene, at this time because of the continuous rains the river is closed to boat  traffic and  many boats are moored along the sea wall.  As I mentioned earlier I have been dealing with a sinus infection and today I was able to get some amoxicellen at the pharmacy.  Bob and I talked to the pharmacist and somehow we  manged to get amoxicellen to hopefully cure this sinus problem.  This being the last night on the boat we dine with the captain Olviare, and his wife Debra.  The meal consists of steak topped with foe grais (goose liver) broccoli soup vegetables and and apple torte.  This night we had a dry sparkling wine with our desert.  Perfect ending to a perfect week. 

Wine Tasting and History Lesson May 3

Of all the days we have had in the last week this is by far the best blue bird day you can imagine.  We had to travel through 9 locks this means we could spend much more time walking, or biking.  Tonnere is a town along the way and some of us took liberty to stop and PAY for a beer at a street bar remembering alcohol is included on the boat.  Today we were able to sit out on the deck and have lunch which included, tabbouleh salad, cucumber salad, carrot salad and roast pork.  The wine was a rose, I was pleasantly surprised how good it was.  Every time  we go to for our tours it  seems to be 20 minutes away, and heading to the winery is was exception.  Domaine Alin Geoffroy is a family owned winery located in the town of Chablis.  Glen lead us on a tour and history lesson of the winery and some 8 bottles of wine tasting.  Natalie one of the proprietors  who oversees the wine tasting and had a slight resemblance of Barb Jacobson,  so much so I had a picture taken with her.  After the tasting we are driven up to the overlook of the vineyards backdropped with the town of Chablis.  After returning to the boat is was time once again to be served a lovely dinner.  The first course consisted of fryed goat cheese on a toast, followed by monk fish, cheese and strawberry crumble.  As the week winds down the energy level of the group is starting to slow down.  Everyone was tucked in to there comfy beds at a reasonble hour. 

Medieval town of Noyer. May 2


Before getting out of bed this morning we could hear the rain beating on the top of the boat. This day turned out to be a complete rain out. We were not able to walk on the toe paths and spent the day on the boat,  that is not always a bad thing because with the group dynamics there are many belly laughs. Lunch was excellent vegetable soup (pureed) , quiche and of course cheese and salads, there is no going hungry on the boat. In the afternoon Glen transported us to a medieval town called Noyer, here we were given the history of the town and architecture.  While sauntering through the streets we happened upon a great purse shop you could special order one in any size, shape or colors of leather.  Maybe in the next months I will have to save my social security check and invest in one.  Did I mention I am 62 and can draw from the account., I am sure there is a mistake someplace in the system.   After returning to the boat we prepared to get ready for dinner at a restaurant in the town of Chablis. The restaurant was called Hostellerie des Clos. I started out my dinner with escargot, then onto a lovely beef steak with mushrooms, cheese platter and grand mariner soufflé and of course red and white wine. In spite of the rain the day was very productive and a great time. We moored in the town of port de Tanlay a really small town just a short walk from the canal.

Le Chateau d’Ancy Le France May 1


Today is a national holiday so the lock keepers have the day off, but our captain has made arrangements for them to assist us on getting through the locks in a mannerly time. Much to everyone’s surprise we woke up to very nice weather, no rain and peeks of sun it would be the beginning of one of the nicest weather days we have had. The barge moves at a snails pace so when you are walking the boat is always within reach . As you walk along the toe paths there are locks that raise and lower the water levels. In order to get on and off the boat you must pace your walk so you make it to the next lock by the time the boat arrives, this has not been a problem for us. Today we went to the Le Chateau d’Ancy Le France where Glen gave us an extraordinary history lesson and tour of the chateau. After the tour we revisited the panoramic view that I had not been able to complete the day before. Tonight there was entertainment on the boat not just us entertaining one and another but a flute traversiere and guitar player. The Ricercare Duo founded in 1994 met each other at the Sorbonne University . The guitarists bio was interesting because she proposes musical fairy tales for children. After the lovely concert we were seated for dinner. We dined on quail eggs, poached with salmon and cream, duck, and chocolate fondant. The meal was nice but the fondant was not as good as everything else we have had. I forgot to mention the service part of this trip, at each meal we have 2 wines and of course cheese, in the morning our bed is made and fresh towels are laid out, at night before flopping into bed, the covers are turned back and pillows fluffed. Not sure who is going to do this when I get home. The staff is excellent and the rooms are very spacious kind of like being at home.

First Day cruising  Monday April 30, 2012


Today is the first day of our cruising trip we leave from Ravieres about 9:30 after a European breakfast. The weather has not been so good light rain and cloudy that would be not be same this morning when we started our trip it was cloudy and no rain. The decision is to get off the barge and get some exercise between the locks. The rain managed to stop for some time and several of us got off the barge before we dropped to the next level of the canal, it is only about 1 -2 k between the locks so in 1 day we can walk for about 4 miles. The boat stopped we boarded without damaging ourselves that is a saying the captain always says. That days lunch would be beef bourgione once again pared with great wine and cheeses. The beef bourgione was prepared as good as Julia Childs would have done. After heading down the canal we would stop at a small town called Ancy-lefranc , here we could be driven to the famous Abbaye Fonatenay. This is the only remaining monastery in the world built according to the will of St. Bernard. It is located in a forest surrounded by trees and lovely gardens. The abbay is privately owned and open for tours. After the tour I chose to walk to the small town to explore its streets. I wandered up to the church where there was a sign that pointed to a panoramic view, I hesitated and finally went ½ way up and turned around. I was hoping to get back to see the aerial view of the famous Italian palace. After arriving back on the boat it was time to prepare for another exquisite dinner. Tonight’s dinner would be stuffed chicken legs with sweetpotato sauce and many other dishes of course paired with fine wines.

Last day in Paris then onto Barge

Today is our last day in Paris before we head to the barge for our 7 days of cruising.  The weather has been to not  good, rainy, cold and sometimes very windy.  As my friend Teresa says it is not bad weather but bad clothing and we are prepared for the bad weather.  With only a few hours left we need to explore the Sacre Coeur a beautiful basillica located in the Monmarte area of Paris.  The metro gets us within a few blocks and we begin to hike up steep stairs to the top.  While climbing Bob is approached by 2 men trying to tie some string around his wrist to make a bracelet.  Jim, Gail and I are not sure what is going on but keep yelling at him to look out for himself.  It appears these men were attempting to pick pocket him, in the end his arms are flaling as he wards them off, he saunters away without incident.  After finally reach the top of the stairs we turn around to see the perfect panoramic view of Paris.  We are on a tight time schedule today so that we can get to the barge by late afternoon.  We arrive at the hotel just in time to be met by our driver Glen where we all pack in the van for our 3 hour drive to our new house for the week.  The barge is C'est la Vie  http://www.bargesinfrance.com/cestlavie.htm   which is a  privately owned barge captained by Oliva, and crew member Deborah, Ruthie and chief Anue.  For the next days they will be exposing us to the history of the Burgandy area, serving us lovely meals, supplying the bar, ad making sure we are happy with our stay.  Our first night on the boat we were moored at Raviere on the canal de bourgoun.  We were served a nice  dinner that  included wine  paired  with the following courses:   scallop ceviche, braised lamb with a wine reduction, cheese platter, and a macaroon topped with cream.  The night  ended dancing to great songs that were downloaded on Beth Grangers iphone.  A great action packed

Hop on and off bus

When Bob and I were in Italy 2 years ago we chose our mean of touring the city on the hop on hop off bus.  Bob calls it the "hip hop bus"  anyway we all headed to the Eiffel tower.  Along the way we were fortunate to experience one of the Saturday markets filled with produce, fish, cooked chickens, baked goods and clothing.  We finally arrived at the Eiffel tower where we all boarded the double decker bus, equipped with ear phones and cameras  we started the long ride around the city.

  We rode the bus past  Notre Dame before our hipping and hopping would begin.    Our first stop was the Arc de triomphe this is where Napoleon ordered the arches  be built,  but never lived to walk under them.  The group made a decision to stop and have some lunch amazing  8 people all agreed with a restaurant called Geroge V.  The food was tasty but ordering vegetable soup can be  labor intensive I think because everyone had finished their meal and finally my tomato soup arrived warm, and tasty.  We wanted to explore Notre Dame so we hopped on the metro  and made it to the 6:30 mass.  There was a line 2 blocks long but Jim managed to walk through the exit and we all had front row seats at high mass.  After a lovely church  service and the roof not falling down we headed back on the bus stopping at  Trocadero.  The restaurant that was chosen by the group was Le Coq a very  upscale place with the best people watching we had seen the entire time.   The service and food was excellent.  I chose to forgo the big menu and have aspargas soup and a superb macaroon with raspberry sauce.  Tired and full from a great day we hailed a taxi and headed back to get ready for our last day in Paris. 

Next stop Paris by the fast train



Luxemberg Gardens



After a great dinner and good nights sleep we all got up bright and early to start the big commute to Paris.  Teresa made our train arrangements and with all of her tools we made it to Paris without any complications.  The train took about 3 1/2 hours and Bob and Jim spent time in the bistro having lunch with 2 French women.  I forgot to mention Gail and I were busy holding our seats because everyone getting on did not have a reserved seat.  With only alittle time to start to explore Paris we started moving pretty fast.  The hotel we were booked in is called the Hotel Concorde Montparnasse, the location is not so good and the first room we were assigned to was not to my standards the smell was really bad. 

With only a few hours of daylight we saw, Luxemberg gardens, St. Supice church, and the famous Eiffel tower.  The other 2 couples that will be on the barge with us are Grangers, and Tilges, we met up  with them at the boat were we toured the Seine river and finished the night walking back to our hotel and stopping along the way to eat  at LePub Saint-Germain.  Bob and I had probably the best snapper I have tasted in a long time.  The final decision was not to continue to walk but go by taxi to our hotel.  Did I mention our hotel had a bar.  To bead late to start the big all day trip on Sat.