The two questions I’ve been asked most frequently since returning from France have been “What’s a barge cruise like?” and “How did you travel for that long with just a carry on?”
This week I’ll answer that first question and give you an overview of a typical day onboard a barge cruise.
With just 20 people onboard I think it’s important that there be some commonality within the group. I would hesitate to book two people into a sailing that was open to all, rather than a charter. I think it could be isolating, especially for English only speakers. Our group was organized by a travel colleague in New England, so while I just knew two of the travelers, there was a common bond of knowing someone else traveling for all of us.
Our first full day onboard began with breakfast at 8am, the posted time was 8am – 9am, but most days we also had a morning excursion that began at 9am. Breakfast was the least extravagant meal of the day, but still consisted of eggs cooked to order, warm croissants, pain au chocolate, fresh fruit, juices, yogurt, cereal, etc.
After breakfast we met our guide for the morning and boarded a bus for a short ride to an olive mill. We were greeted by the owner who explained the modern production process for her farm. Of course after the tour of the olive groves and the facility we were able to taste three of her oils, all very different, along with some jams and the olives themselves.
A short ride back to town we set off on foot for a walking tour of Arles. We were able to get the insight of a local guide who lives in Arles and could explain the history behind the Roman Amphitheater and the Arles Theater, both build in the 1st century.
We then walked along the river, back to the barge where our cruise director was ready with our pre-lunch aperitif (there was a different specialty aperitif before lunch and dinner nearly every day). While enjoying our CroisiSpritz, the chef greeted us and gave the menu for lunch. There were always two salads served at lunch along with entree, cheese course (two French cheeses, along with a lesson) and dessert. Today we enjoyed Salmon en croute and tiramisu for lunch, along with the salads and cheese course.
While we were enjoying a leisurely lunch we set sail from Arles towards Gallician, our longest cruise of the journey at under 25 miles. We sailed through the only set of locks on the trip, then through the idyllic scenes of the Carmugue. The canal was quite narrow, so we could see a great deal of scenery from the top deck as well as passing several groups of the famous white horses of the Carmugue. We arrived in Gallician for the evening well before our 6:30pm aperitif and greeting again by the chef to introduce the dinner menu. I believe this evening we started with a caprese salad and shrimp salad, duck in a wine sauce for the entree and creme brulee for dessert. Each course was paired with a wine and of course espresso was available with dessert or afterwards at the bar with the full selection of included cocktails, wine and beer.
This evening we had a special treat as the Captain, pilot and cruise director arranged a game of Petanque for the guests at a nearby pitch. This was complete with the celebratory toast of Pastis 51 when the score reaches 5 to 1 during the game.
The next morning we started all over again with 8am breakfast. The pace onboard was relaxing and and each day was different, without the hassle of packing and unpacking to move from town to town. The food was outstanding and most purchased the same day from local markets.