Thank you for returning to our ‘Barge of the Month’ page! The Barge Company spent the week of 25—31
May 2005 on the Luciole barge, cruising no the exquisitely pretty Nivernais Canal between Auxerre and
Clamecy. We had a wonderful cruise and are so glad that we now know the
Nivernais Canal in a lot more
detail, so we can offer you, our clients, an even better service when choosing your cruise.
The Luciole is a spacious, comfortable barge with a warm, friendly atmosphere on board. She takes up to 11
guests in 8 prettily furbished cabins—3 twin, 3 double or twin and 2 singles, each with their own spotlessly
clean and bright en suite private bathroom. A spacious saloon/dining room with very large windows mean
you have the best view of the scenery as you float by, if you’re not sat in the sun on the large open sundeck,
that is!
She is the perfect barge for those seeking a restful, slow-paced, scenic cruise in very comfortable surroundings.
The barge has her own on board guide, Neil, who drives guests around in the luxurious air-conditioned
mercedes minivan, offering one interesting excursion per day. Excursions will be either in the afternoon or
the morning, with the other half of the day being dedicated to enjoying the meandering, gentle cruise route.
|
|
The large saloon, left, has sofas and chairs,
library, games and CD player to help you
feel right at home. Tables are configured as
left for breakfast and during the daytime,
but are transformed (see left) in to a grand
banqueting table for wonderful candle-lit
evening meals. Enjoy fantastic food and
wine as you watch the sun go down on a
perfect day...
|
|
Excursions on board the Luciole are gently educational as day by day you learn more about the cruise
area, its history, geography, culture and customs. You will spend either the morning or afternoon of
each day enjoying a pleasant visit to a nearby place of interest—perhaps a medieval chateau
loaded in history, a strategic town settlement, savouring a private wine-tasting or the chance to
stroll around a bustling French market taking in all the sights and sounds (and smells!) of local life.
Neil, your personal barge guide (see pic second from bottom on left, below), is at hand at all times to amplify
on any aspect of the history or local customs that you wish. We were delighted at how knowledgable he is,
|
|
|
The beautiful sun deck, far left, is always covered in
bright flowers. From here guests can either enjoy
reading, socialising or simply take in the passing
scenery, though some guests choose to test the excellent
quality bikes that are carried on board
Luciole. The tow paths along the Nivernais Canal
between Auxerre and Clamecy are, generally
speaking, excellent; smooth, tarmacced
(asphalt) and about two metres wide. We
found cycling alongside the barge and going ahead
to explore small, delightful villages along the way,
to be great fun and easy to do, and this is a perfect
barge for cycling themed cruises.
|
|
During our cruise on Luciole everyone enjoyed the excursions as they weren’t demanding,
nor too long away from the barge, so didn’t sap the guests’ energy.
On the first day of the cruise we spent the morning exploring Auxerre, a
strategic town in Burgundian history, and enjoyed the feeling of a ‘real’ French
town as opposed to a ‘tourist trap’. Ancient wood-framed, timber houses overhang
the streets as modern day inhabitants bustle past. Attractive boutiques are plentiful
and lady clients in particular will enjoy browsing…Typical French cafes are also on
every street corner, so why not sit outside and enjoy a drink as you watch the world
go about its business?
On another day we enjoyed a fine wine tasting at a cave (wine cellar) in the
world-famous village of Chablis. You’ll be surprised just how small this village
is, considering its world famous wines are drunk all over the planet!
Other excursions included the amazing hill-top village of Vezelay. It’s ancient
basilica is quite spectacular, and we were treated to a guided tour
from a real local monk!
Pictures below (from left to right) are of the Chateau de Bazoche (a superbly
understated chateau housing many treasures, and former family
home of famous minister Vauban). Built in a trapezoid shape she nestles in to
the hillside just a few km away from Vezelay, enjoying magnificent views over the
rolling countryside. This chateau definitely has the air of somewhere that time forgot;
as we toured the ancient rooms, from dungeon to palatial halls, we didn’t encounter
a single other visitor! A magical, Rapunzel-esque location...
The middle picture, below, shows an interior of the incredible Basilica at
Vezelay, and bottom right, the towering cliffs that the barge floats next to
on its voyage south to Clamecy (above left).
|
|
Food served aboard the Luciole is of a very high standard, and everyone we cruised with was consistently
delighted with the lunches and dinners that had been freshly prepared for them by Simon, the Luciole’s
gifted and imaginative personal chef (see bottom pic, second from right).
Breakfasts were buffet-style with a variety of yoghurts, cereal, dried fruits and nuts, plus croissants
and fancy pastries that varied from day to day, plus a choice of fruit juices, teas, coffee, etc.
We were so lucky to be enjoying fantastically sunny weather, that we were able to enjoy every single
lunch outside on the sun deck. Lunches were also buffet-style and invariably we enjoyed a selection
of fresh and imaginative salads, together with home-made flans, tarts, frittata, quiches, cold meats and
dips. Cheese is served after lunch, followed by coffee.
Evening meals are a grander affair, with the table being laid very elegantly each evening by Clarissa
and Jana, the barge’s very helpful and friendly hostesses. We marvelled each evening at the variety of
different candles, crystal, fine cutlery and multitude of different ways of folding serviettes we enjoyed
throughout the cruise week. Each evening we enjoyed a mouth-watering starter, main course, cheeses,
dessert and coffee with chocolates. We were indeed very spoilt....
|
Local fresh produce went into making our meals on board the Luciole, with the scrumptious items for
sale in the market at Avallon (above) ensuring that we didn’t go without.
The artistry and flavour of our meals was breathtaking each evening as we all looked forward eagerly
to our next course! See below a selection of the dishes that we enjoyed. Bottom right is my stuffed
bell pepper on a bed of tossed tagliatelli with parsley, with sauteed yellow pepper and carrot batons
(enjoyed with a fine Irancy, Givaudine, 2002). My fellow cruisers were enjoying chicken breast in
place of my stuffed pepper. Second from left below is our amazing starter involving sun-dried tomatoes,
figs and mascarpone cheese, drizzled with a pesto and reduced balsamic dressing. Finally, on
the left below, you see the melt-in-the-mouth dessert that was my favourite—Layered Hazelnut Strawberry
Pavlova with Raspberry Coulis.
The many cheeses that we enjoyed during our cruise week, along with a little of their history,
were:
Beaufort, Bleu d’Auvergne, Bresse Bleu, Brie de Meaux, Brillat-Savarin
Camembert, Cantal, Chaource, Comte, Crottin de Chavignol, Delice de Bourgogne, Epoisses,
Etorki, Fourme d’Ambert, Langres, Pont L’Eveque, Morbier, Munster, Rouy, Reblochon,
Roquefort, St Aubin, Saint Felicien, Sainte-Maure, Saint-Nectaire, Tomme de Savoie, Valancay.
|
|
Lock-keepers houses are very pretty along the Nivernais
canal, and this one (left) is no exception. Often covered
in flowers by their proud but friendly owners, you never
know what’s waiting for you at the next lock. On our
cruise we arrived at a lock the garden of which enclosed
the most cherry-laden tree you can imagine, so we asked
the lock-keeper if he would sell us some, which he did
there and then!!
|
|
Some guests like to stay
in the shade and enjoy a
good book, whilst others
prefer to get out and
about at every opportunity.
This friendly man on
horseback was simply going
to visit the next village
along the towpath on
his trusty steed.
Locks are always friendly places
to meet and have
a chat, or perhaps give a
canine friend a pat or
two!
|
|
|
|
|
We look forward to hearing
from you very soon
and to welcoming you aboard the
Luciole!
|
|
Gilles, your Captain (left)
and his team (above, from
left, Neil—Guide, Gilles -
Captain, El—Matelot,
Simon—Chef, Clarissa—
Hostess, Jana—Hostess),
will ensure that you have a
great time aboard the
Luciole. Relaxation, culture
and interesting food
and wines are the order
of the day in this barge,
so do contact us for
availability if you’d like
to experience life aboard
the Luciole for a decadent
week in 2005 or
2006
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=link}