Steve is a man on the move. And we’re glad: without him the seven of us would be stuck on the hotel barge Anjodi, leisurely cruising along the 17th century Midi Canal in southern France … which, come to think of it, might not be such a bad thing.
Still, there are so many attractions ashore that it would be a shame to miss out. And on this six-day cruise, thanks to Steve’s diligence, we get to fit in everything on offer – from walking in the footsteps of ancient Gauls and Romans to picking favourites from a gourmet restaurant’s impressive cheese trolley.
Steve puts a bike into the back of our Mercedes minibus, drives to the next place where the barge will tie up ahead of an excursion, then rides back to meet us somewhere along the canal.
Half-day excursions via the minibus connect you with history – at Carcassonne, for example, perhaps the most complete medieval fortified city in existence today.
Back on board, you can reach out to almost touch the passing scenery – the giant plane trees lining both sides of the canal, the vineyards, the fields dotted with red poppies, the stone farmhouses, the other barges and boats.
European Waterways (www.gobarging.com) operates 17 barges, including Anjodi, carrying six to 20 passengers each – making it the largest operator of hotel barges in Britain and Europe.
So much of this barge cruise is about the gourmet wine and food – thanks to chef Tom, who creates a variety of salads and lighter cooked dishes for our various lunches, with a cheese course or dessert, and always with unlimited white and red wine (as well as other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages).
Dinner is a four-course affair with wines. And in between meals, any of the crew will bring you tea, coffee or any other libation in the lounge, up on deck or in the hot tub.
The four crew members do everything they can to enhance the trip for the seven of us.
“We’ll go slowly and can stop again to pick you up whenever you like,” says skipper Laurent when three of the passengers say they’d like to go for a walk along the towpath for an hour or so.
Then there are the special touches, such as the L’Occitaine products in the bathrooms and Villeroy and Boch china at mealtime; having Philippe (sax), Roger (keyboard) and Mel (bass) unexpectedly serenade us during pre-dinner drinks and nibbles one evening; and, for a change, dinner ashore at l’Ambassade, TripAdvisor’s #1 restaurant in Beziers, with its impressive cheese trolley.
All too soon, however, it’s time for the captain’s farewell dinner. The next morning Steve drives us from Marseillan back to Narbonne where he picked us up almost a week ago.
Six days and 75km? No specific time and distance can ever encompass all our experiences and memories from a barge cruise like this along the Midi Canal.
