Canal Barge in France – July 2021

For a special birthday, we went to France and chartered a canal barge for just the two of us. Much of Europe is crisscrossed with canals build in the 1600’s for shipping. In France, the aim was to avoid the one-month sail around Spain (and pirates) before the dawn of railroads. Once rail became practical, the canals fell into disuse for decades until some regions decided to resurrect them for the tourist industry. We chose Canal du Midi in the south and travelled from Carcassonne to Beziers. Our barge was built for hauling goods in 1906 but converted to a lovely, comfortable 2 bedroom “hotel” and staffed with a captain, hostess, and fabulous chef. We puttered through the gorgeous countryside and 17 fascinating locks built in 1670 (with a consult by Leonardo da Vinci) covering about 30 miles of the 150-mile canal. Before returning, we tacked on a couple of days in Paris, uniquely quiet and beautiful because of Covid. With perfect weather throughout, it was a glorious trip.