RIVER CRUISING
“To EXPERIENCE THE LIFE OF A CANAL is to escape the world of airports and motorways and RECONNECT WITH A WORLD in which NOTHING MOVES FASTER THAN A DUCK”
accompanied our péniche-hôtel throughout its journey, knowledgeable tour guide Jacquie, who has been working on hotel barges for 24 years, turned out to be a font of knowledge. Departing Amaryllis after lunch on deck, we
Blancs Cuvée Orient Express Champagne, our chef, Sam Pring – now in his third season with Afloat in France – prepared the first of many memorable meals. Dinner that night consisted of Foie Gras with pain d’epices, apricots, celery and apple salad; Cauliflower Soup with poached quail’s egg and truffle oil; Charolais Beef fillet with tartiflette, braised red cabbage and a red wine jus. This was followed by our charming hostess, Alice
(who happens to be Sam’s wife), presenting a Forme D’Ambert, Selles sur Cher and Delice de Pommard – a delightful ritual that would be performed each evening with a different selection of locally-sourced cheeses. The meal concluded with Vanilla panna cotta with passion fruit and candied pistachios. To accompany this culinary masterpiece Sarah, our other hostess, served a divine Puligny Montrachet and a sensational Vosne Romanée. A good night’s sleep, induced by the somnolent lapping of the quiescent canal, was followed by a morning amble. There was a cathedral stillness, streams of light slanted down as the early sun unwrapped the day from tissues of mist. The liquid call of countless curlews floated across an ensemble of vineyards and emerald hills.
After a breakfast of the freshest fruits and croissants, we began our journey into the fabled heartland of the Côte d’Or. In the wake of our barge, eddies rippled the surface of the tranquil canal as a breeze ruffled the tangle of buttercups and daisies at the water’s edge. Each reposeful sojourn, offering an unrivalled vignette into France’s intricate system of inland waterways, was imaginatively coupled with tours to local attractions and renowned vineyards. Aboard the comfortable Volkswagen mini-bus that
30 WORLD OF CRUISING I Autumn 2011
drove along the celebrated Route des Grands Crus. Jacquie explained the complexities of the Burgundy appellation system as we encountered the aristo- crats of Bourgogne, glimpsing revered properties such as Aloxe-Corton, La Romanée Conti, and Puligny Montrachet. These noble châteaux domi- nated pale-buff and pink limestone villages, surrounded by serried ranks of gnarled vines bearing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes ripening in the clay and limestone terroir.
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