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RIVER CRUISING


Dijon’s Grand Ducal Palace, a typical street stall (below) and the premier cru vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin (right)


FEELING BLEU


The Gare de Lyon has probably the world’s most famous station restaurant, LE TRAIN BLEU, dating from 1901. It was the haunt of celebrities from Coco Chanel to Brigitte Bardot and was granted historical monument status by Andre Malraux. Apart from superb food, the setting is an ornate art cave of 41 wall and ceiling paintings, each representing a destination served by the station’s trains.


to Dijon. Railbookers, who arrange rail packages around Europe by train, even provided the metro tickets for stress-free transfers. The TGV from Paris to Dijon is a two-hour non-stop sweep through wide-open countryside. European Waterways meet the train on the Sunday of departure or pick up from the nearby Hotel la Cloche, a comfortable central location for pre- or post-cruise stays and for exploring the city by foot. Dijon’s highlights include the Grand ducal palace (now an art museum), shopping (from Maille mustard to Galeries Lafayette), street stalls around the superb covered food market and the magnificent half-timbered town houses with their brightly- patterned Burgundian tiled roofs. The cruise also includes a morning tour of Dijon. On Sunday, Hotel la Cloche serves a buffet brunch in its restaurant looking out onto a peaceful garden. After the mini-bus pick up, cruise passengers are taken either to Fleurey sur Ouche or Escommes


34 WORLD OF CRUISING I Spring 2012


to begin their six-night trip (the cruise operates in reverse direction on alternative weeks). Arriving at the mooring place in Escommes, the crew were introduced – the captain, chef, deckhand and two hostesses – over sparkling wine and canapés before we were taken to our cabins to settle in. L’Impressionniste was once a Dutch working barge


transformed to a comfortable cruise boat sleeping 12. There are two double suites at bow and stern, the latter having a bath, and four mid-vessel double or twin cabins, plus a single cabin. Each has its own shower and air conditioning. There are useful drawers under the beds plus a small wardrobe with safe. The deck above the cabins contains the recently refurbished Salon with communal dining table, sofas, books, games, hi-fi and a free bar from which to help oneself. An outside sitting area with a retractable roof, lowered when passing under extremely low bridges, leads to a spacious sun deck with table and chairs for summer dining. In the bow is a hot tub.


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