When I first knew we were coming to France, one of the things I wanted to add to the list of “maybe’s” was to experience a canal boat journey – something friends had done and raved about. This was something I knew I would definitely get past the “other half” because it involved driving, water, lots of relaxation, the ability to stock up on beers, wine and great French food regularly, and some pretty good scenery along with the thrill of doing something quite different!
Our travel agent dealt with Dave at Eurolynx in New Zealand (a wholesale travel company that specialises in the waterways of UK and Europe) and he made everything effortless because not only did he suggest a range of itineraries and options for the time of year we wanted to travel, but when the tickets arrived, so did a whole lot of supplementary information and maps which allowed us to forward plan . It also gave us a very good indication of what would be provided by Locaboat Holidays and what we needed to bring on board.
So we chose the Canal du Midi in the South of France as we were going to be spending some time in that region before and after. But before our tale, some history on this fascinating waterway…
A feat of engineering genius that was considered one of the greatest constructions of the 17th century, the Canal is 240km long and connects the Garonne river at Toulouse, to the Étang de Thau right down on the Med. Commenced during the reign of Louis 14th in 1666 by Pierre-Paul Riquet, this particular canal was to give life to the trade in wheat, wine, silk and salt and save huge amounts of time and the risk of pirate attack, in having to transport goods by sea around the Iberian Peninsula and the Strait of Gibralter which was then occupied by the Spanish.
The course and planning of the river and its source was amazing enough for those times but when you consider that the landscape rises 57.18m from Toulouse and then falls to the Mediterranean, you can be especially wowed by the idea and execution of the 86 original locks and like me, in particular, the group of 8 ‘Fonserannes’ staircase locks just before Béziers. There are an array of charming bridges, tunnels and spillways along the route as well as the historic larger towns like Carcassone, Narbonne and Béziers and the smaller quaint ones such as Le Somail and Homps.
We learnt of so many interesting and historical facts about the canal along the way and of real interest to me was the history of the planting of the canals. Now, mainly mature Plane trees line the banks (albeit with many missing due to a spreading canker disease) and give the canal a peaceful charming appearance, but during the 1700’s when the silk industry was at its height, the banks were commercially lined with Mulberry trees which are the main food source of silkworms. Iris was also planted to secure the canal sides and now cover most of the length that we travelled. We were lucky to see a few coming out in Spring but I am sure the Summer display would be stunning. The Canal du Midi was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 and is a special place.
Getting prepared & getting there!
We had to collect our boat at the beginning of April so after a few days in the striking fortress city of Carcassonne, we headed southwards by car down to a small but pretty canalside village named Argens-Minervois. But we weren’t there for the scenery – we were there to collect our brand spanking new Locaboat Holidays Evolution Penichette – our floating home for the next week on the stunning Canal du Midi! Locaboat name each of their boats for a French town and ours was to be the sparkling Gardouche.
Heaps of safe parking is available for customers at a relatively reasonable day rate and we had pre-booked bicycles for the boat and wifi to make sure every angle was covered on the journey. After a bit of paperwork and formality, we were given a guided tour of our brand new little Penichette. Being brand new, we were lucky to have such luxuries as a convection hob and gas oven, wifi, pump heating, a great bathroom and for the blokes – front and rear bow thrusters and 360degree joystick for use at low revs! Did I mention the stylish decor and lovely front and rear deck facilities (sadly we didn’t see too much good weather).
We had done a big shop at a supermarket on the way, but you can pick up smaller and fresh items at the little store/bakery at the depot. Don’t worry though, because unless it’s Sunday, you can pretty much pick groceries and essentials up along the way and when you arrive in the larger towns like Narbonne, there are always the fresh food markets to tempt you and they offer both fresh fruit & veges, meats, patisserie, wines and more but also beautiful, hand-prepared food that you can take back to the boat and heat up – and taste just like Grandma used to make!
See our next blog for heading off and our first few days of heading to Narbonne….
@locaboatholidays
Also on offer in the afternoon was a 2-hour specialist onboard wine tasting experience with the in-house Sommelier, Nico which included a full tutorial on wine appreciation and a blind tasting session to see how well you had been listening. While exceptionally popular with other guests who firmly recommended it, we decided to get some exercise for the day.
Bordeaux is a fascinating port city on the Garonne River and now one of my most favourite of all European cities. The architecture is comparable to the grandeur of Paris (without the crowds), it is flat and easy to get around, has brilliant city transport, great restaurants and fantastic shopping down the 1.2km Rue St Catherine. Add to that the sublime and extensive surrounding wine region, the beautiful beaches and coastline and the proximity to Paris, this has to be one of the best regions and cities to live in.
It’s known for its Gothic Cathédrale Saint-André, the 18-19th-century mansions which all sprang up as a result of the flourishing wine trade and notable museums such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux and the Musée d’Aquitaine which we visited. Public gardens line the curving river quays which become a hub of activity and family gatherings on the weekends. The grand Place de la Bourse, centered on the Three Graces fountain, overlooks the Miroir d’Eau reflecting pool and there are some pretty spectacular town gates as well, the Porte de la Grosse Cloche and Porte-Cailhau. The city has embraced modern architecture and sculpture and it seems to sit quite comfortably alongside its historical counterparts. Particularly popular are the Halles of Baclan, an open plan foodmarket and cluster of restaurants, right next to La Cité du Vin.
First stop is the 
Next the very popular 
Lastly and before heading back to the River Royale for lunch, is the new but popular artisan chocolate shop 
A short stroll down Quai to the evocative and stunning building that is 
There is no doubt that this is the way young people prefer to learn, but me – I’m still a bit old-fashioned and found the jostling, slightly inconsiderate crowd who linger and hog some of the displays a bit annoying.
As this is the last night of our river cruise itinerary, the Captain and crew have a treat in store with farewell cocktails and a special gala dinner, so we don our glad rags and head on up to the lounge.
Sarah skillfully negotiated for bread, cheese, strawberries and chocolate with the local stallholders and the cheese man nearly got the better of her!
They began their conversion to organic in 2017 but because of constraints put on them by the bank, have had to put the Chateau restoration on hold for a time. The forest that was growing in and around the main buildings have been cleared and they are only inhabiting the old ex-implement wing to the left at present in the hope to one day return the Chateau to its former glory and according to the early century photographs they have.
Currently selling 2/3 of their Merlot crop to the local co-operative for cash-flow, from the remaining 1/3, they produce their current 3 Boutinet wines – the one we will be trying today is the Clairet de Boutinet. Nathalie had to twist Jerome’s arm to get him to agree to the modern and stylish label she helped design on the Clairet bottle, especially as labelling of Bordeaux wines seems to follow a more traditional path.
After another foray into the extensive selection of breakfast goodies, we are visiting one of the “holy grail” wine areas of Bordeaux, where serious wine lovers, snobs, aficionados and just plain guzzlers like us all want to have visited – yes it’s the appellation and town of St Emilion, a commune in the South West Gironde and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Full of steep, narrow cobbled streets, Romanesque churches and ruins from various periods in history, it has more wine shops that you could shake a stick at. Growing some of the finest Bordeaux red wines, the main grape varieties grown are Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from which most St Emilion wines are typically blended.
This area was the site of the first vines introduced to France by the Romans as early as the 2nd century and the limestone slopes surrounding the village and making up the St Emilion appellation, sit on the slopes of the Dordogne river and cover an approximate area of 5,400 hectares. Amazingly, St Emilion appellation only represents around 6% of the total Bordeaux wine production.
Land prices in the St Emilion region of France appear to be some of the most valuable vineyard lands per hectare and most of it is tightly held in large Chateaux or estates so rarely changes hands. Saint Émilion wines were not included in the 
The village itself is definitely worth visiting but I warn you – it’s very popular with the tour buses and so you need to get there early or be on an escorted tour because you won’t have a show of seeing anything worthwhile without a guide – except of course the sweeping views across hectares of vineyards. The village is largely uninhabited now that it has become such a tourist mecca. Some of the cobbles in the streets are round and quite hard to walk on but the French describe this process as “walking on the heads of the English”. Nothing sinister, but apparently when the old wine ships came back empty from an English trade run, they had to fill their holds with ballast. That ballast was often stone from the English coast, so it was an enterprising and sensible use of unwanted stone.
Back to the River Royale for another tough cocktail hour followed by another delicious 4-course dinner!
According to the programme, today’s line-up includes the ancient towns of Blaye, Bourg and Libourne – all important wine transportation or trading towns, and we are in luck because it’s market day in Blaye (pronounced Bly). We are out of luck with the weather though as its really raining and windy. Not daunted, we are handed umbrellas by the ship crew and head off.
Walking over to the UNESCO Citadel of Blaye, our lovely guide Sarah re-enacted the particularly advanced defence aspects of the fortress. This town was a disputed hotspot over hundreds of years and was destroyed by Protestant forces in the late 16th century. After the damaging years of the wars of religion, Louis XIII repaired the fortress and started installing a modern defence system which included the groundbreaking “star-shaped” battlements that changed the outcomes of battle sieges to come.
Back to the ship for a dry-off and we set sail to Bourg, a town with a sleepy feel to it (maybe it was the French 2 hour lunch hour) but we were still entranced by one of the tales attached to the town and now responsible for the famous “Fig of Bourg”.
Legend has it that when Louis XIV visited the town with his mother in 1650, he was too small to pick a fig he saw hanging from a tree. A passing Monk lifted him up to get it but was later arrested for touching the King which was strictly forbidden. The Queen later pardoned the Monk and in memory of this event, the locals make a delicacy of a fig wrapped in chocolate and called the ‘King’s delight’. Sold at the 
A final vineyard and tasting for the day was to be had at the prestigious Medoc vineyard of 
Our first day of introductions to the diverse wine districts of Bordeaux. It was Sauternes today – the sweet white wines of Southern Bordeaux, traditionally considered a dessert wine, the industry is keen to display how versatile these wines really are.
Chateau La Tour Blanche was prestigiously ranked a ‘Premier Cru’ or ‘first growth’ in 1855 and when its last owner died in 1907, he bequeathed the estate to the French government on the proviso that they set up and ran a practical, non-fee wine school for budding viticulturists. The unique microclimate and a nifty little fungus called botrytis cinerea conspire to turn some of the bunch’s fruit into highly sugar concentrated, crystallised fruits which in turn contribute to the unique fruity and spicy character of Sauternes. Served chilled they are a delicious aperitif but also pair well with many other foods – as we were to later learn.
