Well, you know Ann. No trip shall go unplanned and checked and double checked. First she did exten

Many people like to arrive at a destination and unpack once and then have opportunities to see the surroundings and come back to their home away from home each day, so a cruise is a logical option.  The coastal cities of Europe are available to ships that carry thousands of people, so that is one way to do it if you are willing to limit the trip to coastal areas, but Ann wanted to explore the inland areas.  Many thousands of years ago, before there were any roads or railroads, the Europeans used canals dug from river to river to haul merchandise and people from place to place and those canals and locks still exist and are maintained today, and of course i am looking for continental airlines website the rivers are still there.  Now many of the rivers and canals are used for pleasure by hotel barges and yachts.  This presents a wonderful i am looking for continental airlines website opportunity because the towns grew up on the edges of these waterways, and today hotel barges that hold from 8 to 250 people can literally tie up at the base of a staircase leading to the center of thousand year old cities.
Well, you know Ann.  No trip shall go unplanned and checked and double checked.  First she did extensive internet searches and interviews with travel companies i am looking for continental airlines website familiar with these hotel barges to find the “best” places and equipment for an Ann’s Special Event.  Once she had gleaned all she could without being there, she decided that the only way to really get the inside information she needed was to go there.  We spent the month of June ranging i am looking for continental airlines website from Germany, through France and Italy visiting, eating on, sleeping on and in one case spending an entire week on barges to gather information on the hotel barges themselves, the regions they travel in and the itineraries they offer.
The hotel barge that we spent a week on turned out to be the top candidate for the trip.  Plying the waters in Southern France in the area near Avignon on the Rhone, the Petite Rhone and several canals, the barge named  Le Phenicien,  is a converted cargo barge.  The conversion was done after 2000 and was carried i am looking for continental airlines website out by a family who continue to own and operate her.  Completely modern in design and accommodations, she holds 18 guests and her crew which includes a full-time French chef.  She has modern staterooms that are grouped in fours and sixes so there are no long hallways, but there are several one-level i am looking for continental airlines website stairways.  The staterooms have either queen beds or two twin beds,  and each has a complete modern private bathroom.  All interior design is light and bright with expansive picture windows in all public areas.  She is fully climate controlled with A/C systems that really work, and have individual controls for each room.  Her staterooms are actually larger than some of those on the larger cruise ships.
The public areas include the foredeck which provides a perfect place to sun and watch the world go by as Jonathan, the pilot, steers her from his forward pilot house.  Glass doors on both sides lead into the lounge which is gracefully separated into four areas so different i am looking for continental airlines website groups can gather and talk, play cards, or just enjoy the ambiance.  Fresh flowers from local markets decorate the space and add colorful accents.  Various couches and chairs, coffee tables and ottomans provide the perfect opportunity to set up your own “perch” to observe the castles that are passing by.  The bar is open all day, and is included (no charge for any beverages).  Two bottles of wine, red and white, are served with lunch every day, and three bottles, red, white and rose’ are served with dinner.  The hotel manager, Michelle, was more than entertaining with his complete explanations of each wine and each course of each meal.  Breakfast is a buffet that always has several fruits, cereals, hard boiled eggs, cheeses, breads, yogurt and pastries that arrived from a local bakery each morning.  Freshly made coffee i am looking for continental airlines website is available from 7 on and includes decaf, cappuccino and espresso.  Freshly squeezed fruit juice is also always available.
A typical day included a half day of cruising to reach our next destination, then lunch before setting off on a tour of the town or a nearby place of special interest by motorcoach.  There was always time for shopping i am looking for continental airlines website in the local farmer’s market and city during the day or evening.  Cocktail hour preceded dinner, with all beverages included.  Michelle and the bartender always provided some interesting appetizers during this relaxing part of the day.  Dinner was always magnificent and was always preceded by Michelle’s explanation i am looking for continental airlines website of what was about to be consumed.  Four course dinners were the standard.  The day’s meal selections were posted, so if anyone didn’t want one of the selections, or preferred something different they could just tell the chef and an alternate meal was prepared for them.  During the day we were always welcome into the kitchen for cooking lessons and hints.  Ever want to have you own private French chef?  Here is the opportunity.
We saw many cities that were perfectly preserved and constantly lived in for thousands of years, and explored Les Baux de Provence, a city that has been continuously occupied for 8,000 years!  We visited i am looking for continental airlines website wine makers and tasted their products, we saw the gigantic Roman aqueduct “Le Pont du Gard”, and the city called Arles, where Van Gogh painted 300 canvases in 1888.  We especially enjoyed seeing the carousels in the town squares that were at least 200 years old and some even had a second level!  Beautiful countryside, beautiful buildings and friendly people i am looking for continental airlines website made this a really special experience for us.  We always thought the French people were “snooty” i am looking for continental airlines website because of the experiences we had in Paris.  Well it turns out that the country folks think the same of the Parisians as do we.