The Barge L’Art de Vivre

The barge has 4 passenger cabins, all ensuite two with double beds and two with twins. This week there were only 6 of us so we had more room for the deck and meals.

She is the oldest boat in the European Waterways fleet and was originally a Thames Lighter, she was commandeered by the Government during the first war and in the second world was was towed to Dunkirk to evacuate troops. Later she was fitted with a Kelvin engine and this was later changed to an air start Baudouin DK6 engine which she still has today. She was shortened to 100 foot to work the Canal Du Midi. Lots more information about her can bee seen here. https://www.europeanwaterways.com/blog/hotel-barge-l-art-de-vivre/ 

 

The barge has a crew of 5 to look after us and they have a minibus that moves with the barge for the excursions. As well as taking us on excursions every evening when they mover the mini bus to the next location they also had to reserve the next Mooring.
The cruise followed the normal pattern, half a day excursion and half day cruising.
Life on board was breakfast 8-10, lunch around mid day and dinner in the evening around 7-30pm. Each day the menu was put out on a chalk board and all meals included good wine, the evening meal a cheese course with three different cheeses each night. Unlimited drinks all day plus a cocktail and nibbles.   I failed to photograph one lunch menu.   

The food was as good as it looked, here are a few of the dishes we enjoyed with good wine  

		This is the result of the cookery demonstration

As well as the chef coming out and describing each dish our hostess also told us about the cheese and the wine showing us exactly where it came from, she was also skilled in napkin folding

The chef did a short cookery demonstration in the galley one afternoon.

Many a time I have watched barge crews man handle gang plank, lowering them off the top of the deck. swinging them down on ropes and sometimes doing all sorts of gymnastics with them, but this crew had it sorted. A light weight aluminium frame with removable deck panels, all easily handled and giving a wide walkway.

France 2026.A week on a Barge from Auxerre to Lucy-sur-Yonne

We spent a week on the barge  L’Art de Vivre traveling from Auxerre to Lucy-sur-Yonne. We should have gone to Chevroches but I trip was cut short due to low water levels.
We started our journey in the normal way, leaving the car at a friends at Worlingham and then bus into Norwich, then National Express to Victoria. These busses have good air conditioning thank goodness and there was only about 8 people onboard. We had an exceptional journey arriving early.
From there we took the underground to St Pancras, we were surprised how crowded it was on a Saturday earl evening. We think that is where Diana picked up a bad cold which she later passed on to me. We always stay close to the Eurostar terminal the night before we travel to make it an easy walk early in the morning, this time we tried anther hotel, I think this one had the smallest room so far.

It was then off to eat, as time was getting on we went to an Italian restaurant that we have used many times before.

Sunday morning and an early start for the short walk to the station where we had time for breakfast before joining the queue to check-in. Eurostar don’t seem to have a problem at London with the new boarder control system. passport, photo fingerprints and you are through. A fast run into Paris again arriving early. From Gare du Nord its a short walk to Gare de l'Est, or it would have been if we had gone the right way. From here we could take the Metro to Opera, I had already downloaded our tickets to the phones and we were away. At Opera again we set off in the wrong direction for the Hotel Westminster which turned out to be straight down the road. At the hotel we were met by the doorman and checked in on a list, our bags taken for storage and offered use of the facilities. European Waterways would be picking us up here at 2pm to take us to the boat which left time for lunch. I can’t say I have ever had a more expensive beer and Baggett before, but its Paris. £53 for the two of us.
Just before 2pm we returned to the hotel this time rechecked by a young lady, it seemed the European Waterways had a bout 4 groups leaving her today. 2PM and the taxi  arrived, it was a 6 seater with 3 seats facing backwards. all our bags checked on and we met our 4 fellow passengers, two American couples. Not much was said on the two and a half hour trip to Auxerre as the six of us shuffled our feet between each other. Once at the barge our cases were taken to our cabins and we were presented with Champaign and oysters. At almost 80 years old I have never eaten oysters before, I think I ate most of them but I shan't be rushing out to spend money on them.

 

The holiday has begun.

Northwich Thursday 29 June

Well we are back onboard Harnser so more riveting stories to follow.

We left home at 8-30am and the drive didn’t start well. At Hensted crossroads just 2 miles from home highways (unless someone had moved them)had put the road closed signs on the wrong junction, so we got to Hulver and had to turn round and come back and go via Mutford. Things then went well until well along the A14. Tomtom alert 6 minute delay, then 10, 11 Accident ahead turn left in 1¼ miles. Of round roads full of S bends and bumpy surfaces to re-join an empty, well our side, east bound traffic was going nowhere, A14 some miles further along. We heard later it was a lorry fire.
On to Rugby Enterprise to pick up a small hire van to get us to Northwich, dropping our car off at Barby Moorings.
Unloaded our things at the Northwich drydock where Harnser was moored at the end of the yard ready for us. Returned the van to Northwich Enterprise. It all seemed so much simpler than last time I hired from them and walked to the bus stop. The next bus was an hour, so called Uber.
We had planned to eat at the Bowling green as its only a short walk from the Dry Dock, a bit further from where we are moored, anyway we trudged up there only to find that due to the heat they had closed the kitchen early. This meant we had to walk back, out through the main gates of the old CRT/BW yard, luckily we still have the key and go for an Indian at Relish in their nice air conditioned restaurant where we were his only customers. The heat has just killed their trad, not even any takeaways . Back to the boat and off to bet with all hatches open until 6 this morning when it started to rain.

Pompeii

A fairly early start by coach to get to Pompei at about half eight, time for a coffee and a wee before the gates opened, being one of the first groups in we were there before it was too busy. We were met by a second guide and split into two groups to tour some of the ruins. The site that has been uncovered to date is huge, about 170 acres .

We entered the town via the foyer an open area that once had a covered way around it periphery in front of the two amphitheatres . Traders would have had shops under the covered way where the doors now are.

People talk about the Roman Roads but even in their day they had groves worn in them from the carriage wheels, they also had crossing points like stepping stones. Some road were blocked off to prevent the traffic entering selected areas.

The stepping stoons across the road to get from one raised pavement to the other.

The traffic stopped here, above the stones is the square which must have been a pedestrian. The pavements were not just rough stone but a finished smooth surface

Lots of the rooks in the buildings had there walls painted and some of this has survived remarkably well for almost 2000 years.

There were also some of their everyday utensils on display as well as storge vessels.

      

One of the things that everyone wants to see when they visit Pompei is the brothel, actually quite a small building standing on the street corner with stone beds, pictures showing what was on offer and even a toilet.

Another item everyone is interested in is the casts of the people who were entombed in the ash when the eruption occurred. The original casts contain the skeletons inside them, but these on display are replicas made from casts.

The casts are housed in the market area off the main Forum.

       
   

The shops in the town are quite obvious by the ovens, counters and recessed pots in the counter tops.

   
We visited the Roman Bath house to see the under floor heating that also ran up the cavity walls.   The heat was from the water that flowed under the floor with a hot bathe and a cool one, the roof was domed to control the steam.  

They  had lead pipe for their plumbing and because the town was sat at the foot of the hills where the water supply came from they even had water towers to control the pressure. They even had drinking fountains

 

 

This photograph gives a good indication as to how deep the town was buried by the ash.

 

 

 

After we had completed our visit we all toddled off to a restaurant a short way away where prices were more reasonable and had lunch with a drink for 20€ not the best meal in the world but OK and it was then back to the car/ coach park of which there were many.

Our coach journey home was via Naples and its good to see that still have some trams .