Our Barge Adventure in France

This is a re-post of our fabulous trip to France. 
  It is strange because we went to France after  my ordeal with ovarian cancer some years ago.
Now 13 years later, I am battling this very same cancer.
 I am joining Anita for your "Simply Irresistible Link Party."

I am joining Anita for your fabulous "Simply Irresistible Link Party.
Every photo here is ours from the trip.

We went to France for a 2 week vacation in 2000. I thought I would  share some of our photos.  We went on a week long barge trip cruising down the canal in Burgundy. We then spent 6 days in Paris.

There were 7 of us that booked this private barge.

The owners were  husband and wife...the wife was the Captain and chef. and her husband was a doctor.  His sister was the tour guide and a young lady who did odd jobs.  As couples, we each got our own bedroom and private bath.

There was a dining room and living room where we could sit and relax. The best part was on top....Lots of sunshine and great views.

We would have  breakfast and  lunch everyday on top.

Here's a picture of the barge. It's called "Quietude"

                                          The "Quietude"

  

       

This was the first morning..we woke up with fog.

            My husband took this beautiful photo.

 This is  view from the barge looking forward to a lock house.

Going through the lock.  Each lock, they had to stop and turn the wheel to let the water go down.

This barge also had bicycles on board so we could ride or walk along the canals.

This woman is the lock keeper.  She is turning the wheel.  Most of these people live in the Lock house by the canal.  They also grow wonderful vegetables.  Our Chef would stop and pick up fresh veggies daily.

The canal systems in France have a multitude of locks to deal with altitude changes as you move more inland in France. Passing through a lock can be quite a pleasant experience as it enables you to get off the canal boat and meet the lock keeper. Although it’s not necessary, helping out with opening the lock gate will be appreciated. Passing through a lock is free although some people with canal boats in France do leave a tip. Many lock keepers have small stalls set up where you can buy local produce such as cheese and fruits.

               This is a picture of the back of the lock.

      This picture shows how tight some spots are in the canal.

Napoleon's Tomb

Notre Dame

 My husband with Rodan's "The Thinker".

                                      The Abbey Fontenay

      The monks' dormitory in Fontenay Abbey, northern Burgundy. They slept fully dressed, both for warmth (the room was not heated) and to be ready for midnight services. It has a beautiful roof of hand-hewn beams of Spanish chestnut, dating from the late 15th century.

                               Inside of the Abbey

                                The Abbey Forge

                      Waterfall at the Abbey.

                                   An old church

                     The Nav Church, they church was dedicated in 1147.

                           Cloisters- Fontenay Abbey

 
                            This is the oldest clock.....gorgeous....

     Expresso anyone?  The french love their coffee.. cafe.

            I love how there are so many outside cafes....

           Café au lait is one of my favorites.....

The famous Effel Tower 

Here's our group........You can see I had short hair. I had chemo and lost all of my hair and I was lucky enough to have my hair grow back in time for our trip. I had ovarian cancer and I am very lucky to be alive.

Another lock house had some wine.  I love this barrel...Bonjour....

On our last night, we had this french lady come aboard to entertain us. She played the crank box and sang.

Our dining table.  Our meals were outstanding....many courses...and of course those wonderful cheeses and fresh baked bread. Our chef would always present her dessert too. We were given a bell to ring for more wine and bread.  Needless to say, we rang that bell many times.  We got to the point, they started bringing out the jug wine...LOL

            This is Medieval City.  Quite a beautiful site.

                         We visited the Bathing pools.....

                    A quaint old village. Many shops....

 A great wine cave we visited and of courses tasted as well.

I'm at the  Champagne cave.  Yummy and cold champagne..

  My husband is in his element.  Wine galore.....LOL

  I'm relaxing an having a cocktail. What do you think of my hair?

Do I look French?   Believe me, at this point, I was extremely happy to have some hair.  I must say, it was so easy to care for.

              Anita, our captain and chef and her husband.

This was our last night photo.  We all dressed up for the occasion.

We had a marvelous time.  In between, our guide had a van and we went on side trips.  We visited wineries, castles and old towns.

 Well, I hope you have enjoyed seeing this trip through the region of Burgundy in France.

I think I need to make another post of Paris....It would make this one way too long...
Update:  I am cancer free again....
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About Linda @ Life and Linda

Hello, welcome to LifeandLinda. I am from Northern California. I enjoy blogging, Designing Blogs, Decorating, cooking, entertaining, gardening and clogging. I hope you enjoy your visit.