My romantic getaway on a barge in Provence
Nerrida, proudly born in 1948, has principally worked in education and the building industry. Despite this, at 50 she completed a Masters in Horticulture.
Here I am in the fourth year of a relationship and looking forward to lots of travels in retirement. There's only one problem. My new boyfriend is the same age, but far from retired. He runs a busy factory in Melbourne. The only time I got him on a flight was to Bali, at which point his recent root canal became infected and we quickly learnt about dental tourism. But that's another story.
I was thrilled when he agreed to do the 30 hours each way trip from Melbourne to London where I was visiting grandchildren, then France, and be back at work two weeks later. A tiring trip on all accounts. I was determined it would be a relaxing and worthwhile diversion for him and nearly got it right.
We agreed to a Rhone river cruise on a barge in Provence and as there was only one boat travelling in the time we had available, I quickly booked the "Camargue". We got the last room left, the big suite. I didn't know barges could be five star, and thought of the T.S. Elliot poem about Growltiger, "the bravo cat who lived upon a barge" terrorising the inhabitants. It was a relief to board and see it was modern and luxurious.
We nearly missed the boat. I left booking the London to Lyon ticket till too late. I am used to getting great last minute deals, but prices climbed by the hour. The English go to the South of France in summer, Brexit vote or not. Oh dear! To stupidly save money I booked Lufthansa from Heathrow to Lyon, via Frankfurt. We missed the connection due to airport problems, and were put in a hotel at Frankfurt overnight, flying to Lyon on the day our barge departed. We were last to board. It was Bastille Day and fireworks were going off.
I realised that in the unplanned commotion I'd left our suitcase key at the Frankfurt hotel. So a sailor was called to our suite to break my lovely Samsonite open with bolt cutters. Happily we didn't lose any more time, and for the rest of our holiday we only lost a hat down the river in the fierce mistral winds.
On our dinner table we enjoyed the company of the other five who spoke only English, and the crew kept translating from French for us as most voyagers were French or Swiss. But at our first delicious and decadent buffet breakfast the news was whispered around the barge that in Nice the night before, a violent man had intentionally stormed Bastille Day celebrations, killing and injuring dozens of people. The international crew didn't mention that France was to have three days of mourning. I think a few words to us would not have hurt.
We headed off to the ancient Roman bastions of Arles and Avignon, with optional bus tours downstream to the wild Camargue. The Rhone has an interesting system of many lochs. You can see concrete walls appearing through windows as you change levels. We messaged reassurances to all relatives who worried we were in Nice.
Excursions were in the afternoons, between meals. We only took one bus excursion, preferring instead the portside towns and relaxing on the top deck, plugged into our audiobooks. The lounge bar was open all day so I embraced the endless free coffee and cognac.
All meals were on board. Set menus were French modern. "Saddle of stag with mushroom sauce" sounds better than mere venison, doesn't it? That meal followed "Salad in Nice style" and after cheese, concluded with "Iced Nougat". Stunning presentation, a featured cheese for every third course, then a dessert and coffee... and maybe another cognac in the bar!
The huge sunny lounge offered entertainment such as dance competitions. Lots of us revelled in the once popular trend of line-dancing. That was our age group. In our pre-booking literature they made it clear that travellers were usually older people. It was hard to tell how old anyone was. We were all young at heart.
We took time to explore portside towns together. I am an insatiable collector of silk scarves so Boyfriend patiently waited while I "tyre kicked" as he called it. Lyon is the French home of silk scarf manufacture, making luxury labels such as Hermès, and I indulged in trying on lots and buying just one; a vibrantly coloured silk from Arles, to support the Vincent Van Gough Foundation. I wear it often. In return he had me climbing to the top of every archaeological treasure in World Cultural Heritage sites, one colosseum after another, one Church on a hill after another, and then underground to old Roman ruins. Below I have included the links to the ship we took. The company was celebrating their 40th year. We booked with Swiss company Rius Cruises. To round it off we had a day to enjoy Lyon before travelling on Easyjet back to London.
Holidays like this offer it all: accommodation, fine food and wine and the best of sightseeing, just as on an ocean liner, but more personal and without encountering rough seas, children running everywhere or crowds guzzling all they can seat. I have taken big cruises, and seen grand sights. Although this one was a bit rushed, it was an ideal romantic interlude for Boyfriend and I at a time when we don't holiday enough together. Oh, did I mention the free cognac?
To find more information about the Rhone river cruise, please visit their website here or here.
If you have a travel story to share please get in touch at melody@oversixty.com.au
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