By Rose Palmer

France has over 3000 miles of historic canals, but only one is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site: the Canal du Midi in southern France.

There are many ways to experience the Canal du Midi, but the most memorable is via a luxury barge, which is exactly what I was privileged to do, thanks to French Waterways. My cruise was on the lovely Athos hotel barge, a privately owned classic boat specially built for the narrower Canal du Midi.

Along with her sister ships Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan, the Athos was built to carry grain, sand, and wine. Of these four musketeers, sadly, only the Athos still survives. She was given a new life in the 1980s when she was converted into a luxury hotel barge. Since then, continued refurbishments have kept her modern and up to date.

I met the Athos in the small Mediterranean harbor town of Marseillan, where she was docked, waiting to take a new group of guests on a historic and culinary adventure for a week. The Athos has only four cabins for a maximum of eight guests, but there were only five of us this time, along with five crew. A pilot, a guide, a chef, and a host and hostess who took excellent care of us all week.

My hotel barge gave me everything I needed for a week of relaxation and luxury. The indoor saloon was a combination living and dining space with a comfy seating area that included couches, a coffee table, and a reading nook. The dining table easily accommodated eight passengers, though we enjoyed most of our meals al-fresco on the sun deck.

In fact, I spent most of my time on the shaded sun deck, watching the scenery slip slowly by as the movement of the boat created a lovely, cooling breeze. This is also where the hot tub was, though the refreshingly cool water temperature was a balm for the hot summer sun.

Inside, my cozy cabin had all I needed: a queen bed, a closet, air conditioning, and an en-suite bathroom. Since I only spent time in my room to sleep, shower, and change clothes, the space was quite adequate.

My week on the Athos had many memorable moments. From the interesting excursions to the divine food paired with equally divine wine, I was spoiled in a way that only happens on a barge cruise. We had a total of five guests and five crew members taking care of us. The crew was delightful, and the service was attentive and friendly without being intrusive.

There was no doubt that Chef Silvan spoiled us with his cooking. During the heat of the day, he presented a variety of salads that were delicious and refreshing. He focused on in-season ingredients that were fresh and locally sourced. I am normally not a fan of carrots, but his julienned carrot salad with garlic, chives, and orange juice changed my mind. The Asian style tabouleh with fresh mint was another standout for me.

He also made sure to give us local dishes and French classics. We had oysters from the waters near Marseillan, escargot on puff pastry with mushroom sauce, homemade foie gras with fig jam, and my favorite, a light and fluffy quiche Lorraine. Proteins were also prepared in inventive and delicious ways and included quail, veal, lamb, and a variety of fish. He also had no trouble satisfying allergy needs with equally tasty options. And it goes without saying that desserts were outstanding.

One of my favorite things about France is its huge selection of cheeses. Estimates suggest there are between 1,000 and 1,600 distinct types throughout France. On the barge cruise, we sampled just a few of this bounty. At lunch, we alternated each day between a cheese course and a dessert, while the four-course dinner included a cheese course after the entrée every night. During the weeklong cruise, we tasted many unique varieties of goat cheeses, soft cheeses, blue cheeses, and hard cheeses. Since I am a passionate cheese lover, I liked them all.

Like the Billy Joel song, meals were paired with a bottle of red and a bottle of white. Since we were cruising in the Languedoc wine region, many of the wines we tried were local to this area. We had crisp whites and mellow reds, but my favorite was the fruity rose wines that barely had a blush of pink and were very refreshing on a hot day.

Besides satisfying our taste buds on board, some of our excursions also tantalized them off the boat. A tour of the renowned Noilly Prat vermouth house taught us all about the vermouth-making process and ended with a tasting.

Since we were in a Mediterranean climate, I was not surprised to see olive trees growing in the fields. However, I was very surprised when we went to an olive oil co-op where families bring their olives, which are converted into oil. All French olive oil stays in the country, so it was quite a privilege to taste some and bring home a bottle.

The Languedoc wine region through which we were travelling is France's most bountiful grape-growing countryside. Large wineries with slick wine tastings were plentiful, but our guide Matthew took us to a family-run, working winery that was authentic and unpretentious. Looking every bit the part with his jaunty beret, winemaker Xavier Gombert proudly showed us the wine production process and the ancient cellars where his wine is aged. The tasting was a no-frills, friendly experience that focused on the distinctive flavors of his award-winning wines.

Along with the culinary flavors, our daily excursions also gave us a flavor of the abundant history in this part of France. From the Romans to the Renaissance nobility, they all left their mark on this part of the country. A cruise on the Canal du Midi is not complete without a visit to the fairy tale-like Carcassonne, one of the best-preserved walled fortresses in Europe, and also a UNESCO-listed site. This was indeed a highlight of our week.

However, our guide Matthew also took us to other, less visited locations. The old city center of Pezenas was a maze of cobbled medieval lanes filled with artsy boutiques and shops. Well-preserved Minerve clung to the walls of a limestone cliff and still looked much like it had 800 years ago. And in lovely Roquebrun, we explored a beautiful Mediterranean garden with incredible views down into the valley and the River Orb.

My weeklong cruise on the Athos was a perfect balance between sightseeing and relaxing. Each afternoon, we spent a few hours slowly gliding down the canal, maneuvering under low bridges that were part of the original build in the 17^th century. Time seemed to slow down, matching the speed of the boat. It was all just about being in the moment, taking in the scenery while sipping an Aperol spritz. It was easy to unwind when the biggest decision was whether to choose the red wine or the white wine for dinner.

I love barge cruising in France, and my cruise on the Athos reaffirmed why this is the perfect European experience.

Rose Palmer believes that life is a patchwork of experiences. Traveling the world is one of her deepest passions which continues to add to her ever-growing quilt of life experiences. She likes to focus her traveling lens on art, architecture, history, nature, and soft adventure with a touch of luxury. Rose shares her award-winning stories and photos on her blog www.Quiltripping.com

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