By Rose Palmer

With 12 luxury hotel barges throughout France, European Waterways offers holiday experiences in many of the country’s most interesting travel destinations. While cruises on the more famous Burgundy Canal or the Canal du Midi are very popular, other regions are equally interesting but with fewer crowds.

My most recent barge cruise was on the Rosa hotel barge in the Gascony region on the Canal de Garonne. As we cruised past fields of wheat, corn, sunflowers, and many orchards, it quickly became clear why this region is called France’s breadbasket.

My cruise on the Rosa was my fifth European Waterways barge cruise, and it gave me everything I have come to love about barge cruising in France: a small, intimate boat experience with unique excursions, excellent food and wine, and exceptional, personalized service.

On Board the Rosa
Built in 1907 as a traditional Dutch clipper barge, the Rosa was designed to haul cargo in waters as shallow as three feet. For 80 years she sailed the inland waterways in the Netherlands, carrying commercial goods for her owners.

Then in the 1990s, the Rosa was beautifully rebuilt, enlarged, and redesigned into a deluxe hotel barge that can host up to eight guests in four cabins. However, my cruise had only six guests with four excellent staff taking care of all our needs for the week.

In 2005, the Rosa became a TV personality as she played host to the BBC travel and cooking series “Rick Stein’s French Odyssey”. Despite her celebrity status, my time on the Rosa was unpretentious and extremely comfortable.

The size of the locks dictates how large a hotel barge can be, and the Rosa makes efficient use of all the available space. With two couches, a small library corner, and a well-stocked bar, the indoor lounge was a pleasant spot for convivial conversations and pre-dinner drinks. Nearby, the dining table set the scene for gourmet meals and memorable interactions with our fellow travelers and staff.

I was taking this cruise with my husband, and I can’t deny that our cabin was on the cozy side, but the queen bed was extremely comfortable and sufficiently large for two people. Packing cubes made it easy to keep all our things organized in the closet with plenty of storage space under the bed for our luggage. The en suite bathroom was large enough for one person’s needs with a shower stall that was roomier than I expected.

My favorite space was the outdoor sun deck with its wooden table and chairs, covered by umbrellas that offered plenty of shade while cruising. This is where I spent most of my time as we travelled slowly along the canal. This top deck also held a hot tub and the bikes we used on the adjacent towpaths.

Off the Beaten Path in Gascony
The Rosa splits her time cruising in both the Bordeaux region and the Gascony region. Located on France’s southwestern coast, Gascony is bordered by Spain’s Pyrenees Mountains to the south, the Bordeaux region to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Garonne River to the east. Though no longer a distinct government region, Gascony has a rich and proud cultural heritage, and the distinct Gascon language is still spoken today.

The Garonne Canal that we were cruising on was an extension of the Canal du Midi, which was built to connect the Mediterranean with Toulouse. The Garonne Canal starts in Toulouse and, with the Garonne River, offers a navigable waterway all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, providing a path for goods to be transported safely from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and bypassing the much longer route around the Strait of Gibraltar.

My mid-June itinerary started in Toulouse on Sunday and extended about 70 miles to the town of Boe, where the cruise ended on Saturday morning. Each day had a similar rhythm, starting with breakfast followed by an excursion during the morning while the temperatures were still comfortable. Lunch was back on the barge, and then we cruised slowly during the afternoon.

The towpath along the canal was flat, shaded, and well maintained, so I biked for a little while each day, easily getting on and off at one of the locks. There might be another short excursion once we docked for the day, or we could go for a walk around town to explore on our own. Then it was time for an excellent dinner, and sundowner drinks up on deck before bed.

Discovering Gascony on Unique Excursions
The excursions on the Rosa allowed us to discover quaint villages and towns along the canal, all of which had their own unique history. Pink-bricked Montauban with its lovely central square surrounded by arched arcades was charming. In Moissac, we visited the UNESCO-listed Abbey of St. Pierre, where the cloister was decorated with some of the best-preserved 11th-century sculpted columns and capitals. And in Auvillar, it was easy to see how the unique circular market hall and the quaint narrow cobbled streets contributed to its designation as “One of the Most Beautiful Villages” in France.

Our excursions also offered unique tastes of the region. At Fermier Farm, we learned how they make cheese and, of course, got to taste some. A barge cruise in France is not complete without a tour and tasting at a winery, which we did at Château Bellevue La Forêt. We also went to Domaine de Lapeyrade to taste Armagnac, the region’s distinctive fortified and distilled brandy made from Gascony grapes.

My favorite visit was the morning we went to the weekly Castelsarrasin market with our chef, where we helped him choose the ingredients for that day’s meals. It was strawberry season, and the aroma of the freshly picked fruit could be smelled from far away. Our chef purchased three different varieties, which we had for dessert at lunch. It was interesting to discover that they each had a very distinct flavor, though they all tasted like a strawberry.

Exceptional Food and Service
As I have experienced on my other barge cruise, the food and wine on the Rosa was superb. Chef Mike outdid himself at every meal, giving us a varied menu that looked as good as it tasted.

My favorite is always the cheese course, and even though we tried three different types at each meal, we barely made a dent in the hundreds of cheese varieties that are produced throughout France. Our sommelier Valerie gave us many distinct white and red wines to try with every course, many from the region, which provided us with yet another taste of Gascony.

As good as everything was all week, it was the people I shared it with that really created a memorable experience. Our fellow companions were like-minded travelers from Australia and the US with whom we had many fun and jovial interactions. The staff was equally fun, providing attentive service that was friendly, personal, and felt completely authentic.

My week on the Rosa went by all too quickly, but the slow travel experience was restful and regenerative. It is always such a treat to escape and have everything done for me at such a high level of quality. For me, that is the ultimate luxury experience, which is why I love barge cruising so much.

Plan your European Waterways barge cruise: https://www.europeanwaterways.com/

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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