| Our family and friends now ask, "are you traveling with
'that group' again?" As if they were some motley group of weirdoes.
Now where would they get that impression?
On the Voyage of the Camargue, the answer is again, "Yes".
The 'group', a.k.a. 'those people' ventured out again for a bicycle/barge
tour of the Lateral Canal--a navigation canal that parallels the Loire
River. |
 |
| Originally, we didn't plan to bicycle all that much. The
'bicycle tours' (with guide) were to begin the week following our trip.
However, the bikes were available 'if we so chose' to use them. One look
at the limitations of entertainment aboard, and most of us 'so chose'
quite quickly. |
 |
| The canal has an amazing system of locks, and (in the
section we traveled) two Pont Canal's--where the canal bridges the river.
Essentially, the canal morphs from a ditch into an elevated metal trough
and crosses the river on a large "pont" or bridge. Amazing yet
simple. Here we approach the Briare Pont Canal. |
 |
| Just as we squeezed into our cabins, the barge squeezes
through the ecluses, or locks. We joked around a lot about the 'basic' accommodations
aboard (it certainly can not be described as plush), but to be honest, we
had a great time. And, hey, the price was right! |
 |
| You too can voyage aboard the Camargue, or other barges in
France. Contact: Four Wind Tours.
|
|
|
