I’ve collected an assortment of these fun facts from around Europe that I’ll share in future blog posts. Kathy and I arrived in Provence this past week for our Luberon Experience tours, so I’ll focus this post on some stories from France.

• At the train station in Apt in the Luberon region of Provence, you can purchase tickets for rail travel to and from any destination in France – except for Apt. The line was closed to regular service in 1989, but the Apt station remains open… even thought the tracks have been removed and a bike trail installed in their place.


At the Apt station you can buy a ticket, but there isn't a train!

• In France it is possible to marry a deceased person but only with the authorization of the President of the Republic.
• In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a very famous wine village in Provence, a municipal law of 1954 prohibits flying saucers from landing in the town.
• More tourists visit France each year than any other country in the world. In 2010 over 67 million visitors came to France, more than the country’s entire population.
• Les Gorges du Verdon (the Grand Canyon of the Verdon) in Provence is one of Europe’s deepest canyons, over 2500 feet deep. The gorge was not really known to the outside world until 1906.
• The world’s first true department store was founded in Paris in 1838 – Le Bon Marche.



• The Societie Bic is the world’s first manufacturer of ball-point pens. By 2005 it had made and sold over one hundred billion pens – that’s 100,000,000,000!!!
• The Eiffel tower was built as a temporary structure in 1887-1889 as the entrance arch for the 1889 World’s Fair. It had a permit to stand for twenty years after which it was to be dismantled. This “temporary” structure has now stood for 123 years. It’s estimated that 6.8 million people now visit the Eiffel Tower every year, with over 250,000,000 visitors since its opening.
• The Millau Viaduct, completed in 2005 in the south of France, is the tallest bridge in the world.
• The Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) is the world’s fastest train. It reached a record 356 miles per hour on a test run between Paris and Strasbourg in April 2007. Its normal cruising speed is 180 mph.
• In a 75 year period in the 19th and 20th centuries, Alsace changed hands between France and Germany four times, depending upon the outcome of the most recent war.
• Lascaux, the cave famous for its primitive animal art, is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Dordogne region of Southwest France. The thousands of visitors clamoring to see the cave each year resulted in serious damage to the art and prompted authorities to close the cave to the public for good in 1963. Lascaux II opened in 1983 and was an identical replica of Lascaux I. Now after some three decades, the replica suffers from the same problems as the original.
• The Pont Julien, crossing the Calavon River near Bonnieux in Provence, was built by the Romans in 3 BC. It was used for daily traffic until 2005 when a new bridge was built!


This 2000-year-old Roman bridge carried regular traffic until 2005!

Charley Wood and his wife Kathy lead European Experiences, week-long “slow tours” in some of the most beautiful areas of Europe, including The Luberon Experience in Provence, France. In 2012 they’re hosting groups in the Luberon, the Chianti region of Tuscany, and the Salzkammergut region of Austria. Charley recently published his first book, A Chateau in Provence.

Kathy and Charley have been traveling in Europe for 20 years and love sharing their special places in Europe with other travelers. Read more about Kathy and Charley here.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

A couple of years ago, while in Paris for Thanksgiving, we were strolling along the cobbled lanes ofIsle Saint Louis, and stopped to enjoy the window display of an intriguing antiquaire on rue La Regrattier. An elegant Art Deco pair of crystal candlesticks kept calling Kirk’s name, and, carefully cushioned in bubble wrap, they came back to Virginia with us, where they now are one of the first things you see when you enter our home.
Kirk wanted to know the provenance of these beauties, and Monsieur Kieken, the owner, told us they were from the renowned (although we had never heard of it) Saint Louis crystal factory in northeastern France.
When we saw that very factory, and the associated museum, listed on the Lorraine-Alsace trip itinerary on which we were invited by the French Tourist Office, we were excited that we would be able to see the place from where our candlesticks came.
The Cristallerie Royal Saint Louis was founded in 1787 by order of Louis XV, beginning as a glass factory. Since the discovery of crystal fifteen years later, the factory has been devoted to the design and production of crystal items.
A fabulous crystal chandelier hangs above the bare earth, surrounded by a winding showcase of centuries of dazzling craftsmanship.
Before we look through the museum, we must first see from where these gorgeous pieces come…. the glowing furnaces, kept at a temperature of at least 1200 degrees fahrenheit, heat the room as high as the catwalk upon which we stand… glad we’re not here in the summer! Molten crystal streams from one furnace – we watch from a safe distance!
After our factory tour, we’re free to tour the museum, and shop at the boutique. I tell the museum guide about our candlesticks, describing their stacked square base, and he immediately knows the era and the designer, Jean Sala, and says that some of his work of the same style is in the museum, as well as in the Paris Museum of Decorative Arts on rue de Rivoli. So now I’m on a hunt, and breezing past the ornate styles of centuries past, I head for the Art Deco period, and there it is, a candlestick with the same base, designed by Monsieur Sala.
What a thrill to see from where our lovely souvenir came! Those very furnaces and workrooms contributed to the beauty in our home – and those candlesticks mean more than ever!
*********************************************************************************
The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we’re interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We’ve visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe.
Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with our Music and Markets guests.
While both of us have experience in organizing travel and music groups Kirk’s background is in project management and competitive writing, and Anne is an accomplished pianist with over thirty years of teaching experience, and a travel and food writer specializing in France and Italy.

Congratulations Kathy & Charley

Blog readers might wonder what this means, but everyone within the Slow Travel Tours group knows.  Earlier this week Kathy revealed to us that The Luberon Experience had been selected for a prestigious National Geographic Award and this seemed the most appropriate way for the rest of us to congratulate them publicly – it was no easy ride achieving this accolade.

National Geographic Traveler Magazine 50 Tours of a Lifetime (photo courtesy of National Geographic)

Each year National Geographic hand pick tours from a myriad entries and home in on those they regard as worthy of being included in their ’50 Tours of a Lifetime’ which are featured in their Traveler magazine.  It must have been an agonising wait from Christmas until early April, but then the great news came via email: this year The Luberon Experience is one of the companies to wear this crown.  The 50 selected Tours are world wide and this year’s selection is revealed in the May issue of the Traveler Magazine.

This is how National Geographic describes the Tours they are looking for:

“They offer a short but deep dive into far-flung cultures and transformative experiences. We looked for tours (including volunteer, adventure, family, and small-ship trips) designed for experience, immersion, sustainability, and cultural connection.” and “An antidote to the average”

Obviously Kathy & Charley’s Luberon Experience Tours fit this bill and it’s true to say that all the Tours offered by Slow Travel Tour group members do too.  But to be selected for such an award is irrefutable confirmation that those ‘returners’ are right – a Tour with Kathy & Charley is a life-changing and memorable experience.

This is just one comment from Kathy & Charley’s Travelers’ Feedback Page:

“I felt like a traveler, not a tourist… seeing those things most people do not. Goat farms, family homes, private vineyard tours… they all topped all expectations. I loved the feeling of being a “local”. 

Nick from Massachusetts, USA

Everyone in the Slow Travel Tours group works tremendously hard to put together unique Tours and importantly, Tours are led by the group members – right from the start you deal with the person you will be touring with.  Kathy and Charley have a time proven track record and many ‘returners’ on their tours, what better recommendation can there be? But again, all the members have excellent track records too – take a look at any of the groups’ websites and you’ll find glowing comments from past visitors.

Visitors’ comments are appreciated and cherished; this is just one example from our Visitors Book that you can see on our website:

“There is an old Van Morrison song called “Enlightenment” – this one word that so well describes my 6 days staying in your lovely home – drinking your Pineau! Eating absolutely splendid meals created both by Judie and also by your friends at local restaurants (beef cheeks? Who knew?!) and of course, being chauffeured and guided by archaeologist extraordinaire – Steve!  The caves, the castles – the emotion and enthusiasm you brought with you to each site was truly infectious and will change the way I view our world, our past, as humans. Thank you both so much for enlightening me with this knowledge and your passions. I truly am changed (for the better!) for this adventure. I will be back someday!”         

            Sandy, Colorado, USA, April 2011

Selection is no lottery!  All entries are screened and sifted, checked and rechecked. As Kathy told us “we filled out the extensive questionnaire and made it through to the next round when we were asked to send photos and captions”

That’s a lot of hard work!  I once asked Kathy if she ever slept – she is a major contributor to STT as well as organising and running the Tours with Charley – her days seem to have more hours than mine!  Her answer was “I fortunately need very little sleep”.   I believe it!  She is so committed to everything she is involved with.

Kathy, Charley – we all applaud you.  You run great Tours and this Award substantiates what your previous visitors and we your fellow group members know: you are truly dedicated to what you do and also work incredibly hard to promote and develop your Tours.

It has been suggested that other members of the Group should try for this prestigious award next year.  Having one member of the group recognised in this way is tremendous – if others of us could join you up there, it would be phenomenal!

Watch this space….

In the meantime, again congratulations to you both from all your fellow members of Slow Travel Tours.

Steve and Judie Burman live in the beautiful Vezere Valley in the Dordogne region of South-West France. Together they run Caves and Castles, specialising in prehistoric Cave Art and medieval Castles Tours. Small groups tours (up to six people) are based at their recently converted farmhouse. Alternatively, they offer non-residential tours for a day or longer.

Professional archaeologist, Steve and his wife Judie love to share their passion for the ‘Cradle of Humanity.’ World famous sites such as Lascaux, the ‘Sistine Chapel of Prehistory’ and Font de Gaume are close by. Coupled with gastronomic meals and superb wines, your Caves & Castles Tour is really special

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Guests from our hotel barge walking along the tow path

Each time that we moor in the village port of Meilhan-sur-Garonne, I draw our guests’ attention to an almost art nouveau concrete structure, about waist height and some twelve metres long; it is full of flowers, tumbling down over the concrete sides.  Quite a structure for a flower pot, one thinks.  Then you see the clue that tells of the reason it was built – there are rings attached to the front wall all the way along;  these were for tying up the draft horses that were used to pull the barges, and what is now a planter used to be a feed trough!

It is a reminder of the way the canal was used right up until the introduction of power driven barges in the early 1900’s.  Freight was efficiently transported for hundreds of miles, using as motive power nothing but draft horses walking steadily along the canal tow path.  Those were the days of total sustainability – the locally-bred horses were fed locally produced crops, nothing had to be imported.

A large group of walkers on the tow path

Every canal therefore needed a tow path.  After the end of the era of horse-pulled barges, when motor driven barges took over, the tow paths in many places became disused and overgrown.  The Government of France came to a conclusion not many years ago, to the effect that the tow-paths represented a very significant resource that needed to be improved and developed for the benefit of the welfare and fitness of the population.  The Canal Garonne, “our canal”, was one of the first in France to be brought up to the modern standard, with the tow path cleared, levelled and surfaced.  It was completed between the cities of Bordeaux and Toulouse just three years ago, and it was done to such a condition that it is registered as a cycle path and we even see people rollerblading along it.

Bicycles and rollerblades

As was projected by the planners who designed and financed this facility, the increase in recreational use of the tow path has been very evident.  We now see long distance walkers and cyclists doing the route between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as well as people taking cycle rides from all the towns and villages along the way.  We also see the birth of cafés and restaurants, and low-cost accommodation, provided to take advantage of this new and healthy “slow travel” form of tourism.  We also see family groups, with children of all ages, taking to the tow path and camping along the way, having their own adventure and enjoying the beauty and ambiance of the canal.  It is great to see this newly encouraged shared use of the canal system, and usually we get a friendly wave from the cyclists, who are happy enjoying the environment.

A recumbent trike and a friendly wave

What is remarkable is the sheer variety of bicycles that we see.  Not only are there the “normal” bicycles, but also every possible combination imaginable – recumbent bicycles, recumbent tricycles with the single wheel at the front, recumbent tricycles with the single wheel at the back, bicycles with trailers, tricycles with trailers, tandem bicycles – with our unparalled view of the tow path from the barge in the canal, we feel almost as if we are being treated to a “What’s New in Bicycles” exhibition!  Two unusual machines that I was unfortunately unable to photograph were a penny-farthing and a sort of streamlined two-wheeled pedal car, travelling extremely fast!

Two recumbent trikes

A high-tech recumbent trike, with proud owner

Finally, I would like to share with you two photographs of a school group that came our way some days ago.  The children stopped to sketch our barge, while their lunches were being carried by three donkeys being handled by the teachers.  Thus, as is so often the case, we see a cyclic trend in the use of the canal, with four-legged animals once again being used on the canal tow paths!

School party day out on the canal side - with their donkeys

Looking over the top of the barge to the budding artists on the canal side

Alasdair and Barbara have lived full-time in France for some seven years, and they are now in their sixth season of operation with their Hotel Barge theSaint Louis. They come from the west coast of Scotland, and they each have wide-ranging hospitality experience.

The Saint Louis is a 30-metre converted Dutch barge, providing luxurious accommodation for up to six guests. Cruises are by the week, in the Garonne valley between Toulouse and Bordeaux.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

… the “coquelicots” that bloom in May.

Farmers plant fields of poppies just for their beauty.

We can always find poppies around Bonnieux and Lacoste…

… and near colorful Roussillon across the valley.

The poppies offer some of the best photo ops in Provence…

Everyone loves the poppies in Provence. 

Poppies make people smile.

Some people lie in the poppies. Some seem to swim through the flowers.

And some can’t help skipping.

Some poppies share their field with other flowers.

Some poppies are sown by the wind, growing here and there…

… along a wall

… near an ancient bridge

… around castle ruins…

… and among the vines.

Later in summer, we sometimes see poppies and lavender together.

Our friend Françoise painted this picture of Bonnieux and the poppies. It hangs in our home, a reminder of a special friend, a special place, a special time of year.

Reminding us that soon we’ll be back in Provence with the poppies again.

Kathy Wood and her husband Charley lead European Experiences, week-long “slow tours” in some of the most beautiful areas of Europe, including The Luberon Experience in Provence, France.

In 2012 Kathy and Charley are hosting groups in the Luberon, the Chianti region of Tuscany, and the Salzkammergut region of Austria. Their 2013 trips will include the Luberon, the Cotswolds in England, and a new trip—The Périgord Experience—in the Dordogne region of southwest France.

Kathy and Charley have been traveling in Europe for over 20 years and love sharing their special places in Europe with other travelers. Read more about Kathy and Charley here.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

What you won’t normally hear is that the Ice Age is actually here now! But believe us, it currently feels like we have a mini-Ice Age – and we’re definitely not as tough as our ancestors were. Thank goodness for a wood burning stove, easily available supplies of wood and food and a well insulated home.

People of the Deer by Farley Mowat

If you really want to get an idea how it would have been to live under those conditions, we suggest you read Farley Mowat’s book ‘People of the Deer’ – it’s quite old now (published in 1954) but it is a fascinating read and remarkably well researched. Leaving aside the emotive issues centring around the devastating affects that the white man has had on the lives of the Innuit, it vividly describes just how harsh life was in those climatic conditions,. The hunger – to the point of starvation – and hardships. The struggle just to survive in a desperately harsh environment where the odds are heavily stacked again humanity. However skilful and resourceful as hunters and survival experts, the people knew they were incredibly vulnerable. The caribou (or reindeer) migrated in such seemingly endless numbers, covering the landscape for days, shaking the ground several miles away. But this living torrent could stop or go somewhere else for no apparent reason. If this happened they starved. There was no well stocked freezer to fall back on as there is for us today; no supermarkets to rely on.

How do you gather firewood when the landscape is blanketed under snow and ice? How do you weatherproof your home? (if indeed you are fortunate enough to have one). How do you clothe yourself? Without giving too much of the book away, Mowat comes to the conclusion that it is not the shelters they live in that are the Innuit’s home, but in fact it is their clothing which is so efficient that it insulates and protects them, so if their homes are draughty, it does not matter. They carry their ‘home’ with them!

Reading this book also gives a really good idea of how things were for our Ice Age ancestors and how life would have been back then in the Vezere Valley.

Snow capped Chateau de Losse

Right now, we have a few inches of snow and temperatures around zero – and we know it won’t last. We can be confident that it is temporary. Spring will soon be here and meanwhile we can admire snow capped Chateau de Losse and fondly remember occasions when we’ve stopped there for a sunny photo call.

A sunny photo call at Chateau du Losse in more normal conditions

And we’re looking forward to the warmer times ahead when we’ll be welcoming more new friends here to join us at Les Rosiers for a Caves & Castles Tour or self catering holiday – it’s not long at all now. It’ll be Spring before we know it!

Steve and Judie Burman live in the beautiful Vezere Valley in the Dordogne region of South-West France. Together they run Caves and Castles, specialising in prehistoric Cave Art and medieval Castles Tours. Small groups tours (up to six people) are based at their recently converted farmhouse. Alternatively, they offer non-residential tours for a day or longer.

Professional archaeologist, Steve and his wife Judie love to share their passion for the ‘Cradle of Humanity.’ World famous sites such as Lascaux, the ‘Sistine Chapel of Prehistory’ and Font de Gaume are close by. Coupled with gastronomic meals and superb wines, your Caves & Castles Tour is really special

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Every year, during our season, guests ask what we do during the winter months. Sometimes the question is entirely open – more often it is loaded, as if to say “you guys must have a wonderful life, only having to work for half the year!”

It is half true. We do feel that we have a wonderful life, but not because we can put our feet up for six months of the year! In the first place, the winter months provide us with the time to do things that we cannot do during our cruising season. This includes all the medical appointments – teeth and eyes to be checked, overall check-ups and screenings – France is very strong on preventative medicine. We also catch up on the social life that we have to forego during the season, part of which is to do with the walking group in our little village – last week for example we went on a 2-day trek high in the Pyrénées.

In the mountains

We also spend our time on all the essentials to do with the marketing of our small business – trade shows to visit, agents in other countries to meet, and back home all the booking procedures and client enquiries to handle. Most often, the people who would like to book a cruise on our hotel barge have all sorts of questions first, and it is the way in which we respond to these questions that develops a rapport with our future guests, so that when they arrive on the boat we know them as friends already, and they know what to expect by way of hair dryers, slippers, dressing-gowns, and all the little services that we provide. All of this information is available on our web site, but the personal contact we have with our guests before their arrival greatly helps to get the week off to a good start.

There is, however, another major category of work that takes our time and energy during the winter months, and that is all to do with the maintenance of the barge. Over the years, each winter we have tackled major works on the boat, bringing it up to a higher and higher standard. Neither of us like the “last minute panic” style of preparing for the season, and the high level of presentation we achieve is the result of weeks and weeks of work during the winter months.

We had one adventure with the boat last autumn, when we took her to the dry dock in Toulouse. The journey there and back was fairly routine, but this is not part of the canal system that we normally cruise and so everything was a bit unfamiliar.

We are obliged to put the boat into a dry dock every five years in order to keep our “Permit de Navigation” up to date, and to do routine cleaning and painting of the hull. This year our surveyor had all sorts of new inspections to do, because a new set of regulations has come into force since our last docking. I am pleased to report that we passed with flying colours!

Saint Louis in the covered dry dock

The dry dock itself is a remarkable piece of engineering, right in the middle of Toulouse. The facility was built at the same time as the canal, around 1670, and the covered dock that we were in is a listed building. Originally, there were four open-air dry dock chambers and one covered one, and it is easy to imagine the bustle that was part of the scene in the days of all the working barges on the canal – it is an important part of the industrial heritage of the country. Nowadays, only the covered dock and two open-air ones are ever used.

One of the magnificent elements of the dry dock is that no external energy is used for the docking process. A valve is opened to fill the dock from the basin, which in turn is connected directly to the Canal; water for this comes from reservoirs in the Black Mountains and flows by gravity down the Canal du Midi. The boat enters the dock and is moored. Then a floating plug that forms a door to the dock is moved into position, and a big valve on the side of the dock is opened. The water is emptied from the dry dock and the boat settles on its supports. One fascinating element of this engineering masterpiece is that the water flowing from the dry dock is channelled down about five kilometres of brick-built vaulted tunnel, to flow into the River Garonne.

Part of the open air dry dock, Saint Louis behind

Where is Abri Cro-Magnon? Steve will show you.

“Don’t think of a visit to this region without booking Steve as your guide – his insight and knowledge never fails to amaze us. This is our third visit and once again we have realised that there are still plenty more things for us to do in the area”.

These are words left in our Visitors Book and were written by a family after their third visit to Les Rosiers. It gives us a lovely buzz when people comment so favourably, whether it’s about a self-catering holiday based here at Les Rosiers with days out guided by Steve or a full board, fully guided Caves & Castles Tour based here.

So what is it all about? Why the excitement?

Well, the Vezere Valley is one of the most important areas in the world when it comes to the history of man. Our species, Cro-Magnon man, was discovered here and named after an easily over-looked site down at Les Eyzies. Most people wouldn’t even know to look for it, never mind where to find it, but Steve can take you there.

How do we know this? Through painstaking archaeological excavation, hours of post-excavation work and, very often, sheer luck! Evidence from the past can be extremely fragile and easy to overlook.

Our local chateau - Steve (centre) with guests

As well as prehistoric sites, the area is renowned for it’s castles – or chateaux as they are called in French. There are over a 1000 – ranging from magnificent Castelnaud-la-Chapelle which towers over the Dordogne river dominating the landscape to Le Petit Marsac above La Madeleine troglodyte village Chateau Milandes, the former home of Josephine Baker and her adopted “rainbow” family is a favourite with all ages. The poignant story of her life and the thrilling raptor flight displays in the grounds of the magnificent chateau make an unusual combination.

So much has gone on in this region for so long – the Hundred Years War has left many a mark. The Dordogne was often on the front line and the region was frequently pillaged and burnt. The bastide towns with their uniformly laid out street patterns were laid out by the French or English kings as territorial markers, when they attempted to extend their kingdoms.

There’s so much else to do to – gardens to visit, museums, exhibitions, walking, riding, cycling, canoeing – the list goes on. The area is also known for it’s gastronomy – our neighbours produce the most wonderful walnut oil – and foie gras is a favourite with many. The local markets are great for buying fresh, colourful local produce – ideal if you’re on a self-catering holiday and, of course, there’s dozens of local restaurants to try.

So often we’re asked to show people ‘the Dordogne’ in 24 or 48 hours! It’s a huge department – the 3rd biggest in France! You just can’t do it justice in this time and it is such a shame when people come on ‘whistle stop tours’. Ok, so the Dordogne box has been ticked – but what can you really see in such a short time? Holidays shouldn’t just be about ‘ticking boxes’ – so much time is spent travelling from place to place, that the time to actually see places, to stand and admire, and ‘get under the skin’ of the area is drastically reduced.

A Day Tour is a great way to ‘whet your appetite’ but please don’t think you can see it all in just one day! By all means come and have a ‘taster’ but bear in mind you are only just ‘scratching the surface’. The philosophy of the Slow Travel Tours group is to travel slowly, stay a while and use a local guide. It’s a good investment. You save time and fuel and really get the most out of your visit – and that’s what it should all be about surely?

Everyone in the Slow Travel Tours Group joins with us in wishing you all the very best for the Festive Season and the New Year – and if you have a break from work, we hope you’ll take the opportunity to plan your 2012 travels!

Steve and Judie Burman live in the beautiful Vezere Valley in the Dordogne region of South-West France. Together they run Caves and Castles, specialising in prehistoric Cave Art and medieval Castles Tours. Small groups tours (up to six people) are based at their recently converted farmhouse. Alternatively, they offer non-residential tours for a day or longer.

Professional archaeologist, Steve and his wife Judie love to share their passion for the ‘Cradle of Humanity.’ World famous sites such as Lascaux, the ‘Sistine Chapel of Prehistory’ and Font de Gaume are close by. Coupled with gastronomic meals and superb wines, your Caves & Castles Tour is really special

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

The canal system of western Europe is very extensive, and this network was built (largely in the 1800’s) to form an artery for commercial freight traffic. It is pleasing to note that there is still a huge amount of freight transported on the larger canals of northern France, Holland and Germany. Why is this pleasing? Not solely for romantic reasons, but particularly because water transport is a very fuel-efficient way to move bulk loads. Recent studies have shown that at present fuel prices a barge carrying 250 tonnes of freight competes equally with road freight – and we can be sure that fuel prices are only going to rise!

Working barges

In the “hay days” of barge transport, tens of thousands of working barges were plying their trade. In the second half of the 1900’s, however, this trade reduced considerably. Smaller barges were less economic, and many went out of business and were broken up. Similarly, many of the smaller canals went into decline, some of them were even closed.

The evolution continued. In the early 1960’s, people started to explore the French canals in their own boats; fifteen years later, the first hire boats appeared, and within a very few years the first hotel barges appeared. Little by little this water-borne tourism developed – hire boat fleets became more numerous and the number of hotel barges also increased. At the same time, the French government realised that the potential for tourism on the inland waterways was huge and largely unexploited, and work was done in many areas to improve the canal infrastructure – pleasure ports were established, facilities were added, in some cases canals were re-opened after being closed for a number of years.

This growth of water-based tourism has gone unchecked. Now, every year over 330,000 visitors come to France to enjoy a holiday on a boat of some kind, and the industry is worth around 352 million euros a year. The figures for this success story might appear off-putting to the discerning traveller looking for an exclusive and special vacation, but do remember that France has 8,500 kilometres of navigable inland waterways and so it is very easy to find the calm and peace that should be associated with a holiday on the water! Even more important , though, for those seeking an “off the beaten track” holiday, is to carefully select the actual canal. On our hotel barge the Saint Louis we call the area in which we operate our “hidden corner of France”, and there are days in which we cruise without seeing another boat moving on the water!

The tree-lined Canal Garonne

The effective re-cycling of some barges from their freight-carrying life to their tourism life has been an interesting phenomenon. You start off with a barge that has a very sound hull and excellent machinery, designed for constant daily use on the canal system, but redundant because of changes in transport economics. In place of the cargo hold you can install accommodation – bedrooms, saloons, kitchens, bathrooms. The original space was huge, and you have the opportunity to create accommodation that is high-technology, including central heating, air conditioning, en-suite bathroom facilities, and so on. In the early days of hotel barges, things were far more basic. Passengers on a hotel barge then would be likely to sleep in bunk beds, and to share one bathroom with all other passengers, finding hot or cold water as if by lottery. Nowadays, you can find some distinctly luxurious barges. On the Saint Louis, for example, you will find luxuriously appointed cabins with single beds or queen-sized double beds, with individual, spacious fully tiled bathrooms, and with a saloon that is fully panelled, that has a solid hardwood bar, and that has original barge etchings around the walls. The standard of maintenance and the attention to detail all contribute to the ambiance of luxury.

Interior of the Saint Louis

What would a guest on a luxury hotel barge expect to find? Why would this be a holiday of a lifetime? Why is a barge holiday different? The answers to these questions lie in looking at the overall package. Certainly, the barge itself would be luxuriously appointed, elegant, and pristine. Secondly, the gourmet food, the quality wines, and the caring professionalism of the crew would impress on an hour by hour basis. Thirdly, the daily excursions to well researched places of interest would add a richness to the holiday. But – beyond everything – the way in which a hotel barge cruises the canals provides the essential – and irreplaceable – backdrop to a barge holiday. By this I mean that the barge travels very slowly and quietly through the French countryside, all manoeuvres are carried out slowly and gently, the view is constantly and slowly changing, daily and hourly planning is looked after by your crew, the word “relaxation” takes on a new dimension, and you start to absorb and appreciate what we call the “Zen Factor” of barging.

Cruising on the Saint Louis

Alasdair and Barbara have lived full-time in France for some seven years, and they are now in their sixth season of operation with their Hotel Barge theSaint Louis. They come from the west coast of Scotland, and they each have wide-ranging hospitality experience.

The Saint Louis is a 30-metre converted Dutch barge, providing luxurious accommodation for up to six guests. Cruises are by the week, in the Garonne valley between Toulouse and Bordeaux.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Although most of our European Experiences weeks are open to anyone, we do offer some trips for a very special group: women travelers. We’ve already designated our May 19-26, 2012 Luberon Experience trip as a special Women’s Week. We’re also considering opening up a second Women’s Week in the Chianti region of Tuscany the week of June 9-16.

Laughing in the Luberon (photo contest winner by Lindsay)

Women’s Week is very important to me personally… it’s the trip I’d always dreamed of! I met Charley when I was 35 and we got married the next year. Before then I’d always wanted to go to Europe, but I didn’t have anyone to go with.  After Charley and I got married and started traveling together, I met many women who wanted to travel abroad but didn’t want to go alone or end up on a tour surrounded by couples. My European travel experiences had such an impact on me, and I really wanted to help more women travel and especially to experience our beautiful area of Provence. So when we started European Experiences, Charley and I decided to designate at least one of our weeks each year as a “Women’s Week.” He and I both really look forward to these groups.

Lisa traveled solo from Australia

Since our first Luberon Experience Women’s Week in 2007, our all-women groups have included women of all ages, from all over the USA, Australia and Canada. Our women’s groups have included solo travelers, college roommates, friends, mothers and daughters, and sisters. These groups bond very quickly, and in just a few hours, everyone is among friends. I love being part of these groups.

I asked several women who have been part of our Womens Weeks groups to share more about their experiences:

“We had organized a group of girlfriends. My friend Lavonne suggested we do a girls’ trip to Provence and I found Kathy and Charley’s week to be a perfect fit. We all loved visiting gardens, shopping in charming markets, dining on great food and fabulous wines, laughing, and exploring lovely Provence with our experienced guides who took us to the best of the best. It was worry free–no decisions, just have fun. I especially spending the week with my sister who had never travelled abroad.” (Lindsay – California)

Sharing the Luberon with new friends

“I’m not a big traveler and this was my first trip to Europe. My husband doesn’t travel at all but my sister Eileen is an experienced traveler. The Luberon Experience Women’s Week was exactly what we needed for my first trip abroad. I did not have to decide where to eat, what to see, and most of all how to get around in a foreign country.

Our group included another pair of sisters, a mother and daughter, two childhood friends, and one single traveler. We mixed and mingled all week, and many of us still keep in touch. I think Women’s Week is a fabulous idea for a female single traveler.  I’ll do another trip with Kathy and Charley. I would not hesitate to go alone because I know once I am introduced to the group, I’ll have companions for the week and friends for a lifetime.” (Lorraine – South Carolina)

“As I was travelling on my own, I thought it more likely that within an all women’s group I would be included by others in activities in the non-structured tour times. I was right. I loved the flexibility. If in the free time I wanted to read a book or have a sleep, I could. Or if I wanted to go for a walk, go shopping or go to a café or restaurant, there always seemed to be someone else to share this experience with. Everyone got along together very well. It was great getting to know everyone and sharing our life stories. I felt there developed over the week a very strong sense of companionship within this lovely group of women with such different lives. We enjoyed a lot of laughter and good times – who could forget our wonderful lunch with our host playing the guitar and singing whilst some of the group danced!” (Lisa – Queensland, Australia)

Anne enjoyed the trip with her mom

Sisters Cathy and Ginny had an adventure

“My mother and I chose the Women’s Week tour because it seemed so very appropriate for us as a mother/daughter duo. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with other women and each other. I really enjoyed the feeling of camaraderie in our group. There was a feeling of easy companionship, a feeling of acceptance, and at times a shared joy in the experience. One special memory is the ‘on your own’ evening meal my mom and I shared with two of the women we met in our group. We ate at the restaurant across the street from our B&B. We laughed and celebrated, sharing amazing conversation, food and wine.” (Anne – Minnesota)

“My sister Ginny and I wanted a small group tour in Provence and The Luberon Experience had everything we wanted. We also wanted to be in Paris on my 50th birthday and in Provence the next week. It happened to work out for us that it was Women’s Week.  I think we would have come regardless of that, but it really was a lot of fun. The women in the group seemed to be interested in the same types of things for the most part. We were very cohesive.” (Cathy – Iowa)

This was definitely a memorable Women's Week!

Valerie joined us for Women’s Week in 2009 and enjoyed it so much that she and her friend Julie came back this summer for one of our other Luberon Experience groups. “The women’s trip was a chance for all of us women to eat as much as we like, drink as much as we like, shop till we drop, and even have a beer and play cards, all while enjoying the most lovely place on earth. The trips themselves were the two best I ever had…well-orchestrated, friendly, fun-filled and full of warmth and charm.” (Valerie – Montana)

An all-women's group with Adventures in Italy

Fellow Slow Travel tour leader Kristi Steiner and her husband Bill of Adventures in Italy also often host all-women’s group and she beautifully describes what we’ve experienced in our Women’s Week. “Because most of our trips focus on exploring a creative art form while in Italy, our guests are often women. We see their level of sharing, of connecting, and of relaxing comfortably in this foreign land heightened by being with other women. Total strangers almost instantly become friends and often stay in close touch upon returning home.  We love our all-women’s groups because of the beautiful transformations we witness during their week with us.  We see the stress, the responsibilities, the worries of the world peel off weary shoulders day by enchanted day.  At the end of their trip, most women are glowing with a new found vibrancy and zest for life.”

Our 2010 Women's Week group in Provence

Whether you’re a woman traveling on your own or with a friend, sister, mother or daughter, an all-women’s tour could be just the trip you’ve always dreamed of! Or think about the special women in your life; this might also be the ideal type of trip for them.
 

Kathy Wood and her husband Charley lead European Experiences, week-long “slow tours” in some of the most beautiful areas of Europe, including The Luberon Experience in Provence, France.

In 2012 Kathy and Charley are hosting groups in the Luberon, the Chianti region of Tuscany, and the Salzkammergut region of Austria. Their 2013 trips will include the Luberon, the Cotswolds in England, and a new trip—The Périgord Experience—in the Dordogne region of southwest France.

Kathy and Charley have been traveling in Europe for over 20 years and love sharing their special places in Europe with other travelers. Read more about Kathy and Charley here.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.