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Barges In France: Lorraine
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NEW ROUTE!
Cruise in France on the Burgundy Canal in Southern Burgundy
and on the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace on the First Class Hotel-Barge LORRAINE

SEVEN DAYS / SIX NIGHTS

The 22-passenger Lorraine has a cozy salon and bar area with barge modern furnishings, a separate dining room and a sundeck wreathed in flowers, chairs and parasols. On the lower deck are 11 comfortable cabins with twin beds and large opening windows. New for 2009 the Lorraine offers a laptop computer for passenger use, two French cell phones for rent while on board and hot air ballooning where available (fee to be paid on board).

At the beginning of the 2009 season, Lorraine embarks on a new route, following a popular itinerary along the Burgundy Canal, one of the most beloved in France, with an incredible abundance of interesting shore excursions by coach, on foot, by balloon or by bicycle. This incomparable region is world-renowned for its exquisite cuisine and fine wine. The cruise route affords plenty of opportunity for walking or biking along the canal.

Then in summer 2009, Lorraine will begin its traditional journey through Alsace -- perhaps the most picturesque province in France -- a voyage of endless discoveries of art and architecture, gourmet food and wine, history and heritage. The Vosges mountains dotted here and there with turreted castles, as well as picture-book villages with their brilliant displays of petunias and geraniums make this a most memorable cruise.

Features

  • Size of barge: 128 ft by 17 ft
  • Number of Passengers: 22
  • Number of Cabins (all with private bath): 11
  • Crew: 7
  • Air Conditioning and Central Heating: Yes
  • Salon: Salon with comfortable sofas, bar area and separate dining room with seating for 22.
  • Bar: Cash bar - wine included with lunch and dinner
  • Deck: Sundeck with tables, chairs, and umbrellas for shade.
  • Spa Tub: No
  • Cabin Features: Eleven cabins, all twin-bedded, each approximately 110 sq. ft., all with large windows and ensuite bathroom with shower.
  • Vehicle for Transfers/Excursions: Motor coach
  • Accessibility: Steps to cabins.
  • Bicycles: Yes

Lorraine's Deck Plan
Lorraine's Deck Plan


Passenger Comments:

The countryside [Alsace] is beautiful and the side trips were interesting. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Consistently outstanding every meal. We couldn't wait to see the menu for the next meal. We enjoyed it because we love being in the French countryside. I am a retired senior Army officer, so I have a pretty good feel for judging the cohesiveness of a team. Helen and her crew were very tight knit. I enjoyed watching them work together to make sure everything went smoothly and we passengers were happy. They did a great job.
-- W.L. MA, USA

Wonderful! The crew was very friendly and helpful. The food was outstanding. The group was great fun!
-- J.T. MI, USA

The Lorraine barge cruise was absolutely unbelievable. GREAT crew, GREAT fellow passengers, GREAT food, GREAT excursions, GREAT EVERYTHING.
--M.S., AZ, USA

We're writing to thank you for all your help in setting up our trip to Alsace. The barge was wonderful, the staff super and the passengers delightful. The beauty of the countryside overwhelmed us as did the French chef's cooking.
-- B.H.

SAMPLE ITINERARY*
Burgundy:
Canal de Bourgogne, Saone River, Canal du Centre:
Dijon to St Leger sur Dheune
The Burgundy Canal, the most beloved in France, offers an incredible abundance of interesting shore excursions by coach, on foot, by balloon, or by bicycle. This incomparable region is world-renowned for its exquisite cuisine and fine wine.

Saturday
Meet at the Dijon train station at 4:15 p.m. The bus will wait until all passengers are on board or 5:30 p.m. Bus transfer to Lorraine and welcome aboard drinks with introduction of the crew. As you are getting acquainted with your new sailing mates the Lorraine will begin its journey along the Canal de Bourgogne to its evening mooring at Ouges.

Sunday
After your buffet breakfast aboard Lorraine, our motor coach will wisk you to Dijon for a tour of this capital of Burgundy. Meanwhile Lorraine continues down the Canal de Bourgogne. Passengers will return to Lorraine for lunch and continue cruising along the canal. There are many opportunities for guests to walk along the towpath or cycle into nearby villages. This evening we will moor in St Jean de Losne, traditionally the center of barging in Burgundy. It is in St Jean de Losne that the Canal de Bourgogne merges with the River Saone. There is ample opportunity to walk through the village before dinner and stroll the quiet streets after dinner. There are hundreds of barges moored here in addition to major barge manufacturers. Live-aboard barge owners are abundant. It is a unique village.

Monday
This morning your guide will take you to visit Clos de Vougeot. Wine was produced here as early as the 12th century, by none other than the local monks. A private wine tasting follows before we return to Lorraine. This afternoon we will cruise to Chalon sur Saone. Chalon sur Saone is the second largest city in Burgundy and has been an important trading center since Gallo-Roman times. There will be time to visit the beautiful medieval town center surrounding the Cathedral St Vincent.

Tuesday
Today we enter the Canal du Centre from the Saone through a lock with a 50-foot rise. We will cruise along an attractive winding stretch where a good towpath and fairly frequent locks give ample opportunities to walk or cycle the towpath. This afternoon we will have an excursion to the nearby village of Rully for a private guided tour of the 12th century Chateau. When we return to Lorraine it will be moored in the lovely little town of Chagny.

Wednesday
Morning excursion to Beaune. Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy and home to the magnificent Hotel-Dieu, a charity hospital founded in 1443. This monument boasts the finest Burgundian-Flemish architecture in the world. Afternoon cruise through the meanders of the Canal du Centre to moor in the midst of the famous vineyards of Santenay.

Thursday
Today we navigate to the quiet village of Dennevy. Drive to Couches to visit the chateau of Marguerite of Burgundy, the beautifully preserved vestiges of a vast medieval fortress, followed by a tasting of the wines made here by Emmanuel Cayot, son of the owner. Ample time for walking or cycling today. Later we cruise on to the picturesque village of St Leger-sur-Dheune for a farewell gala dinner.

Friday
Transfer to Dijon train station after breakfast.

Note: This is a sample itinerary and it is subject to modification in the case of unforeseen circumstances and canal closures. This cruise may run in reverse on alternate weeks.

SAMPLE ITINERARY*
Alsace:
Canal de la Marne au Rhin, Canal du Rhone au Rhin
Krafft to Xouaxange
Cruise to the heart of Alsace-Lorraine, where French and German cultures entwine to create one of France’s most bewitching regions. Visit Colmar and Strasbourg, enjoy wine tasting, and have a look at crystal-making. Spend time in picturesque villages and around a gourmet dining table.

Saturday - Krafft
Meeting place is the Strasbourg train station. From there you will be transferred to the Lorraine, moored in the village of Krafft. Sip an aperitif as we welcome you on board and introduce you to the crew. (Meanwhile, your luggage is quietly taken to your cabin.) Enjoy your first gourmet dinner on board this evening.

Sunday - Krafft to Strasbourg
After breakfast we cruise the peaceful Canal du Rhone au Rhin, a beautiful waterway that has seen little use since the building of the Grand Canal d'Alsace in the 1950's.  Then we take the air-conditioned coach to Colmar, renowned for its magnificent medieval and Renaissance buildings, 13th-century collegiate church, and the waterside Little Venice district. Enjoy a guided tour and free time to explore. Stop at the Unterlinden Museum, famous for its Renaissance art and home to the "Issenheim Altarpiece." Return to the barge through the famous "Route Des Vins," a small road running at the base of the foothills of the Vosges Mountains, parallel to the Rhine and through the famous vineyards of Alsace. Pause in picturesque Medieval Riquewihr for a wine tasting of local vintages before returning to Lorraine, moored in Strasbourg.

Monday - Strasbourg to Hochfelden
We cast off early and cruise over breakfast and through the morning toward Strasbourg. During lunch we enter the heart of Strasbourg and pass through the commercial docks before leaving the city to the north. We pass the ultra modern buildings of the European Parliament. Here we will disembark for an afternoon guided walking tour of the principal sights of Strasbourg. The unique beauty of picturesque "petite France" riverside district is magnificent. The remarkable cathedral of Notre Dame, whose construction spread over five centuries from the Romanesque choir to the flamboyant Gothic spire, is a highlight. Afterward there is free time to explore this capital of Alsace, perhaps visit one of the museums, take advantage of the excellent shopping or just stroll through the cobbled streets of timbered houses before returning to the Lorraine at her mooring close by in the village of Hochfelden.

Tuesday - Hochfelden to Lutzelbourg
This morning we begin cruising after breakfast passing several typical Alsatian villages where ancient documents prove there was a brewery as early as 870 A.D. We will visit a small local brewery. All the best French beers are brewed in Alsace. This day provides us with excellent opportunities for walking and cycling (perhaps diverting to a bierstube to appreciate the product of a local brewery). Later, a delightful afternoon cruise brings us to the picturesque small town of Lutzelbourg nestled in the Vosges mountains.

Wednesday - Lutzelbourg to Hess
After breakfast we make a short drive to visit a unique crystal factory  to see the most famous products of this area. Beautiful pieces of crystal are still individually blown and fashioned by hand. Back on board, cruise into Lorraine, where the canal follows the steep-sided valley of the River Zorn to the famous inclined plane of Arzwiller. Here, a counterbalanced barge lift hauls us up nearly 150 feet to the Marne to Rhine Canal. We then cruise through a cutting and two tunnels under the peak of the Vosges Mountains before mooring at a quiet spot near the village of Hess.

Thursday - Hess to Xouaxange   
We begin the morning along the summit pound, the highest section of the Marne to Rhine canal. This section of some 30 kilometers with no locks passes through the regional park of Lorraine, a nature reserve with numerous lakes and vast areas of woodland. The canal then begins its descent towards the plain of Lorraine through a series of locks, the first of which was built in the 1950's to replace a flight of seven of the original early 19th century locks and has a drop of nearly 50 feet. This afternoon we will take the coach for a drive to Sarrebourg and visit the chapel of the Cordelieres where we can see the stained glass window created by Marc Chagall.  We return to Lorraine for our farewell gala dinner.
 
Friday - Xouaxange
Leave the Lorraine after breakfast with coach transfer to the train station in Strasbourg.

Note: This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change. This cruise may run in reverse on alternate weeks.

Lorraine
2009 Season Cruise Schedule*
Week Route Season
Apr 11 Dijon-Vandenesse en Auxois Low
Apr 18 Vandenesse en Auxois-Dijon Low
Apr 25 Dijon-Vandenesse en Auxois Low
May 2 Vandenesse en Auxois-Dijon High
May 9 Dijon-Vandenesse en Auxois High
May 16 Vandenesse en Auxois-Dijon High
May 23 Dijon-St Leger High
May 30 St Leger-Dijon High
Jun 6 Dijon-St Leger High
Jun 13 St Leger-Dijon High
Jun 20 Dijon-St Leger High
Jun 27 St Leger-Dijon High
Jul 4 Dijon-Corre High
Jul 11 Fontenoy-le-Chateau-Nancy Low
Jul 18 Xouaxange-Kraft Low
Cruise Schedule* ... continued
Week Route Season
Jul 25 Kraft-Xouaxange Low
Aug 1 Xouaxange-Kraft Low
Aug 8 Kraft-Xouaxange Low
Aug 15 Xouaxange-Kraft Low
Aug 22 Kraft-Xouaxange High
Aug 29 Xouaxange-Kraft High
Sep 5 Kraft-Xouaxange High
Sep 12 Xouaxange-Kraft High
Sep 19 Kraft-Xouaxange High
Sep 26 Xouaxange-Kraft High
Oct 3 Kraft-Xouaxange High
Oct 10 Xouaxange-Kraft High
Oct 17 Nancy-Fontenoy-le-Chateau High
Oct 24 Corre-Dijon Low


*Note: Cruise directions and sample itineraries may be in reverse and are subject to change and may depend on bookings and local navigation conditions. Alternate excursions of equal appeal are substituted when needed. For charter cruises special itineraries can be arranged.

LORRAINE
2009 SEASON PRICES in US DOLLARS
ACCOMMODATION LOW
Mar 21 thru May 1
Jul 11 thru Aug 21
Oct 24 thru Nov 13		 HIGH
May 2 thru Jul 10
Aug 22 thru Oct 23
Cabin (per person, double occupancy)
$2,465
$2,755
Single Occupancy Supplement
$655
$655
Charter for up to 22
$49,300
$55,100


What's Included

- 7 days and 6 nights on the barge in a cabin with private bath
- Transfers from Dijon or Strasbourg/Nancy train stations to the barge and return, depending on cruise route
- All meals beginning with dinner on Saturday through breakfast on Friday
- All wines with lunches and dinners
- All escorted side-excursions (hot air balloon at extra cost when available)
- Use of bicycles

What's Not Included

- Overseas air transportation to Paris and return
- Transfers from Paris to Dijon or Strasbourg/Nancy and return, depending on cruise route
- Special services such as hot-air balloon excursions, booked separately with the balloon company, but coordinated by the crew.
- Bar drinks: beer & wine 3 Euros, mixed drinks & champagne 5 Euros, cognac, martini, cosmopolitan, Armagnac & liqueurs 6 Euros, soft drinks & juice 2 Euros -- to be paid in euros to the cruise manager on board at the end of the cruise.
- Suggested gratuity for the crew (barge suggests 100 Euros per passenger, to be given to the barge manager)

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For booking information,
Phone (toll-free): 1-877-64-BARGE (1-877-642-2743)
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or E-mail: info@specialplacestravel.com


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Last Update: June 17, 2009

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