One nice thing about barge cruising in France is learning about the local traditions. Since Christmas is coming up soon, it made me think of santons.

During the French Revolution, when the churches were closed and not allowed to have Nativity scenes, an artisan from Marseilles started the tradition of making santons (”little saints”) for ordinary people to  have  Nativity scenes at home. 

These small figurines represent not only the traditional figures of Joseph, Mary, the baby Jesus, etc. but also various personnages typical in a French village.  For example, we have one of a woman carrying lavender and another of a man playing pétanque (a form of boules similar to bocce ball). Some of the figurines have the costumes painted on them, while others are dressed in clothes like dolls.

A santon fair was started in Marseilles in 1803, and now there are fairs and festivals all over Provence in November and December. Although this isn’t cruising season, if you get a chance to go to Provence at that time of year, be sure to check out these fairs. (You can buy santons all year round in gift shops.)

“The largest Nativity Scene in the World” (Guinness Book of World Records) is in Grignan. It covers more than 10,000 square feet and contains more than 80 houses, built of traditional materials (stone, wood, cement) and covered with 60,000 handmade tiles. Many expert santon-makers have contributed more than 1,000 santons of animals and people.

To read more about santons and see pictures of some of them, go to   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santon_(figurine)

No visit to Burgundy is complete with a stop in Beaune, in the heart of the famous wine region. From the renowned Clos de Vougeot to the equally famous Montrachet vineyards, the Côte d’Or (”Golden Hillside”) is a must-see for any serious wine afficionado.

Besides the vineyards, Beaune is famous for its Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices de Beaune), a hospital founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin. This building, with its beautiful multi-colored tile roof, is now a museum. The interior has been restored and gives a fascinating glimpse of how sick people were cared for, in one large room, with rows of curtained beds - each holding two patients! - along the sides. There is also a pharmacy, with old bottles labeled with the names of various herbs and other substances used as medicines. In the kitchen, with its massive fireplaces and cooking pots, you can see figures of nuns working to feed all the sick people.

The charitable institution now cares for the sick in modern hospitals, but its work continues to be supported by the proceeds from the sale of wine from its vineyards. Every November, a large charity wine auction is held in Beaune’s covered market. In 2008, 544 barrels were sold, 450 of red wine and 94 of white wine. 

If you have a few days before or after your Burgundy cruise, you may want to check into the gorgeous Hotel le Cep and tour some wineries, indulge in the local wine and cuisine, and just stroll around the quaint old town of Beaune.

If you like Impressionist art, a visit to Claude Monet’s house and garden at Giverny  in Normandy is a must. Most cruises on the Seine River north of Paris include this excursion, but if your cruise doesn’t take you there, you can easily do a day trip from Paris on the train.

Monet lived in Giverny from 1883 until his death in 1926. His property has been restored to the way it was when he lived there. There is a flower garden called Clos Normand in front of the house plus a Japanese-inspired water garden, which is  featured in Monet’s well-known water lily paintings. Inside the house, you can visit the kitchen done in blue and white and the dining room with a sunshine yellow theme. Unfortunately, you can’t take pictures inside the house, but here are some of the gardens and the outside of the house:

If you have time in Giverny, there is also a Museum of Impressionism. This was formerly called the Museum of American Art because it was founded by an American and focused primarily on the American artists who flocked to Giverny to study the new way of painting epitomized by Monet.  You can visit the hotel where many of these artists stayed, as well as the grave of Monet in the Giverny churchyard.

Back in Paris, don’t miss the Orsay Museum’s huge collection of Impressionist paintings and the Orangerie, which was specially redesigned to house Monet’s larger works, the Nymphéas.

A trip to Burgundy without a wine experience wouldn’t be complete, of course. So, while I was visiting barges on the Canal de Bourgogne, I went to one of the most famous vineyards in Burgundy (and in France, for that matter)–the Clos de Vougeot. This 12th-century winery/chateau was built by Cistercian monks for their wine production. They owned the property for 700 years and life was good for a long time. But the French Revolution took everything away from them. Today, it is the headquarters of the “Confrérie des Chevaliers de Tastevin,” an elite fraternity of wine connoisseurs known for, among other things, its annual event, the “Trois Glorieuses” (the three glorious days). This extravagant event takes place on the third weekend of November. First, a meeting of the Confrérie on Saturday, then a famous charity wine auction at the Hospice de Beaune on Sunday and finally the “Paulée de Meursault” and the award of its literary prize on Monday. All of these happenings are carried out with ample celebration and pageantry, of course. At the chateau, I was particularly impressed by the four mammoth, medieval wood presses on display in the cellars. They are really enormous!

As for the vineyard, well… it is clustered all around the chateau and it is a very unique and unusual growing arrangement. The stone-wall enclosed area of 125 acres is now owned by 80 different owners. Some of them only own a few rows or even less. So, although it is the largest Grand Cru area in Burgundy, the average production per owner is just over 1,000 bottles. The grape grown is Pinot Noir which produces a delicious full-bodied red wine. Taste it–you will not be disappointed. Clos de Vougeot is classified as a national monument and is well worth the visit. Being there on the Trois Glorieuses weekend would be so much fun!

Welcome! This travel blog is about river and canal cruise vacations on luxury barge-hotels and riverboats in France. With its extensive network of rivers and canals, France offers dozens of cruising possibilities from Alsace to Normandy and the Loire valley, down to Burgundy, Provence and the Languedoc. The boats navigating French waterways can be as small as upscale barges for 4 guests on the Canal du Midi or as large as 150-passenger river cruisers on the river Seine through Paris. Cruising around the French countryside is a great way to spend a vacation. Exploring out-of-the-way places, seeing the locals up close and sampling the many regional dishes and wines is a lot of fun. So, we hope you enjoy your trip (or enjoyed, if you’ve already been there) and we look forward to chatting with you.

From our “About” page you will see that we are travel professionals who specialize in tours and cruises in France, Spain and Portugal. You might want to take a look at our website.