Eating Well on your Camping Vacation in Burgundy.

Wine Around The Bend Burgundy Barge Bliss Read Jetsetters Mag at burgundy in france To read this entire feature FREE with pictures cut and paste this link : burgundy grapes Reflected daylight from the water outside dances on the chestnut ceiling of my cabin the 1st morning I awaken on board the luxurious barge La Belle poque. A giant white swan approaches expectantly, followed by many mallard ducks. After a shower in the tiled lavatory and rub-down with a thick nautical blue towel, I head upstairs. Whilst I was still gazing at the ceiling of my cabin, Captain Lee had been in the village of Auxerre purchasing fresh baguettes, croissants and discomfort chocolate. It's a fine fall day in France, still summer in the afternoons, with nights that provide a crisp reminder of winter to come. This up to the minute hotel barge carries just 12 passengers, with six crew to take care of each likely passenger need. Nick, our guide, had picked us up in Paris the day before before the Hotel Ampre. A 2 hour journey by minivan thru rolling French country had brought us to the medieval city of Auxerre, where La Belle poque and her crew awaited. We enjoyed a bubbly welcome accompanied by freshly-baked popovers. After meeting the crew and getting settled into our cabins, we explored the cobblestone streets and trendy shops of Auxerre. Many folks I meet are convinced that camping vacations are still hosted in stormy fields, where food is tough to cook as conveyable stoves fail to light in the damp weather. Its a hideous image, but thankfully something that is now a thing of the past as many of Europes quality campsites boasts all sort of hotel style features from restaurants to bakeries to quality supermarkets on site. Nevertheless , if you are still left worried about the standard of the food on your trip, then consider one of Burgundys campsites? This area of France is famous for its high living and gourmet eating, so you are certain to be in for a culinary treat. Frequently this will be mixed with fine wines, like in the eponymous boeuf bourguignon, a normal recipe of the area mixing these 2 fine elements with baby onions, bacon and carrots. This style is repeated with plenty of other dishes, and if your French isnt that good, keep an eye out for the phrase "a la Bourguignonne". There are sure to be some cafes near your campsite in Burgundy serving this type of food, given its such a popular local fare. There are lots of other meats if youre not a chicken or meat eater, varied hams, hare, calf head and even some stream fish customarily poached in white wine, with bacon, onions, garlic and butter.

Barge speed is restricted to three miles per hour on the canals and ten miles per hour on the brooks. In France there are more than 2,700 miles of inland waterways including a 750-mile network of connecting canals. Most canals were built in the 19th century, but some are 2 centuries older. It was first built to move wood from the Morvan forests to meet the firewood demands of Paris. As we glide by a rolling patchwork of green hills and pretty vineyards, lunch is served : quails in crme frache sauce, tuna pasta salad, caprisi salad, fruits, a white Savignon St-Bris and a red Chitry.