We discovered canal cruising last year when Bill was reading an article in the online magazine The Good Life France about all of the inland sailing opportunities there are in this country. We initially chose that first ship because it was traversing an area that we’d never visited and it was all-inclusive: accommodation, meals, drinks, and daily excursions. Unpack once yet wake up in a new city each morning. Because these barges, péniche in French, are small with only 22 passengers, they can travel where larger river or sea-going vessels won’t fit and can dock very close to a town’s center. All I had to hear from Bill about this latest offering was, “Would you like to start in Paris and end up in Champagne?” Let’s go!

We were now on Day 5 of a 7 day/6 night cruise between Spain and France with stopovers in the Balearic Islands—a new term to me—although the island names themselves were very familiar including Ibiza and Mallorca. After an overnight journey the ship was docked in Port Mahon, capital of Menorca, our final calling point before reaching the mainland in Nice. This is one of the largest natural harbors in the world, stretching 6 kilometers (almost 4 miles) long (featured photo above across the top). After the day here we would have the entire next day at sea to talk about the cruise, evaluate the criteria that guided our decision and discuss future destinations.

If you told someone to name a place in France, my guess is that the first answer from most people would be “Paris”. After all, this capital consistently appears at or near the top of the lists of most-visited cities. Another French location that’s likely to come to mind might be Provence. You could suddenly be transported to warm and sunny fields of lavender, vineyards, hilltop villages, outdoor markets full of fresh fruits and vegetables, delicious, leisurely meals at quaint sidewalk cafés. Thanks to the “Year in Provence” trilogy by Peter Mayle, followed by the TV series based on the first book, many of us were drawn to this beautiful area of France. Therefore, when we saw an advertisement for a canal cruise, “Provence—from Sète to Arles” we knew that was for us.