Category Archives: From Saint Louis

  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 … Continue reading →

Saint Louis  -  written about us by our guests – 2011 season Genuine excerpts from the visitors’ book on board the hotel barge the Saint Louis, written during our 2011 season:- You have broadened our horizons while exciting our palates.  Paris is fabulous but it can’t beat barging on the Saint Louis!  Our first barge trip could not have been better.  This was, quite simply, the best holiday we have had in 40 years  …..  food and wine of the … Continue reading →

In south-west France, in the valley of the River Garonne, there is a small market town called Valence d’Agen.  We have reason to know Valence very well, since the Canal Garonne passes through the outskirts of the town, and on the first of our two itineraries our hotel barge the Saint Louis passes this way, between stops at Pommevic and Lamagistere.  Sometimes we stop in the small port, and our guests can explore the town with its two market squares … Continue reading →

It is an essential part of “slow travel” to explore the tastes and smells of the area in which you travel. We run our cruises in south west France, and by reputation the people of this area have a highly developed culture of the appreciation of good food and good wine. If you drive around the villages between 12 mid-day and 2.00 in the afternoon, you will pass the occasional restaurant that appears to be besieged by tradesmens’ vans. Every … Continue reading →

Ever since we have been running the barge, we have been able to take payment by international bank transfer.  This method has worked very efficiently, and we can check our account on-line to verify that a transfer has been received;  this usually happens within about 48 hours, and I always notify our client as soon as payment has arrived. For those who prefer to make payment by credit card, we have now registered with PayPal.  Perhaps I can briefly explain how this … Continue reading →

Everyone knows that fuel prices are soaring.  We took a delivery of 1,000 litres of fuel for the boat yesterday.  The price per litre was 0.91 euros, compared with 0.64 euros the last time that we filled.  “This” you may say “is catastrophic, you will have to put your prices up, or end up making a loss”. Not really.  Although we do not welcome price rises, we have to think of the big picture.  Because we have a large, slow-revving … Continue reading →

  Many travellers are now finding out about Slow Travel. To travel slowly means that you have time to observe and absorb, to experience the places you come to and to discover the true values of your host country.  Most often, and certainly on a cruise on the Saint Louis, you have these experiences while having a minimum negative impact and a maximum positive impact on the fauna, the flora and the people of the places you are visiting.  We are … Continue reading →

One way in which I can measure how good a day it has been is to count up the number of kingfishers I see! One kingfisher marks a “good day”, whereas two kingfishers indicate a “really good day”. Imagine how I rated the day just a few weeks ago, when in the course of the morning I sighted SEVEN kingfishers! It is even better when our guests share this sighting – for many of them it is the first time … Continue reading →

The end of October – and autumn is very much with us. The very last of the apples are still on the trees – but not for long. The weather has been glorious, with warm sunny days (19oC yesterday) and occasional frosts at night. Winter is not far away now, and we have been concentrating on bringing in wood for our heating in the house. We look back on our 2010 season with a great deal of happiness – we … Continue reading →

It is now the end of August, all the wheat has been harvested and post-harvest cultivations completed, the apple harvest is in full swing, and the “vendage” (grape harvest) is just around the corner. I wrote recently about problems associated with “noddy boats”. Here is a photograph that illustrates one of the problems, in that evidently it is really quite difficult for novices to handle these boats; instead of having a lovely relaxing holiday as on the Saint Louis, they … Continue reading →