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A typical week on Maria . . .
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The canals and waterways of France provide a wonderful opportunity to explore centuries of civilization and history in many beautiful and diverse regions. Maria’s itineraries are designed to take advantage of a region’s particular attractions, charm and seasonal features. A week-long cruise on Maria includes generous breakfasts and lunches; visits to ancient chateaux and abbeys; strolls through local villages and
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historical sites; pleasant evening country-side moorings; evening meals at charming restaurants; and as much walking, jogging, bicycling, and doing absolutely nothing, as you wish.
A sample week on Maria might include the following cruise on the Burgundy Canal with Dijon as a starting point:
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Day 1. You are met by Don at the Dijon train station where you arrive from Paris on the high speed TGV train (or, alternatively, at your hotel where you spent the evening) and are driven into the scenic Ouche Valley in our air-conditioned Citröen to Maria’s mooring in Fleury-sur-Ouche. Patty will help you make yourselves at home in your private stateroom and you will soon settle in with champagne and wine, aperitifs such as Kir Royal (champagne and crème de
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cassis) and delectable hors d’oeuvres. As the sun sets on your first night on board, you will be treated to one of Patty’s sumptuous Burgundian or Provencal inspired dinners. |
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Day 2. Fleury-sur-Ouche to Gissey-sur-Ouche . Awaken to the smell of fresh coffee, warm croissants and fresh breads purchased early that morning from a local boulangerie. Available also are fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, juice and jams. We will slip our moorings around 8:30, and, while underway at a relaxing 6 kph, you watch the scenery unfold or get on and off at the locks and walk, jog or bike along the tow path. A bountiful lunch is served at a scenic mooring as the locks close
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at mid-day or at our destination adjacent to a Roman-era bridge and wash house. In the afternoon we drive to Dijon where you may visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts and stroll through the medieval quarter to view the half-timbered houses. Dinner that evening is at La Dame d’Aquitane situated in a 13 th Century crypt. |
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Day 3. Gissey-sur-Ouche to La Bussière . Breakfast awaits you in the dining room. We get underway around 9:00 and cruise to La Bussière, the site of a 12 th century abbey founded by the Cluny Cistercian monks and recently converted to a hotel/chateau. Lunch is served al fresco under market umbrellas on our wonderful sun deck. In the afternoon we drive to the magnificent 13 th century Chateau Commarin, which has remained in the same family lineage for over eight centuries. Dinner is at the Ferme du Rolle, a rustic restaurant in the hills above the Ouche Valley.
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Day 4. La Bussière to Pont d’Ouche . That smell of coffee and fresh breads again…. We get an early start winding our way up the Ouche Valley to our mooring spot overlooking a large meadow. From Pont d’Ouche we drive to Puligny-Montrachet, where we have lunch and a degustation of the wines of Olivier Leflaive, one of Burgundy’s leading domains of Premier and Grand Cru wines. We are hosted by master sommelier, Pascal Wagner. After our degustation, we drive through the rich vineyards of the Côte de Beaune to the villages of Meursualt, Volnay and Pommard; or we choose to visit Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy and the home of the Hotel Dieu, the magnificent 15 th century hospice. |
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Day 5. Pont d’Ouche to Vandenesse-en-Auxois. After breakfast we begin our winding climb to Vandenesse and the village of Chateauneuf-en-Auxois with its fortified castle perched high above the canal. On our way to Vandenesse we transit nine locks, giving you ample opportunities to get off and on the barge and keep pace with us by walking or jogging along the tow path, or, alternatively, going off on your own on one of Maria’s bicycles. If you wish, you can assist the lock keepers as they open and close the ancient manual gates. Lunch is served on the sundeck at a scenic mooring within view of the fortified village of Chateauneuf. After lunch we complete our cruise to Vandenesse and then drive up the hill to the chateau and village where you can walk the narrow, medieval streets and browse the antique shops. Dinner this evening is at the charming Hostellerie du Chateau nestled alongside the floodlit chateau.
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Day 6. Vandenesse to Escommes . Following the delivery of fresh croissants, pastries and breads, we slip our mooring and begin the flight of locks – eight locks in the short span of three kilometers – to the summit of the Burgundy Canal. This leg of the cruise follows a winding, tree-lined canal through forests and pastures and stops at Escommes, where the canal enters the two-mile long tunnel at Pouilly-en-Auxois and begins |
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its long descent to Auxerre. After lunch we have the option of visiting Beaune (if we did not have the time on Day 4) or the wonderful, turreted medieval town of Semur-en-Auxois. After wine and aperitifs on board, we drive to Bligny where we enjoy a farewell dinner at Les Trois Faisans restaurant. |
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Day 7. After breakfast on board we drive to the Dijon Gare for your return trip to Paris….or elsewhere.
Au revoir et bon courage...
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