Voyaging

A Hint of Charter Gallery

Submitted by Kim Kavin on Mon, 2007-10-01 00:01

It's a tight squeeze for Le Premier to get through each lock; with less than an inch of space between the boat's sides and the stonework, there's no room for fenders.

Sometimes guests step off to watch the whole process, too.

The town of Chateauneuf has many charms, from its antiques stores to its famed castle walls to its ivy-covered houses and nicely kept storefronts.

As the summer wears on, the streets of this lovely spot grow far more crowded.

A path runs along the Burgundy Canal, so charter guests can walk, jog, or ride bikes through the countryside while the boat slowly makes its way through the locks.

The views you see during this type of charter are a far cry from the aquamarine harbors of more typical boating vacations. Fields, farms, and historic architecture are much more like it.

Wine is a large part of any charter through Burgundy, which is home to some of the world's finest whites and reds.

You can tour the vineyards, pick up a few bottles at a local wine shop, or enjoy a tasting at a restaurant like Olivier Leflaive.

The food onboard Le Premier is paired with local wines.

Make sure to look up from your plate occasionally if you're eating on the top deck, or your head just may connect with a low bridge.

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A Hint of Charter

Posted | I had used the C word. And now the sommelier was rabid.

It was sometime between glass number seven and glass number nine on the tasting menu that I innocently, if perhaps a bit drunkenly, commented that every sip tasted remarkably different. I found this quite interesting given that all the whites being served at Olivier Leflaive's winery restaurant were chardonnays grown in the same part Read Article