I have written a couple of times about my desire to try barging; that is, taking a small barge through canals.  Bill and I have been on several cruises, but they’ve all involved sailing on large bodies of water.  A barge cruise is different.  It’s slow paced and the focus is more personal.

I’ve been interested in barging for years, but I think this month’s trip to Burgundy kind of sealed the deal for Bill and me.  I feel pretty certain we’re going to book a barge cruise soon.  I’ve looked at two companies that offer barging.  One is European Waterways, a British company that offers barging in several countries throughout Europe.  The other is French Country Waterways, which is an American owned company that only offers barging in France.

I have received a lot of literature from both companies.  At this point, I think I’m leaning toward booking with French Country Waterways, mainly because of their emphasis on food and wine.  Bill is a big cheese lover and French Country Waterways provides them in abundance.  However, I must admit that European Waterways has tempted me with its stunning videos and broader range of places to go.  Also, I think European Waterways is a bit less expensive.

Although I have been wooing Bill with videos and talk about barging, I think what might have sold him is the brochure we got from French Country Waterways last week.  He sent me an email to tell me it had arrived and I told him to have a look at it.  Naturally, he was very impressed by it… kind of the same way my mom was impressed when I had a brochure from Hebridean Island Cruises sent to her.  She had originally meant to book a cruise for a week and ended up doing two weeks on the Royal Crown river cruise.  I’ve actually been wanting to try river cruising too, even though they tend to cater to people a lot older than Bill and I are.

So it’s a choice between European Waterways, which goes to France, Ireland, Scotland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and England…

Or French Country Waterways, which does Champagne, Burgundy, Loire, Alsace, and Lorraine…

The choice is going to be difficult.  Even if we choose French Country Waterways, which goes to fewer places, I am so tempted by each of the itineraries.  What a wonderful problem to have!