On the Magnolia, 15 thru 21 October 2022…we arrived as passengers and departed as friends.
The country is beautiful, the people are friendly and the food and wine are wonderful.
Our crew…Nicholas, Magali, Brigitta, Loïc and Valentin were individually, and collectively, awesome! And, don’t underestimate the value of, and contribution by, Miz Gypsy!!
The MAGNOLIA is a striking barge, her hull has few, if any, scratches on her hull and we navigated 49 locks with minimal clearance on the sides. Boats generally are reflective of their owners, captain and pilot. The MAGNOLIA is in top shape.
On our daily excursions, led by Magali (also acting as docent) were interesting, informative and varied. For us, standing in the Richebourg grand cru vineyard in Vosne-Romaneé was like a visit to Mecca.
And Brigitta, she is the best. We loved just listening to her melodic voice. She devoted a substantial portion of her day to just being with us; we appreciated her presence and dialogue and it was just the two of us.
Loïc, our chef’ for what it is worth, we have been blessed to have enjoyed many fine meals over the years while traveling. Loïc is right there with the likes of e.g., La Terrazza, atop The Hotel Eden in Rome. Please consider requesting the confit de canard, sourced locally from Christophe, prepared “jon and Jane style.”
Our first mate, Valentin. What a wonderful opportunity for him with the MAGNOLIA. He too was attentive, gracious and always willing to be of service.
Lastly, and the anchor of the crew, Miz Gypsy. For folks like us, that have and love dogs, having Miz Gypsy along was a real treat. Gypsy was a perfect companion for walks on the path along the canal between locks, hamlets and villages. She walks off-leash and is bi-lingual; she understands English very well 😊. By the way, our Springer, Carter, was sooooo jealous when he smelled our clothes upon return to NC.
If you love, good company, food and wine, a canal cruise on the MAGNOLIA through Burgundy should be considered…for a group of two (like us) up to six!
Like many folks, we are selective with whom we travel for any extended period of time; each of these six are welcome into our home in NC!!