2004 Spring Gourmet Cruises 

May 23 to 29 Provence
Agde to Avignon

Transfers from Montpellier TGV or airport to barge. Barge to Avignon TGV or airport

Cost per person $3,500 all inclusive, all meals and wines.

Join us on board to delight in the tastes of Spring while cruising Southern France's inland waterways. Savor the finest of Languedoc wines and enjoy the exquisite flavors of Mediterranean cuisine with your hosts, and barge owners.

Both are graduates of the French National Cooking School of Beaune in Burgundy, and expert in Mediterranean olive oil cuisine. They will prepare your meals onboard Tango and Fandango using the freshest local ingredients to create both traditional regional cuisine, and innovative new dishes. Passengers are welcomed into the galley to pick up cooking tips, trade stories, and delight in the sumptuous dishes being prepared for your dining pleasure.

The renaissance of the quality of Languedoc wines is no longer a secret of wine connoisseurs. The once favorite vineyards of the Roman empire, are again producing exquisite wines, a daily treat to introduce to our passengers at each meal, and to accompanying the variety of excellent regional cheeses. 

Sunday, Day 1 4p.m.  Agde to Marseillan
Transfer from designated meeting point to barge. Welcome champagne aperitif and evening cruise for a sunset view of the Mediterrean before dinner on board.

Monday, Day 2  Marseillan to Sete
Morning Visit to the Noilly Prat wine museum before cruising across the Etang de Thau to Bouzigues, visit to the oyster museum and oyster beds. Lunch on board. Cruise on to our picturesque mooring by the fisherman's houses of Pointe Courte. An afternoon stroll through Sete, France's Venice, very colorful and full of ambiance. Fishing boats dock in the afternoon to sell their catch,a perfect opportunity for the ingredients to make 'bourride', a delicious and spicy Mediterraneam stew of monk fish and mussels, with grilled red peppers, and seasonal vegetables, dressed to perfection with aoli.

Le Somail Tuesday, Day 3  Sete to Magdelone Abbey
Cruise through the heart of the Camargue's inland salt lakes, France's largest wildlife reserve. Pink flamingos and wild white horses decorate the unspoilt surrounding peaceful landscape. After lunch on board, an afternoon minivan visit to the historic old center of Montpellier, will offer a cultural aside and good shopping opportunities. Dinner on board moored on Magdelone Abbey island. After learning to make and then feasting on succulent caramelized duck a l'orange, the perfect after dinner exercise is a walk to visit the Abbey. The perfect end to a full day as the sunset colors the Meditteranean horizon.

Wednesday, Day 4   Magdelone Abbey to Aigues Mortes
Morning cruise with a cooking lesson, reaching Aigues Mortes in time to eat lunch on board under the castle towers of Aigues Mortes. Afternoon visit walking through this fascinating and colorful walled town, and a quick minivan trip to the salt marshes where our 'fleur de sel' is collected. Cruise on towards St. Gilles lock, the first large Rhone lock, evening visit to the St. Gilles Roman church. Another delicious dinner on board featuring produce we'll have shopped for in Aigues Mortes, perhaps homemade filled ravioli will be the evening lesson.

Thursday, Day 5  St. Gilles to Avignon
Disembark for a morning visit in the minivans to Arles, then on to Les Baux and St. Remy de Provence for lunch out at a typical bistrot. Catch up with the barge for an afternoon cruise on the Rhone river towards Avignon. Cooking lesson while cruising up the Rhone, mooring under the Pope's Palace for a romantic evening dinner on board.

Friday, Day 6  Avignon
Morning shopping in the fabulous Les Halles covered market for a great lunch of charcuterie and cheeses with tasty olives, and fresh salad, as well as all the ingredients to prepare our farewell feast of the evening. In the afternoon we'll shop in the wonderful boutique filled streets of Avignon, visit the Pope's Palace, art galleries, whatever one chooses. Late afternoon minivan visit to Chateauneuf du Pape for a winetasting before our last dinner on board. An Evening cruise to say farewell to this splendid lit up ancient riverfront city.

Saturday, Day 7
Breakfast on board, followed by 10a.m. Departure and transfer for continuation of your journey.