Category Archives: European Barging & River Cruises

Enjoy The Splendid Gardens of Apremont

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Visit The Splendid Gardens of Apremont

gardensApremont is one of the loveliest villages in France. It is comfortably nestled in the heart of Berry, a landscape traversed by hedges and copses on the banks of the Allier. The village is overlooked by its castle, which is surrounded by a flower garden inspired by the “White Gardens” at Vita Sackville-West’s landscaped garden in Sissinghurst. The beautiful village was completely reinstated in the last century.

You do not get a tour of the castle, which is privately owned; but you do get to tour the extensive grounds and gardens – and sometimes, you also get to view special exhibits in the stables.

The owners of the castle actually own the village, with mostly estate workers living in the houses. The houses were bought up in the 1930’s by Eugene Schneider II of Le Creusot, who by marrying Antoinette de Saint Sauveur, daughter of the owners of the castle, had a passion for the site.

Get The History Of The Splendid Gardens Of Apremont

The gardens were developed in the 1970’s by Gilles de Brissac, great-grandson of Eugene and Antoinette Schneider. Ranked as a “Remarkable Garden”, this English garden, planted with rare trees is beautifully highlighted. Waterfalls, ponds and a perfect lawn cover more than five acres, which can be to walked from Easter to October.

In addition to lots of beautiful flowers and trees, there are unusual buildings among the gardens. These enchanting buildings had been designed by the Russian painter and architect Alexander Serebriakoff and his sister. These fantastical creations from around the world are in keeping with the exploratory spirit of the second portion of the 18th century.

A bridge spanning on one end of the lake is styled as a pagoda, with its gabled roof reminiscent of the temples of China. As though it were on the banks of the Bosphorus, both the exterior and interior of The Turkish Pavilion are a beautiful reminder of the past splendors of the Ottoman Empire. Lastly, the Russian-inspired Belvedere is situated to allow a stunning view over the river and beyond to the roofs of the village.

View Paintings From The Shop In Belvedere

Inside the Belvedere, eight panels were created especially for the Flower Garden over 10 years ago by the Montagnon Pottery in Nevers, based on original drawings by Alexander Sebriakoff. All of them can still be found in the shop. The panels tell the tale of an imaginary journey Pulchinelli took by the puppets of the Comedie Italienne of Venice. This trip takes in some of the MOST beautiful sights in the world and finishes, naturally, in the Flower Garden of Apremont. A disused quarry has been converted into a waterfall, of which all the surroundings have been constructed using 650 tons of rocks.

There is a small gift shop that you go through to get to the gardens and the stables. The shop has a small selection of candy, decorative items, garden books, and such.

Give us a call if you would be interested in learning more about our Upper Loire barge cruises! 888-869-7907

A Dutch City and Delftware

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PotteryDutch City of Delft: Pottery History

The Dutch city of Delft is well known for its Delft pottery. The first Delft pottery was made in 17th century, when citizens of the Dutch town began to hand-paint classic pottery. Delft pottery is a tradition in blue and white and comes in various forms. You can find Delft pottery in blue and white milk jugs to kitchen tiles to a little girl and boy poised for a kiss. These porcelain pieces are classic symbols of the Netherlands.

With the passage of time, the distinctive blue-and-white Delftware grew in popularity, increasing the amount of antique vases, plates and figurines that may be found all around the world. It’s quite surprising that in a time when craft work is gradually losing appeal, the interest in Delftware is increasing. So anybody who is visiting Delft must visit the Delft pottery.

Explore Delft Pottery And Authentic Delftware

You can find Delftware in many Dutch households, and it’s enormously popular with tourists. However, authentic Delftware only can be found in the city of Delft, which was one of the most important ceramic production centers in Europe between 1600 and 1800. Delftware products have been an important export product from the Netherlands for 400 years, and it still enjoys a great reputation around the world. The 17th-century Royal Delft Factory (i.e. Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles) and De Delftse Pauw are the only genuine Delftware producers still operating. The charming town of Delft and its pottery factories and shops make it a must visit place.

In the creation of Delftware, a clay mixture is used that is covered with a tin glaze after it came out of the kiln. Delftware painters then paint the traditional patterns on the porcelain items totally by hand. Sadly, however, today only a small percentage of the Delftware is entirely painted by hand.

The city of Delft is often a port on either a barge or river cruise in Holland. So, you must visit the beautiful town of Delft and its Delft pottery and observe the art closely. You can also shop for some exclusive Delftware as a memory of the place! Europeanbarging.com 888-869-7907

View The Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

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museum viennaCulinary Treats from the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the most eminent museums in the world. It is also known as the “Museum of Fine Arts.” The rich holdings of the museum include artworks from seven millennia – from Ancient Egypt to the late 18th century. Among all its treasures, the collections from the Renaissance and Baroque art periods are of particular significance. You can’t find a better place to view and understand Vienna art.

The museum was built by Emperor Franz Joseph to house the stupendous Habsburg collections. Around 120 years ago, Emperor Franz Joseph changed Vienna’s cultural landscape forever with the opening of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.

View European Art History At Kunsthistorisches Museum

Kunsthistorisches Museum displays numerous major art works from European art history, such as Raphael’s “Madonna in the Meadow”, Vermeer’s “The Allegory of Painting”, the Infanta paintings by Velazquez, masterworks by Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Titian and Tintoretto, which are housed in the paintings gallery. The Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection include captivating treasures from mysterious cultures of a bygone era. While going through this particular collection, you will stand in the shadows of ancient statues and reliefs, mummy-shaped coffins, and massive papyrus-stalk columns. On Ringstrasse, from the home of the museum, you can travel in time and space, from the Bronze Age to the Dark Ages, from Cyprus to Greece, Italy and finally back to Austria.

Kunsthistorisches Museum remains a crowning achievement of 19th century architects Gottfried Semper and Karl Hasenauer. It stands as a great symbol of Austria art and culture.

Enjoy The Museum Amenities

There is a lot to see and do at the museum, as well. It’s devoted to indulging your senses. After an elaborate tour of the fabulous collection, you can take a break at the café in the museum’s amazing Cupola Hall. As you relax in its awe-inspiring architectural setting, the café presents a menu of traditional savory specialties, as well as different varieties of tea and coffee, and popular Viennese pastries.

Thursday evenings are particularly special as visitors can enjoy a gourmet dinner in the elegant setting of the restaurant in Cupola Hall and then take an after-hours tour of the Picture Gallery. Sundays at the museum are equally exciting, when visitors can start with a leisurely brunch and then enjoy a stroll through the incomparable collections.

The Kunstkammer Museum Vienna has the most important collection of art of its kind in the world. After being closed for over 20 tears, this unique collection is now again open to the public since March 1, 2013.

Our Danube River cruise is the right choice for visiting Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. Call us for more information! Europeanbarging.com 888-869-7907

Caves of Carrieres Awaits You

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Cave 1 ebVisit the Caves of Carrieres de Lumieres on a AMA Waterways River Cruise

Carrieres de Lumieres is located in the ancient village of Les Baux, which sits atop a rocky plateau overlooking the Alpilles in Provence, France. Though the village is no longer active, it still remains an attraction for tourists who want to see the ruins of the castle and the beautiful vistas. Carrieres de Lumieres is the most unusual site to experience here.

It’s actually a quarry, where the locals used to extract limestone for the construction of a nearby chateau and Les Baux. Presently, huge images of works of art are projected onto the walls, ceiling and floors, accompanied by music.

AMA Waterways Provence River Cruise offers an exciting excursion to the Carrieres de Lumieres, located in the caves of the old quarry. The term Carrieres de Lumieres refers to the ever-present role of light here.

Make Cave Exploring Real

An innovative and ambitious project is being organized in order to give this man-made site a new focus. There are four main aspects of the project:

  • A new program of cultural events is proposed on the theme of the “History of Art” in the Carrières rooms and galleries with audio visual shows, live shows, concerts, lectures, and more. The aim of the program is to make ‘Carrières de Lumières’ a cultural hub for multiple events. It will be offering one big new show every year, profiling the greatest names in the history of art.
  • A new and quite captivating event has the Carrières quarries gradually lighting up, highlighting the unique nature of the site between each show. No wonder, the spectators all praise the mineral beauty of the site.
  • New high-performance technological equipment is being procured for this outstanding audio visual show. Each area of the Carrières invites visitors on an extraordinary audio visual journey made possible by cutting-edge technological equipment and methods developed by Culturespaces and its multimedia partners, which includes 70 video projectors, 3D audio adapted to the specific characteristics of the site, etc.
  • More surfaces are to be used in the show to give it a bigger platform and extend this artistic journey.

Visitors are totally spellbound and get immersed in the images projected onto all the surfaces of the rock. Now, twice the number of video projectors is being used in order to cover twice the wall area. The completely covered ground itself becomes a huge carpet of images.

An upcoming new show will continue until January 5, 2014, titled Monet, Renoir … Chagall – Journeys Around the Mediterranean.  Europeanbarging.com   888-869-7907

The Benefits of Buying Travel Insurance for Overseas Travel

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Travel InsuranceBe Sure To Have Travel Insurance Before Traveling Out of The Country

“I did not always buy travel insurance for myself, but then I mis-stepped off a step on a train in Marseilles and fell and twisted my ankle really bad. This was not a serious fall, but it made me realize how something serious could happen. So I always have travel insurance now. For several years I bought the annual program that my American Express card offered but then I realized that this gives me good medical coverage while I am overseas but does not reimburse any of my travel expense, so I now have a regular travel policy.

Do Not Be Alarmed Travel Insurance Is Normal

When I mention travel insurance to travelers, I tell them that they might not need the insurance for themselves, but if they have teenagers (especially in sports), or elderly parents, then you should get the insurance in case you need to cancel or return from a trip for them.
In the last few years, there have been policies offered that let you cancel for work related reasons (often offering a full refund of travel funds) and even canceling for any reason (getting about 50% of your money back). Another benefit of a Gold or Platinum type policy is that the insurance coverage becomes your primary insurer – this means that when you go into a hospital for treatment, that the hospital calls the insurance company and get approval for payment rather than you laying out the money and filing out paper work when you get back to get reimbursed. As with all offers these days, there are some restrictions.
Travel insurance does not just cover medical expenses. There is reimbursement if your luggage is delayed or lost, if you lose your passport, need legal assistance. Some programs even include Concierge services that assist with all types of travel needs, such as tickets to special events, travel recommendations, changing travel arrangements and such. Be sure to ask about travel insurance next time you travel out of the country as most policies in the US will not over you overseas.”