French Hotel Barges for Bastille Day Celebrations 2015

"Vive La France" on July 14th!

Our 6-night barging cruises departing on July 12th along various French canals, will give passengers the chance to celebrate Bastille Day, the National Day of France, in true French style. Guests will be able to watch firework displays and join in the celebrations, perhaps from the deck of their hotel barge whilst being served champagne, or amongst townfolk in a local village.

During the rest of the week, our fully-crewed, luxury hotel barges will glide along their respective routes offering the perfect blend of excitement and tranquillity.

Click on the barge's name to access their online brochure. For further information on our barges, contact Paradise Connections HERE.

AVAILABILITY for the week of 12-18 July 2015 (as of December 14, 2014):

Only three of our barges are available for private charter while the others are open for a cabin cruise week.

• Anjodi: Canal du Midi 
• L'Art d Vivre: Burgundy
• La Belle Epoque: Burgundy
• Enchante: Canal du Midi
• L'Impressionniste: Burgundy
• La Nouvelle Etoile: Burgundy - Private Charter or Individual Cabin Cruise
• Nymphea: Loire Valley
• Panache: Alsace-Lorraine
• Renaissance: Upper Loire / W. Burgundy
• Roi Soleil: Canal du Midi - Private Charter Only
• Rosa: Gascony
• Savoir Faire: Upper Loire / W. Burgundy - Private Charter or Individual Cabin Cruise

This video is from the producers of firework spectacles, Ruggieri.

For those of you who will not be in attendance, the video above shows the festivities in Carcassonne from 14 July 2012. It is very good footage but nothing like being there in person with the beautiful colors, the sounds of the rockets taking off, the percussion of the soundwaves striking your body, the oohs and ahs of the crowd... Good stuff. The French can really put on a show :)

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Joyeux Quatorze Juillet

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barging holiday
For more information on our barges and barging, visit our website : www.BargeCharters.com

 

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French Hotel Barges for Bastille Day Celebrations

"Vive La France" on July 14th!

Our 6-night cruises departing on July 13th along various French canals, will give passengers the chance to celebrate Bastille Day, the National Day of France, in true French style. Guests will be able to watch firework displays and join in the celebrations, perhaps from the deck of their hotel barge whilst being served champagne, or away from the crowds in a local village.

During the rest of the week, our fully-crewed hotel barges in the Canal du Midi (Athos, Emma, Enchante) will glide along the 300-year-old canal, pausing for visits to the medieval fortified city of Carcassonne, ancient Narbonne and the Cathar hilltop town of Minerve, while Nymphea cruises in the Loire Valley, and Rosa takes you through Gascony between Agen and Montauban. These special summer cruises offer the perfect blend of excitement and tranquillity.

Click on the barge's name to access their online brochure. For further information on our barges, contact Paradise Connections HERE.

Availability for the week of 13-19 July 2014:

• Athos: 5 cabins open, 0 booked - Private or shared cruise (minimum of 3 guests required)
• Emma: 1 cabin open, 2 booked - cruise begins Saturday, 12-18 July
• Enchante: 3 cabins open, 1 booked
• Nymphea: 1 cabin open, 2 booked - Discount of $2000/cabin
• Rosa: 2 cabins open, 2 booked - Discount of $2000/cabin

This video is from the producers of firework spectacles, Ruggieri.

For those of you who will not be in attendance this year, the video above is of the festivities in Carcassonne from 14 July 2012. It is very good footage but nothing like being there in person with the beautiful colors, the sounds of the rockets taking off, the percussion of the soundwaves striking your body, the oohs and ahs of the crowd... Good stuff. The French can really put on a show :)

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Joyeux Quatorze Juillet

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barging holiday
For more information on our barges and barging, visit our website : www.BargeCharters.com

 

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Enjoy Bastille Day this Weekend

This morning we received our weekly newsletter from Carcassonne and it had a bit about their celebrations for the Fête Nationale on quatorze juillet (14 July, Bastille Day).

For those of you who will not be in attendance this year, here is a video from 14 July 2012. It is very good footage but nothing like being there in person with the beautiful colors, the sounds of the rockets taking off, the percussion of the soundwaves striking your body, the oohs and ahs of the crowd... Good stuff. The French can really put on a show :)

This video is from the producers of firework spectacles, Ruggieri.

Looks like a pretty interesting program...

Feu d'artifice et embrasement de la Cité Médiévale

Dimanche 14 Juillet à 22h30 - aux alentours des berges de l'Aude

«Féériques émotions, la Cité dans tous ses états» est le nouveau spectacle de plus de 25mn que la ville de Carcassonne vous propose. Chaque acte du feu sera la métaphore d'une émotion. La mise en scène sera une sorte de pièce de théâtre en plein air ou chaque artifice jouera un rôle précis à travers sa sonorité, ses formes, ses couleurs, son cadencement, son ampleur et sa puissance.

«Féériques émotions, la Cité dans tous ses états » est une épopée colorée et cadencée autour de nos émotions de base.

7 grandes parties : 1 prologue aux couleurs de la république et 6 actes sur le thème des émotions.

Prologue : date du 14 juillet et tradition oblige les artificiers réaliseront un grand tableau républicain bleu blanc et rouge avant d'entamer la scénographie sur le thème des émotions. Ensuite, le spectacle s'orchestrera en tableaux structurés autour de 6 grands actes progressifs :
1. La peur, l'angoisse (fear, anxiety)

2. L'amour, le désir (love, desire)

3. La colère, la fureur (anger, fury)

4. La tristesse, la mélancolie (sadness, melancholy)

5. Le rire, la joie (laughter, joy)

6. La surprise, l'émerveillement (surprise, wonder)

We will be on our boat in Saint Croix (at least it has a French name!) and we will be raising a glass or two of pastis over the weekend while listening to Radio Nostalgie on our TuneIn Radio android app.

Hey, there's always next year... Contact Paradise Connections to book your next barging vacation!

Bonne fête

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barging holiday
For more information on our barges and barging, visit our website : www.BargeCharters.com

 

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French Hotel Barge EMMA open for Bastille Day

Bastille Day Fireworks

The French Hotel Barge EMMA has the week of July 13-19, 2013 open. Their route for this week is Aigues-Mortes to Beziers and is an opportunity to enjoy the magnificent firework display on the ramparts of the famous walled city of Aigues-Mortes.

Many years ago, Bob & I had our sailboat tethered to the canal bank just above the old lock in Aigues-Mortes and we had fun participating in the Bastille Day festivities and watching the feu d'artifice... 

Aigues-Mortes, France

Aigues-Mortes is a striking, walled medieval town on the flat marshes of the Petite Camargue within the region of Languedoc-Roussillon. It is considered a fine example of 13th-century military architecture. The town is surrounded by a crenelated wall with five towers and ten fortified portes.

Beziers to Aigues-Mortes, Camargue, Languedoc-Roussillon, south of France

Barge Emma has one trip scheduled for the between Aigues-Mortes and Beziers route this summer but if it works into Liz's planning she is willing to schedule another... Never hurts to ask :)

FRENCH BARGE EMMA

The French Hotel Barge EMMA is owned and operated by Liz and René Jacquot and are assisted by two additional crew members. They cruise along the Canal du Midi in the south of France between Beziers & Carcassonne and Carcassonne & Toulouse. They also have a Beziers to Aigues-Mortes itinerary available upon request.

EMMA is fully air conditioned and also has central heating, if needed. There are three guest cabins; one has a queen bed, while the other two can be configured as either queens or twins. Beautiful handmade Irish quilts from Oonagh Morisson add that extra touch of luxury. Each guest cabin has its own private, ensuite bathroom with sink, toilet and a normal sized shower with sliding doors. The interior is bright and spacious with beautiful arched double glazed windows which give you a good view of the outside countryside whilst cruising. The French oak furniture has been hand made by a master craftsman and the whole effect is warm and inviting.

EMMA has a spacious upper deck (385 square feet) with tables, chairs, and loungers. Shade from the sun, too, if you want it. This is a marvelous vantage point to see the wonderful countryside and a great place to enjoy cocktails before dinner. Later on, view the stars and set the world to right. And, of course, EMMA has bicycles and a minivan to chauffeur you to various excursions.

Remember that EMMA can tailor your charter to your interests... wine tastings & vineyard visits, cooking, golf, tennis, walking tours, cycling tours, or just time out to relax and enjoy a side of France that most travellers don't experience.

Available for both private charters and cabin cruises. Emma also offers 5-night charters if that works better for your vacation plans and budget.

Contact Paradise Connections to book the French Hotel Barge EMMA and enjoy a barging vacation cruise in the south of France.

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book EMMA 
View Emma's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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Bonne fête !

Today is "quatorze juilliet" or La Fête Nationale in France and we would like to wish all of our French friends and francophiles a BIG Bonne Fête !

It's great when the 14th happens to be a Thursday because then one can "faire le pont" or "make the bridge" and have a four-day weekend.

Did anyone put Édith Piaf on their iPod Shuffle that we gave for barging cruises taking place during the month of June and Bastille week? That should get you in the mood :)

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barging holiday
For more information on our barges and barging, visit our website : www.BargeCharters.com

 

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French Barge EMMA has 2 cabins open for Bastille week 2011

One of our favorite French hotel barges, Emma, has two of their three cabins available for Bastille week, July 9-15, 2011 (Toulouse-Carcassonne, canal du midi).

We will extend our iPod Shuffle offer to any Paradise Connection client who books Emma for this week.

Come watch the fireworks!

Plus, Emma has a $500/person discount for barging cruises in June, July and August 2011 (see here) so if Bastille week doesn't fit your schedule, let's find one that does!

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book EMMA 
View Emma's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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QUICK: iPod Shuffle Giveaway - French hotel barge cruises June 2011

QUICK, there's still time to take advantage of our iPod Shuffle Giveaway for our clients booking a French Hotel Barge cruise taking place in the month of June 2011... Some barges have some great deals for June, see our previous blog post concerning special offers.

You're going to miss Fête de la Musique day (June 21st) which is one of our favorite French holidays, although you can do this at home: download some French Music (see below), buy a baguette, some brie, a bit of paté, and perhaps a bottle of Pastis to wash it down :)

Confirm your June 2011 French hotel barge cruise and get a FREE 2GB iPod Shuffle... or two... or three... or four... or more...

We'll send each person in your party (whether a cabin booking of 2, or a private charter booking for 12, for example) a handy gift to enjoy on your barging vacation...

Don't let it's tiny size fool you. With this 2GB player, you can pack up to 500 songs... That should do you for a week!

The latest generation of iPod Shuffle allows you to use playlists so you can use this feature to organize your French language lessons, and French music from A to Z, such as:

Antoine, Charles Aznavour, Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel, Patrick Bruel, Maurice Chevalier, Mylène Farmer, Claude François, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Serge Gainsbourg, Johnny Hallyday, Indochine, Kassav, Claudine Longet, Eddy Mitchell, Vanessa Paradis, Édith Piaf, Sheila, Téléphone, Zouzou.

This offer is good for any Paradise Connection booking for a French barging vacation taken in June 2011. It might be a bit of a rush to arrange a last-minute charter for next week (June 26-July2), but we CAN do it... If you ask nicely, we might even extend our offer for a Bastille-week charter (July 10-16)...

We hope you'll be able to take advantage of this special offer from us at Paradise Connections.

 Enjoy!

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barging holiday
For more information on our barges and barging, visit our website : www.BargeCharters.com

 

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Hotel Barging Tours & Cruises Special Events

We'd like to remind you of some special events that are scheduled for the next barging season...

GUIDED WALKING TOUR CRUISES

• SHANNON PRINCESS - Shannon River, Ireland

• Summer Solstice Walking Cruise
• June 26 - July 2, 2011
• Itinerary
• Blog Post
• Brochure
• Additional regional information

• LA BELLE EPOQUE - Burgundy, France

• Canal de Bourgogne
• October 16-22 and 23-29, 2011
• Itinerary
• Blog Post
• Comments
• Brochure

FLOWER SHOWS

• MAGNA CARTA - River Thames, England

• Itinerary: Chelsea Flower Show (May 22-28, 2011)
• Itinerary: Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (July 3-9, 2011)
• Blog Post
• Brochure 
• Additional regional information

HENLEY REGATTA

• MAGNA CARTA - River Thames, England

• June 26 - July 2, 2011
• Itinerary
• Brochure
• Additional regional information

SPECIAL GRANDS CRUS WINE TOUR CRUISE

• AMARYLLIS - Burgundy, France

• July 17-23 & July 24-30, 2011
• Itinerary
• Blog Post
• Brochure
• Additional regional information

HOLLAND

• Dutch Tulip Cruises - Spring

• Itinerary: La Nouvelle Etoile
• Itinerary: Savoir Faire
• 2010 Blog Post

• Queen's Birthday: 2010 Blog Post

• 2-week Amsterdam/Belgium-Paris Cruise

Itinerary: La Nouvelle Etoile

Belgium to France: May 15-26, 2011

• Itinerary: Savoir Faire

Holland to France: May 15-28, 2011
France to Holland: October 16-29, 2011

• Brochure: La Nouvelle Etoile
• Brochure: Savoir Faire

• Holland: Additional regional information
• Belgium: Additional regional information

SIX WEEK TRANS-EUROPE CRUISE

L'Impressionniste offers a very special 6-week, 4-country (France, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands) voyage! A 1,000 mile journey along Western Europe’s finest inland waterways between the southern French Provencal town of Avignon, right across Europe to vibrant Amsterdam in northern Holland.

• Itinerary: 6-week Trans-Europe Cruise November 2011, inquire for specific dates
• Brochure: L'Impressionniste

CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS OR NEW YEARS IN THE UK

• Christmas Cruise (December 24-28, 2011)

• Itinerary: Magna Carta - Thames, England
• Itinerary: Scottish Highlander - Caledonian Canal, Scotland

• New Year's Cruise (December 29 - January 2, 2012)

• Itinerary: Magna Carta - Thames, England
• Itinerary: Scottish Highlander - Caledonian Canal, Scotland

• Brochure: Magna Carta
• Brochure: Scottish Highlander

A COUPLE OF INTERESTING  jours fériés IN FRANCE:

• Fete de la Musique: June 21st (Tuesday in 2011)
• Bastille Day: July 13 (Wednesday), July 14 (Thusday)

OTHER THEMED CRUISES...

For private barge charters, your cruise can be tailored to your interests such as: guided cycling tours, golf, tennis, fishing, cooking, wine appreciation, guided walking tours, family-oriented cruises, antiques... If your chosen barge doesn't list a specific itinerary geared toward your interest, let us know and we'll check it out for you!


SEPTEMBER...

September is always a VERY popular month for barging, so please, please, PLEASE... book early!

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barging holiday
For more information on our barges and barging, visit our website : www.BargeCharters.com

 

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SAVE BIG with Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE 2010

The French Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE has a fantastic special offer for the remainder of the 2010 barging season.

Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE : Barging in France, Belgium & Holland - Spring Dutch Tulip Cruises

ALL REMAINING OPEN DATES FOR THE 2010 SEASON ARE NOW BEING OFFERED AT
$29,500 FOR CHARTERS UP TO 12 GUESTS

Standard 12-person charter rates for 2010 : $41,750 (value season) and $45,400 (regular season).

This is a great barge for a group of family or friends... perhaps your wine-tasting club? Go barging in France this summer and explore the culture and countryside aboard your floating hotel. You'll come back for more :)

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book SAVOIR FAIRE 
View Savoir Faires's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE: Bastille Day Special Offer

Celebrate BASTILLE DAY aboard the Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE and save $16,750.

The French really know how to put on a firework show and in our case, it was usually just a few meters down the waterfront from where Loose Moose was moored... We always had a bucket of water handy just to be prudent :) But, I digress... Back to Savoir Faire...

The Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE will be in Sens on the river Yonne for this festive week.

Here's the news from Chris ...

Summer is fast approaching and that means Bastille Day is right around the corner. On July 14, France will be once again be celebrating the 1790 Fete de la Federation, which was held those 200 and some years ago on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille.

Once aboard the SAVOIR FAIRE, you won’t be able to miss the party. Parades, fireworks, picnics and parties will be taking place throughout France. Many parties are held at the fire stations, with the firefighters as the main attraction.

As all the waterways of France are closed on 14th of July, we have planned a fun packed day with sightseeing, a gourmets picnic lunch and copious wine tasting.

Throughout France, the French get together for picnics during the day, and it wouldn’t be a French picnic without a few basics: although baguettes, ham, cheese, olives and wine are common fare, your chef will prepare a true feast to be enjoyed in a beautiful setting. He will even add a little pizzazz to the usual bottle of wine by bringing it in a watermelon. Called Pasteque Ivre, or "drunken watermelon", it basically involves infusing a watermelon with red wine, or perhaps even a rosé.

After a sumptuous dinner, celebrating some of the greatest French dishes available, we enjoy a spectacular firework display from the upper deck of the SAVOIR FAIRE.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR CRUISE - (expired)

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

All the best,
Chris Bennett
SAVOIR FAIRE

Doesn't that sound absolutely wonderful? Are you ready to get down and celebrate? Let us know!

Also, a reminder... The Savoir Faire still has openings for last minute cabin Dutch Tulip Cruise bookings:

• April 18: Amsterdam Tulip Cruise : 2 cabins available
• April 25: Amsterdam Tulip Cruise : 4 cabins available

There is a cabin available on the 13-night, 3-Country Cruise from Amsterdam - Ghent - Paris, May 2-15, 2010. Places on this magnificent cruise can be booked for either one or both weeks. This cruise is limited to 8 guests.

• May 2: Amsterdam-Ghent : 3 cabins booked / 1 available
• May 9: Ghent-Paris : 3 cabins booked / 1 available

What's not to love :)

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book SAVOIR FAIRE 
View Savoir Faires's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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The show must go on! Even during volcanic eruptions

We received an email from Chris of the Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE this morning. We would like to give Chris and his crew a GOLD STAR!

You're Great!

Savoir Faire had six guests scheduled to cruise with them last week.  Four of the six had travel disruptions due to the volcano in Iceland. Savoir Faire graciously rescheduled them for the week of the 25th. This is cool in itself, but they also honored their commitment for the others who were able to come and cruised with only TWO guests last week.

This is what the happy couple had to say:

GUEST FEEDBACK April 18th to 24th, 2010

"The food, service and journey aboard the Savoir Faire were all first class! The weather was stunning as the evidence of Spring was visually surrounding us all the time. Our chef, Eddy provided meals fit for a Royal Court. Chris's attentiveness was seamless. His wine and cheese knowledge superb! Dean's tours were absolutely right on the mark. He could easily teach the History of Holland at university level. Captain Chris makes all this happen with effortless perfection.

"So a special thank you to all. Since we can't take you all home we'll just have to join you on another cruise!"

We'd like to remind you of the fantastic special offer that Savoir Faire has for the week of Bastille Day celebrations, 11-17 July 2010. A private, full-boat charter for up to 12 guests for only $25,000 which is a savings of up to $16,750... Now, that's SPECIAL!  Click here to read more.

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book SAVOIR FAIRE 
View Savoir Faire's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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HOTEL BARGES - Special offers on select cruises

See current offers at http://allaboutcanalbargecharters.blogspot.com/2010/05/special-offers-hotel-barging-cruises.html

Contact Paradise Connections, your barging specialists, to take advantage of these special offers!

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barging holiday
For more information on our barges and barging, visit our website : www.BargeCharters.com

 

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