My current novel, “The Little Paris Bookshop” by Nina George, is
sending me along the waterways of France. The bookshop is based on a barge
which, at the start of the book, is moored up in Paris. As the tale goes on the
owner & associates set off on an epic trip down to the south of France. I’ve
just passed Sancerre, famed for its wines, so far. As they sail, they travel
down the river of life, changing perceptions, coming to terms with their pasts
& futures.
As I read, the idea of a canal boat holiday appeals. The gentle
pace of life through quiet open countryside sounds just what we could do with.
Maybe I’ve just been watching too many television programmes
where Tim West & Prunella Scales travel on the canals of Europe. Some of
their canals have not been quiet – the chaos that is Venice for example – or through
not so beautiful scenery –the industrial heart of Bradford & Leeds for
example – but that peacefulness that comes with slow travel still pervades
their trips.
I wonder if it would be possible to find a wheelchair accessible
boat. It’s a thought. We could stop at canal/river side pubs/bars/restaurants
as we went. It sounds idyllic.
When we went on holiday in Burgundy a couple of years ago we met
to English couples who were doing just that. I quite envy them.
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