France · 2020
Our first season
learning the ropes.
In 2020, the practical work of taking on Maria gave way to her first voyage in our care, from Auxonne to Saint-Jean-de-Losne. Roy, a former commercial barge captain with many years of experience, helped us immensely as we learned Maria’s ropes — especially the locks and how not to hit them.
As our confidence and knowledge grew, we travelled through Dole, Rochefort-sur-Nenon, Ranchot, Besançon, Novillars, Baume-les-Dames and L’Isle-sur-le-Doubs. In autumn we continued south through Seurre and Mâcon to Lyon.
Getting started
Learning the ropes.
Roy made the learning practical and fun. Those first locks became part of an adventure we still treasure.
Finding our feet
One of our first moorings.
One of those early stops with Maria — and Oscar discovering the pleasures of a dip.
Saint-Jean-de-Losne
Time to relax.
Saint-Jean-de-Losne was part of our first trip. Between learning and moving, there was time simply to enjoy being aboard — and, of course, the lovely restaurants Saint-Jean-de-Losne has to offer.
Our first visit to Dole
A beautiful little town, with Roy.
Our first trip to Dole was with Roy. The pleasure of the cruise was not just getting Maria there: it was stepping ashore together and discovering somewhere new.
Summer on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin
Hard work, then a chance to cool off.
Our first journey to Besançon took us along the Canal du Rhône au Rhin. After days learning the ropes, a quiet rest on deck was well earned. In the summer heat, cooling off in the water was part of the fun too.
Autumn · 2020
From learning the ropes to Lyon
Our first couple of months with Maria were spent learning the ropes — locks, moorings and getting to know our 25-metre barge. She proved surprisingly easy to handle, and as our confidence grew, the nerves began to fade.
Then came the fun. Maria handled beautifully on the rivers and canals she was built for, and we could relax and enjoy the journey to Besançon. By autumn we were heading south on the Saône, through Seurre and Mâcon towards Lyon.
Somewhere along that journey Maria stopped feeling like a large boat we were learning to manage and started becoming our way of seeing France.
And then came Lyon.
We moored Maria right in the city and stayed for a couple of weeks. It was one of those moments when the whole idea of buying a barge suddenly made sense: our own home sitting on the water, while one of our favourite cities was immediately outside the door.
Known as France’s gastronomic capital, Lyon has remained, for us, the best city in the country — a beautiful city, superb food, two great rivers and a place that somehow feels grand without losing its character.
The journey back was different. We knew Maria better, we trusted ourselves more and stopping somewhere new had become part of normal life. What had begun as a fairly steep learning curve had turned into exactly the kind of travelling we had hoped for.