Meanderer Antique furniture cruise itinerary, Upper Loire, France

luxury barge cruise vacations
aboard Meanderer on the Briare canal, Upper Loire, France

Over the last three seasons many of our guests have spent a lot of time during their vacation searching antiques stores for ancient treasures. France is bursting with relics from the past, many of which are for sale at prices which seem ludicrously low to American travelers. But the greatest problems facing the would-be antique collector in France are how to find the real gems , how much to pay for them and then (probably the point which stops most from filling their homes with fantastic French furniture and artifacts), how to get them back to the US. For 2004, we can help with all of these problems.

To help anyone who has an appreciation of French antiques, included in our 2004 antiques cruises we have:

• teamed up with French (but English speaking) Antiques dealer and expert Nicole Samara, who lives right in the heart of the Parisian antique markets to offer personalized tours of the Paris markets
• arranged lunch and a private antiques tour at the splendid C14th Chateau de la Verrerie hosted by the owner Countess Beraud de Vogue
• sourced an International Shipper who will arrange fully insured shipping to the US direct from Paris or any other dealer throughout France

Of course, most people still want enjoy the tranquility of cruising aboard Meanderer so our cruise route will remain unaffected by the new Antiques itinerary (and we will still have time to visit most of our regular excursions too) but to maximize the opportunity to explore for antiques, our schedule will start on Saturday morning in Paris. A suggested itinerary would be as follows (although as always, our schedule is always flexible): Saturday, Antiques cruise Day 1 - PARIS 9.30am. The group meet our Antiques expert at a central Paris hotel (of their choice) for a private guided tour of the Paris markets. There is plenty of time to browse for specific items and Nicole will be on hand to help translate or negotiate if needed. For guests with a specific item in mind, Nicole can arrange visits to any of the areas specialist dealers. Lunch will be taken in one of the antiques dealers cafes right in the heart of the market area.

Any purchases made today can be dropped off to the International Shippers or left for collection the following weekend. Sunday, Antiques cruise Day 2 - PARIS TO MONTARGIS Guests have the option to return to the markets of Paris alone or to visit any of the dealers by appointment through Nicole. At 2pm, we collect the guests as usual for transfer to Meanderer in Montargis and the customary Champagne welcome and evening cruise. Dinner is the first meal aboard, and we begin our early evening cruise through Little Venice, so called for its flower-bedecked bridges and small canals. Monday, Antiques cruise Day 3 - MONTARGIS TO MONTCRESSON After a leisurely breakfast of croissants, preserves and French bread, fresh from the local boulangerie, our usual cruise itinerary continues with a morning cruise to Montcresson. In the afternoon we visit the Chateau and town of Fontainbleau with a chance to browse any of the many specialist antique dealers in the town followed by a tour of some of the fine antique outlets on the way back to Meanderer. Dinner aboard Tuesday, Antiques cruise Day 4 - MONTCRESSON TO CHATILLON-COLIGNY Our morning excursion takes us to the regional capital Montargis and a chance to visit several “Depot Vente” (antique and bric-a-brac dealers) at work in their shops. Although often tumble down and over-run in appearance, these places are where many of the real treasures of France are often to be found. Our afternoon cruise takes us to the village of Chatillion Coligny where we moor right outside one of the best “Depot Vente” stores in the region. Dinner aboard Wednesday, Antiques cruise Day 5 - CHATILLON-COLIGNY TO ROGNY-LES-SEPT-ECLUSES Our morning cruise takes us to the historic canal monument of Rogny Les Sept Ecluses. After lunch today, we are joined on board by Francois Duval, a local wine historian and noted Somilier. His explanation of wine history and the accompanying vintage wine tasting are riveting. Dinner aboard Thursday, Antiques cruise Day 6 - ROGNY-LES-SEPT-ECLUSES TO LA GAZONNE After our morning cruise to La Gazonne, we leave the barge to visit the splendid c14th Chateau de La Verrerie for lunch and a private tour of the house and gardens. The owners Count and Countess Beraud de Vogue personally conduct the tour and answer questions about the history of the countless artifacts and family treasures in the chateau. Dinner aboard Friday, Antiques cruise Day 7 - LA GAZONNE TO BRIARE Our morning cruise takes us to Briare with a chance to shop at the weekly farmers market or visit the Museum of Canal History in the town. Since no vacation in France would be complete without a wine-tasting, our excursion today takes us to the spectacular hilltop village and wine region of Sancerre. And, just to show there is no shortage of antiques here too, we have the option to view several dealers en-route. Farewell Captain's Dinner Saturday, Antiques cruise Day 8 - BRIARE TO PARIS After breakfast on Saturday it is time to gather any purchases and pack them into the minibus for transport to Paris (we will help package any objects bought along the way). In Paris we drop off luggage at the hotel before taking guests on to the offices of the international shipper where their prized possessions are packed carefully into a crate ready for delivery to any destination worldwide (the shippers deal with all formalities such as customs documents, import/export tax etc. – and they speak fluent English too!) The guests are then free to spend any further time they wish in Paris.

Note: Naturally, the addition of Saturday in Paris requires an additional overnight stay. The cost of hotel accommodation on either Saturday is not included in the charter price.

Why not experience the magic for yourself, contact us today to find out
more about our France luxury barge cruise vacation aboard Meanderer on the Briare canal....

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