CANAL DU NIVERNAIS, BURGUNDY, FRANCE - Steep rock walls, ribboned with trickling streams from small waterfalls, make up the narrow pathway to the tunnel ahead. Gradually our vessel is submerged in darkness, the only illumination supplied by two blazing torches on either side of the slow moving barge. The three tunnels of La Collancelle (695 feet, 880 feet and 2485 feet in length), carved out of rock back in 1839, envelop us on three sides. The olive drab green water of Burgundy's Canal du Nivernais beneath us, barely reflecting the torches' fiery illumination, serves as the liquid roadway for our upcoming journey.

Our captain, with an impressive flair for the dramatic, has thoughtfully brought speakers out onto the deck. The strains of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries echoes off the tunnel walls and provides an impressive musical accompaniment for the beginning of our 6 day journey through the Burgundian countryside aboard the Art de Vivre.

Despite the trip's dramatic start and the title of this story, Barging Through Burgundy has nothing whatsoever to do with the speed or force with which we toured France's famous wine region. It rather refers to the fact that we explored this bucolic territory on a barge. Our home for a week was a former Scottish munitions carrier, refurbished into a floating luxury hotel that accommodates up to 8 passengers and four crew members.

The barge moves at a snail's pace through the narrow canal and countless locks along the way, affording passengers plenty of opportunities to disembark, walk or bicycle alongside the canals, and explore the nearby hamlets and villages. The Art de Vivre conveniently carries bicycles for all its passengers to use at will, and the boat moves slowly enough for cycling enthusiasts to get great daily workouts, while coming back to a comfortable room, a hot shower in your own private bathroom, and the great food and wine and impeccable service offered aboard the European Waterways barge.

The slow pace, relaxing atmosphere, fabulous foods and wine, and attentiveness of the outstanding crew prompted one of our fellow passengers, Australian Frank Brennan, to spontaneously exclaim several times each day, "This is the life!"

The rest of us passengers wholeheartedly agreed and the phrase became our collective mantra throughout the trip.

Food and Wine
This is Burgundy, so of course wine and food are a big part of the trip. As fortune would have it, all of the passengers aboard with me were adventurous foodies (although if they weren't the chef will happily accommodates each passengers dietary needs and preferences).

I must admit that when we first learned that L'Art de Vivre was staffed by a young Australian chef, all the passengers silently groaned. As we were traveling in Burgundy, we just assumed the chef would be French.

We needn't have worried. The meals prepared by Australian Wayne Martin were all extraordinary, each seeming to best the one before it. By the end of the cruise it was hard to pick a favorite dish (but I did manage to snare recipes of few of my favorites to share with you).

He may be young and he may be Australian, but Wayne is well trained in preparing traditional French cuisine. Along the way we feasted on pâte de foi gras, duck in wine reduction sauce, escargots in garlic and parsley butter and traditional Burgundian dishes like Oeufs en Meurette (eggs poached in red wine with bacon and served on fresh lamb lettuce).  Wayne's French Onion Soup was the best we'd ever had, and that was a unanimous consensus of all the passengers aboard. Even the "simple: lunchtime dishes like chicken breasts had sophisticated flavors, as in Wayne's Chicken Filets with Orange and Sage. Considering he turned out such elaborate gourmet fare from the tiny on board kitchen in itself is a testament to this young man's talent. We see big things in his future.

Aside from the chef's skill, another reason the food is so good is that Wayne has complete freedom in preparing the menu. Each day he visits local markets along the Art de Vivre's route to procure the best ingredients available.

Every morning, afternoon and evening we feasted on the labor of Wayne's shopping trips -- farm fresh produce, fish, meats and cheeses from the local purveyors and artisans along the way, not to mention freshly baked breads, croissants and breakfast pastries.

Unlike what we're used to in the United States, the food here is not produced by factory farming. The white Charolais cattle grazing along the canal's banks were from some of the same herds that ended up on our dinner plates and the vegetables that accompanied our meals were almost surely picked from someone's garden that very morning.

Wayne also tends to a fresh herb garden, planted on the barge's back deck, in order to always have fresh seasoning ingredients available. What this young man does with his limited space is truly amazing.

With each meal also came an exquisite cheese course - two new French cheeses at each lunch and dinner repast, along with some of the region's best wines. Hostess Laura Windsor hand picked the cheese to go with each day's meals, and provided a short tutorial on the cheeses and the wines before serving them.

To quote Frank, "This is the life!

Through the Locks
One of the Canal du Nivernais's most famous, not to mention prolific, features are its locks -- literally stair steps that allow boats to navigate the canal's waters by climbing or descending the fluvial levels necessitated by the surrounding hilly terrain. Sometimes the locks are nearly on top of one another - during one stretch we encountered 16 consecutive locks, placed in short succession -- some as little as 200 yards apart!

If you happen to be inside during the trip through a lock , it can be somewhat disconcerting to look through the windows and see the boat sinking (or rising as the case may be). To be sure it happens so slowly there's no need for alarm, but it does feel odd.

Each lock gives passengers the opportunity to step off the barge and walk (or bike) along beside it or even ahead (the barge does progress VERY slowly).

Originally built to carry lumber to Paris, the canals were only used for their intended purpose for a very short time, the railroad proving far more efficient at transporting lumber than a barge pulled along by mule power.

Today the canals are largely used by tourists on floating barges or rental boats (really floating RVs) that cruise the waters, their passengers enjoying the spectacular Burgundian scenery and relaxing slow pace of life.

The Art de Vivre is currently the largest vessel regularly navigating the Canal du Nivernais. Sometimes our barge cleared the lock's width by no more than 2 or 3 inches on either side, a real testament to the skills of Captain Julian Allsop and first mate Steve Kennedy.

The narrowness of the canals also keeps the crew's painting skills in good order, as occasional scrapes are inevitable -- although you'd hardly know it to look at the beautifully maintained ship.

Evenings and Side Trips
In the evenings, Captain Julian moored the barge before a feast was enjoyed by all passengers. The young staff (British, Scottish and Australian, so no worry about their ability to speak English) is surprisingly knowledgeable about wine and the region's cuisine, which made trying these new treats and delicacies that much more enjoyable.

After dinner we'd usually sit out on the deck, enjoy the stars and sip cocktails or after dinner liqueurs and cognacs. A whirlpool hot tub tempted soakers into even further relaxation before heading off to our cabins and bed.

After a continental breakfast of croissants, pastries and wonderful breads, along with cereals and fruits, we'd lounge on the deck, or take a walk or bike ride, until it was time for the day's activities or side trips. We took excursions into the nearby towns of Tannay, Vezelay and Clemacy, with plenty of time to tour their gothic cathedrals and browse through the village shops.

These towns look like they stepped out of a Disney cartoon, say Belle's small provincial town in Beauty and the Beast or perhaps even the villages that surrounded Snow White's forest home. People still live and work in buildings that have been around since the 1700's (some even older!).

In Vezelay we toured the hilltop Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene, with an actual hrefic from the Saint herself housed in the church's underground shrine. The gothic architecture was impossibly beautiful and everywhere you glanced some new detail would capture the imagination. One of my favorite aspects in all of the architecture in France is the prevalence of faces - angels, demons, and gargoyles, oh my! The basilica has countless excellent examples of all of the above, so get your cameras ready.

Another side trip took us to an authentic French Chateau - its seems times are tough for the aristocracy and in order to make ends meet and keep up on the endless maintenance, more and more of the ancient familial homes are opening for tours. The family still lives on the upper floors but tourists get to tour the downstairs drawing rooms, parlors, dining room and kitchen, along with estate's private chapel and stables.

Cooperative Wine
Wine aficionados will find a lot to keep their attention on this trip. One side trip took us to Les Caves Tannaysiennes in the small town of Tannay. Here you will find some unique wines you'll probably never see in the United States. The caves are a wine co-operative of many of the area's small vineyard owners and are open for tours and tastings. Instead of selling their grapes to corporate producers, these enterprising vineyard owners have come together to produce some wonderful wines.

White varieties include Chardonnay and a varietal I'd previous never heard of called Melon. It proved a delightful alternative to the Chardonnays that are so prevalent here (not that those aren't fabulous). At about 6 Euros a bottle, Melon proved a great bargain too. Reds include a Gamay - a perfect light red picnic wine, and a Pinot Noir.

The co-op also produces a grappa like spirit (made in both neutral and sweet versions) called Rattafia. If you like grappa, chances are you'll enjoy Rattafia. While this particular producer does not export to the US, others do, so check with your wines and spirits shop if you want to try it.

Our favorite wine excursion was to visit Jean Frambourt (pictured at left) at his wine bar in Dorceny. If you didn't know any better, it would be easy to pass this humble little shop by - you'd never realize it housed an impressive (by French standards, no less) collection of wine, overseen by one of Europe's top sommeliers.

The regulars at the bar somewhat resemble a French equivalent of Cliff and Norm, but get Jean talking and you'll soon realize you've stumbled onto a treasure. His knowledge of wine seems as endless of the varieties he stocks. We sampled some mighty fine wines here including 1969 Vouvray that had a finish that went on for days. Throughout the tasting Jean gave us his thoughts on wine, taught us the proper way to savor these treasures, and explained what made the wines he chose so special.

While Jean held court, his wife Elizabeth tended shop and prepared the fare for hungry customers, and his cute little dog Petrus (what else would a French master sommelier name his dog?) kept everyone entertained with his playful antics.

All too soon the journey was over. The passengers and crew had bonded so much during the trip, it almost felt like leaving family when it came time to say goodbye. The trip had been so relaxing, it was hard to even contemplate returning to the "real world" with its duties, obligations, ringing phones and overflowing email boxes. But all good things must come to end, so after lots of hugs and address exchanging we reluctantly boarded the bus back to Paris. But that's another story.

Getting There
European Waterways - For more information or to make reservations for this, or any of the barge cruises offered by European Waterways (they offer lots of options all over Europe), visit www.GoBarging.com; email sales@gobarging.com; or call toll free from the United States 800-394-8630; toll free from Canada 888-342-1917; from the mainlain UK 00 0871-330-8117; or internationally 44 (0) 1784-482439.

Burgundy -- For more information about traveling in Burgundy in general, visit www.burgundy-tourism.com.

Find Jean Frambourt's Wine Bar and Restaurant in the tiny town of Dorceny. For information, when in France, call 03-86-24-25-03.