Discover Belgium the slow way – with gourmet dining, beautiful scenery and surprising adventures
There are several ways to arrive in Belgium: by Eurostar, plane, ferry or car. But being hoisted 240ft into the air while sitting on the deck of a barge is probably not on most travellers’ lists.
Yet here I am, gazing over the railings as the MS Raymonde and its cargo of intrigued passengers rise smoothly upwards in a gigantic lift for ships. Consisting of two counterbalanced caissons – essentially huge bathtubs – the Strépy-Thieu boat lift is one of the great feats of canal engineering. It also provides an unforgettable introduction to the more unusual pleasures of barge cruising.
The lift, opened in 2002 after 20 years of construction, and the nearby Ronquières sloping lock, a kind of waterborne travelator, allow boats to bypass the 16 locks on the Canal du Centre southwest of Brussels. Providing a spectacular shortcut between the different levels, it spares crews the repeated work of navigating each lock.
That said, when you’re a passenger on one of CroisiEurope’s hotel barges, time isn’t really of the essence. Think of it as the more intimate, unhurried cousin of a river cruise. Instead of a vessel carrying up to 190 passengers – which is still tiny in comparison to an ocean cruise – a barge is an even smaller floating base that follows canals and narrower waterways, often travelling at little more than a walking pace.
As a result, the journey itself becomes the destination. There’s no race to reach the next port and no pressure to fill every minute with sightseeing. You can watch villages, fields and industrial landscapes drift past, chat with fellow passengers, read a book or simply sit with a timely drink (more on this subject later) and enjoy the passing views.
CroisiEurope’s seven-day Belgian itinerary aboard the 22-passenger MS Raymonde travels through the waterways of Wallonia and Flanders, connecting the areas around Brussels and Bruges. It’s the French company’s first barge itinerary beyond its home waters, and offers a very different perspective on a country that many silver travellers know through short breaks to its famous cities.
My cabin is compact, but the clever design makes surprisingly good use of the available space. The en suite shower room is roomier than expected, while storage is concealed behind panels and the suitcase disappears beneath the bed. There’s also a desk and TV.
Elsewhere, there’s a comfortable lounge, dining room, outdoor terrace and sun deck. On warmer days, the hot tub provides an especially entertaining vantage point as walkers and cyclists on the tow path wave as we glide past. For anyone tempted to join them, the barge has a fleet of bikes.
Then there is the food, with the chef producing polished French-style cooking from the compact galley. Rather than choosing from a huge menu, we are presented with a set menu for lunch and dinner, with options for different dietary needs. The cheese course is served with a theatrical flourish by our affable purser Hans, adding a dash of dinner-table theatre to proceedings.
The daily rhythm quickly develops its own gentle pattern. At 11am on the dot, Hans rings the bell that announces the eagerly anticipated cocktail of the day. Coupled with Raymond’s open bar, it’s no surprise the barge has a convivial and sociable atmosphere.
That intimacy is one of the defining differences between barge and ocean cruising. With so few passengers, you quickly know everyone – including the delightful six-strong crew – by name. Conversations that begin over cocktails continue over lunch, excursions and dinner. For solo silver travellers in particular, it offers the opportunity to meet people without the slightly overwhelming scale of a large ship.
The days are divided between cruising and excursions, with included guided visits providing plenty of opportunities to explore on dry land.
Alongside established favourites such as Ghent and Bruges, lesser-known highlights include Château de Beloeil, an impressive estate with seven centuries of history and an affectionate reputation as Belgium’s answer to Versailles. Another is Chant d’Éole, a vineyard close to the French border. Its Champagne-like terroir has proved surprisingly well suited to producing sparkling wine. The visit, unsurprisingly, culminates in a tasting.
Belgium’s better-known liquid speciality also gets its moment, with brewery tours introducing us to several of the country’s 1,500-plus beers. The learning process continues on board at the themed Belgian night, where the barge is decorated with flags and stoofvlees, a Flemish beef stew, is served with a local Trappist beer.
The scenery changes as the journey progresses. At times, the waterways pass reminders of Belgium’s industrial past before giving way to greener stretches, villages and tree-lined banks. For me, however, the engineering is every bit as fascinating as the scenery.
The Strépy-Thieu lift is a star attraction. For professional boat crews, it provides an ingenious solution for a faster passage along the canal, while for leisure travellers, being carried skywards inside the enormous lift chamber is an unforgettable experience.
There is also something wonderfully old-fashioned about watching the world go by at such a gentle speed. You notice things that would disappear from a train or car window – a cyclist keeping pace alongside us on the towpath with a basket filled with fresh bread, a church tower rising slowly above the bankside foliage or ducks floating serenely alongside.
By the time Ghent comes into view, I have become used to the pace of life aboard the Raymonde. A barge cruise is all about slowing down, travelling differently and allowing the waterway to reveal Belgium at its own pace.
And if you are wondering whether being suspended more than 200ft above the ground in a boat requires a particularly steady head, I can report that it was remarkably calm. Indeed, I can now say I have experienced the sensation of flying in a barge – and it wasn’t the Belgian beer talking.
Find out more
To book a CroisiEurope cruise or get more information from our Silver Travel Advisors call 0800 412 5678.
