"Steven Stern has an encyclopedic knowledge of the cruise world in general and riverboat-and barge- cruising in particular, with a great understanding of the different lines and their products. This guide is a must for both new and veteran riverboat and barge travelers."

-World of Cruising Magazine

"Finally someone has written a definitive travel guide covering an ever growing and popular, yet seldom covered, segment of the cruise industry. This is compulsory reading for anyone interested in a riverboat or barge cruise."

-Official Steamship Guide International

Steven B. Stern is the ultimate authority on all forms of cruising. Having written 24 annual editions of the universally acclaimed "Stern's Guide to the Cruise Vacation", he has now produced a guide devoted exclusively to the riverboat and barge experience. The popularity of riverboat explorations throughout Europe has grown expeditiously over the past few years and has become the newest "hot" segment of the cruise market. Leisurely sojourns on hotel barges on the waterways of France and other European countries also are becoming popular among seasoned cruisers seeking a more intimate and tranquil vacation.

This comprehensive guide lists descriptive information for every European riverboat and hotel barge, including vital statistics, stateroom size, descriptions of public areas, dining and shipboard facilities, and itineraries. Each vessel is evaluated as to comfort and luxury. Hundreds of photos of the vessels exterior and interiors are included, as well as sample menus and daily programs.

Several chapters are devoted to descriptions of the cities and villages visited by riverboats, and the regions and villages visited by hotel barges, along with descriptive photographs.

The Wayward Pilgrim is an account of the desultory pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain made by a professor of Spanish on Sabbatical leave from the Salisbury University in Maryland. The professor undertakes the pilgrimage not as a religious experience but as an attempt to better understand the history and culture of Spain. In the book, he combines an account of the Medieval pilgrimage with the diversions often taken by the modem pilgrim. In the end, the professor comes to realize the hardships, the endurance and the hardy and devote spirit of the true pilgrim. In addition to the account of the pilgrimage, the book also contains vignettes of great moments and great historical figures that changed the world forever.

The Wayward Pilgrim is an account of the desultory pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain made by a professor of Spanish on Sabbatical leave from the Salisbury University in Maryland. The professor undertakes the pilgrimage not as a religious experience but as an attempt to better understand the history and culture of Spain. In the book, he combines an account of the Medieval pilgrimage with the diversions often taken by the modem pilgrim. In the end, the professor comes to realize the hardships, the endurance and the hardy and devote spirit of the true pilgrim. In addition to the account of the pilgrimage, the book also contains vignettes of great moments and great historical figures that changed the world forever.

�I so enjoyed reading the narrative of your trip to Europe in 1972. It is a wonderful account of the adventurous travels of two young American girls, experiencing the various cultures they encountered along the way within the context of the history going on during that period of time. I am so glad you kept the journal as you went along because doing so you were able to recapture what it was like to be in your shoes. Reading it brought me back to memories of younger days. Life is an adventure to be enjoyed while somehow not succumbing to unforeseen pitfalls. The wonder of being young. Thanks for sharing your story with me. So well written; reading it made me feel like I was there with you and your friend. (I) Loved the photos, especially of you with your Mom and Dad. As Harry used to say to me, life is an adventure and you don�t have to go looking for it, if you are out there it comes to you.� �Connie Pashley McDade

�I so enjoyed reading the narrative of your trip to Europe in 1972. It is a wonderful account of the adventurous travels of two young American girls, experiencing the various cultures they encountered along the way within the context of the history going on during that period of time. I am so glad you kept the journal as you went along because doing so you were able to recapture what it was like to be in your shoes. Reading it brought me back to memories of younger days. Life is an adventure to be enjoyed while somehow not succumbing to unforeseen pitfalls. The wonder of being young. Thanks for sharing your story with me. So well written; reading it made me feel like I was there with you and your friend. (I) Loved the photos, especially of you with your Mom and Dad. As Harry used to say to me, life is an adventure and you don�t have to go looking for it, if you are out there it comes to you.� �Connie Pashley McDade

�I so enjoyed reading the narrative of your trip to Europe in 1972. It is a wonderful account of the adventurous travels of two young American girls, experiencing the various cultures they encountered along the way within the context of the history going on during that period of time. I am so glad you kept the journal as you went along because doing so you were able to recapture what it was like to be in your shoes. Reading it brought me back to memories of younger days. Life is an adventure to be enjoyed while somehow not succumbing to unforeseen pitfalls. The wonder of being young. Thanks for sharing your story with me. So well written; reading it made me feel like I was there with you and your friend. (I) Loved the photos, especially of you with your Mom and Dad. As Harry used to say to me, life is an adventure and you don�t have to go looking for it, if you are out there it comes to you.� �Connie Pashley McDade

"Musings of an Inveterate Traveler IV" is the personalized experience of a pleasure traveler to: The Netherlands, England, Scotland, Norway, and Denmark. As the author�s fourth travel book it includes text referenced pictures, personal comments, insights, history, travel snafus, animals, plants, people, places, humor, ironies, and the sheer joy of traveling as one of life�s greatest gifts. The book will be enjoyed by experienced and inexperienced travelers of all ages who can relate to the manifold experiences or who enjoy those adventures vicariously from the comfort of their easy-chair. The book is written without trying to judge the world, its leaders, or its economic systems; it takes place in 2012 with the author and his partner Jean as the only repeating characters. Each chapter contains opinions, personal preferences, various insights about other people and the author. The author�s musings involve experiences common to all travelers; e.g., travel connection problems, errors and omissions, comic cultural contacts, joyful interludes, camaraderie, dining, and shopping.

"Musings of an Inveterate Traveler IV" is the personalized experience of a pleasure traveler to: The Netherlands, England, Scotland, Norway, and Denmark. As the author�s fourth travel book it includes text referenced pictures, personal comments, insights, history, travel snafus, animals, plants, people, places, humor, ironies, and the sheer joy of traveling as one of life�s greatest gifts. The book will be enjoyed by experienced and inexperienced travelers of all ages who can relate to the manifold experiences or who enjoy those adventures vicariously from the comfort of their easy-chair. The book is written without trying to judge the world, its leaders, or its economic systems; it takes place in 2012 with the author and his partner Jean as the only repeating characters. Each chapter contains opinions, personal preferences, various insights about other people and the author. The author�s musings involve experiences common to all travelers; e.g., travel connection problems, errors and omissions, comic cultural contacts, joyful interludes, camaraderie, dining, and shopping.

This is a summary of European travel notes and experiences of Scott, Melanie and Drew Bailey complied over a fifteen year period 1995 � 2011. It is not a travel guide, comprehensive wine book nor is it a substitute for the encyclopedic dining guides. We report on our food, wine and travel experiences; Highly Recommended (excellent); Recommended (very good/good) or Not Recommended. In certain circumstances, we may defer as Judgment Reserved. Our trip style is in the nature of assimilating into European culinary and oenological life and living it as a native does, rather than a tourist on a once-in-a-lifetime European grand swing to see all the touristic sights.

These notes are presented to the reader as a series of regional experiences and practical tips that should increase your enjoyment of participating in the finer points of French and European ways of life. These are our personal recommendations, which you may find helpful in making plans for your own gastronomical and vinous travels and explorations.

Bonne Journ�e, et Bon App�tit!

This is a summary of European travel notes and experiences of Scott, Melanie and Drew Bailey complied over a fifteen year period 1995 � 2011. It is not a travel guide, comprehensive wine book nor is it a substitute for the encyclopedic dining guides. We report on our food, wine and travel experiences; Highly Recommended (excellent); Recommended (very good/good) or Not Recommended. In certain circumstances, we may defer as Judgment Reserved. Our trip style is in the nature of assimilating into European culinary and oenological life and living it as a native does, rather than a tourist on a once-in-a-lifetime European grand swing to see all the touristic sights.

These notes are presented to the reader as a series of regional experiences and practical tips that should increase your enjoyment of participating in the finer points of French and European ways of life. These are our personal recommendations, which you may find helpful in making plans for your own gastronomical and vinous travels and explorations.

Bonne Journ�e, et Bon App�tit!

This is a summary of European travel notes and experiences of Scott, Melanie and Drew Bailey complied over a fifteen year period 1995 � 2011. It is not a travel guide, comprehensive wine book nor is it a substitute for the encyclopedic dining guides. We report on our food, wine and travel experiences; Highly Recommended (excellent); Recommended (very good/good) or Not Recommended. In certain circumstances, we may defer as Judgment Reserved. Our trip style is in the nature of assimilating into European culinary and oenological life and living it as a native does, rather than a tourist on a once-in-a-lifetime European grand swing to see all the touristic sights.

These notes are presented to the reader as a series of regional experiences and practical tips that should increase your enjoyment of participating in the finer points of French and European ways of life. These are our personal recommendations, which you may find helpful in making plans for your own gastronomical and vinous travels and explorations.

Bonne Journ�e, et Bon App�tit!

We learn three things whenever we travel. First, we learn something about other places. Second, we learn something about other people. Third, we learn something about ourselves. This is what Armand Moncaide discovered when he embarked on a trip around Europe. From the sun-drenched plains of Spain to the snow-capped Alps towering over Switzerland; from the grandeur of London and Paris to the romance of Rome and Venice, Armand learns the meaning of the phrase, "Only by getting lost can we begin to find ourselves." Because the truth is, there really is no place like home.

 

Take an Australian family, relocate them to the French Rhone Alps for work with the UN, add a language barrier and a few huge cultural differences and you have a recipe for disaster! Like a French menu �Life on Planet France� comes with a side serving of French school teachers who roll their eyes at you and swear at their students. There is an eccentric landlord who wears a lab coat and safety goggles when mowing the lawn and French Firemen who in a state of drunkenness battle a giant wasp nest. The entree involves French language lessons that are enjoyed as much as Escargots on a child�s dinner plate. The main is a tantalising exchange of rather nasty instances with French Authorities who would rather forgo their steak tartare if eating it means helping a foreigner get a visa. And finally there is dessert; it�s a seductive and aromatic Frenchman who smells and tastes better then a cr�me brulee or chocolate souffl�. Life on Planet France is a true story of a family living in the French countryside. It is riddled with obstacles that seem infinite and from the beginning it appears that forces beyond their control are determined to destroy the family�s dream of permanently living abroad. Especially when one of them ends up in a Swiss hospital fighting for their life after a serious accident. This travel narrative is enriched with clever antidotes, insightful information and some really entertaining and touching moments.

Take an Australian family, relocate them to the French Rhone Alps for work with the UN, add a language barrier and a few huge cultural differences and you have a recipe for disaster! Like a French menu �Life on Planet France� comes with a side serving of French school teachers who roll their eyes at you and swear at their students. There is an eccentric landlord who wears a lab coat and safety goggles when mowing the lawn and French Firemen who in a state of drunkenness battle a giant wasp nest. The entree involves French language lessons that are enjoyed as much as Escargots on a child�s dinner plate. The main is a tantalising exchange of rather nasty instances with French Authorities who would rather forgo their steak tartare if eating it means helping a foreigner get a visa. And finally there is dessert; it�s a seductive and aromatic Frenchman who smells and tastes better then a cr�me brulee or chocolate souffl�. Life on Planet France is a true story of a family living in the French countryside. It is riddled with obstacles that seem infinite and from the beginning it appears that forces beyond their control are determined to destroy the family�s dream of permanently living abroad. Especially when one of them ends up in a Swiss hospital fighting for their life after a serious accident. This travel narrative is enriched with clever antidotes, insightful information and some really entertaining and touching moments.

Take an Australian family, relocate them to the French Rhone Alps for work with the UN, add a language barrier and a few huge cultural differences and you have a recipe for disaster! Like a French menu �Life on Planet France� comes with a side serving of French school teachers who roll their eyes at you and swear at their students. There is an eccentric landlord who wears a lab coat and safety goggles when mowing the lawn and French Firemen who in a state of drunkenness battle a giant wasp nest. The entree involves French language lessons that are enjoyed as much as Escargots on a child�s dinner plate. The main is a tantalising exchange of rather nasty instances with French Authorities who would rather forgo their steak tartare if eating it means helping a foreigner get a visa. And finally there is dessert; it�s a seductive and aromatic Frenchman who smells and tastes better then a cr�me brulee or chocolate souffl�. Life on Planet France is a true story of a family living in the French countryside. It is riddled with obstacles that seem infinite and from the beginning it appears that forces beyond their control are determined to destroy the family�s dream of permanently living abroad. Especially when one of them ends up in a Swiss hospital fighting for their life after a serious accident. This travel narrative is enriched with clever antidotes, insightful information and some really entertaining and touching moments.