Luciole Blog

3rd – 9th September 2023

First cruise 25 years ago – 8 cruises since. Absolutely true and oh what an honour.

Everything changes, everything stays the same. Aboard the Luciole this could be exclaimed. For over the years, the carpet colours of gold, green and blue have come and gone and the drinks bar, in different shapes and sizes has moved from port to starboard and from by the galley to the front of the saloon and then back again. Until 2016, the stairs descended from the centre of the barge down to the cabins (sorry we took away your dance platform) but has now shifted to stage right. The chairs and sofas have changed – but we won’t forget the long sofa Judy, you spent time upon with your broken (not sprained) ankle.

Outside, there were plastic stacking deck chairs of white, then green (hard to believe) before we upgraded to wood and of course, we also have our teak deck. Previously you saw deck carpets of various hues of black, brown, burnt orange and ruby (nice until the dye started running down the cream paintwork!). We even lost the brown and caramel coloured stripes on the bow and round the superstructure, changing them to burgundy red and of course the number of windows changed in the saloon from 6 to 3. The main alteration though it has to be said is that the Luciole was stretched by 4 metres and this enabled us to move the bikes from where they once stood on the sun deck (yes they really were up there) to the front bow deck. Our incredibly wonderful Cline family have seen all these Luciole’s changes. It is really is hard to believe.

Back to the present however, the week began and your arrival celebrate with a glorious pink sunset over the church in Clamecy. Sunny days continued through the cruise, with a blue sky as far as the eye could see and a stars by night, when phone apps were launched to check the many constellations. Each morning, rising early, steaming coffee was the order of the day (before or after the stroll), sipping on deck or even ashore whilst admiring the Accolay lavoir, or even, even as room service - a tender salute to 44 years of marriage.

From the week we will remember with with smiles on our faces ‘Ice and a slice’, ‘DJ Steve’ (apologies only the offer of an after-diner drink and not the arrival of local disk jockey, with records in hand) and ‘one more time’ (we can but hope). This was a truly vintage week, on the cusp of another grape picking season.

Thank you so very, very much for your Seattle sunshine, friendship and joy these past numerous decades. You are as much a part of the Luciole, as the changes you have witnessed aboard her.