Domaine de Chantilly ©

Domaine de Chantilly © Jerome Houyvet River cruise of France – Paris to Picardy Daily cocktail on board! Strawberries and Chantilly cream at the Chateau de Chantilly “You are now a squire of the Brotherhood of the Knights of Whippers of Chantilly Cream” said the red-haired, bespectacled knight beaming at me. It’s certainly not something you hear every day. I was on board the MS Raymonde, a hotel barge in the fleet of the French family-owned CroisiEurope company, on the Oise River in Picardy, close to the exquisite Chateau of Chantilly which we’d toured earlier in the day as part of a week-long cruise of the Oise Valley visiting historic towns, castles and pretty villages. The knight of the Confrérie des Chevaliers Fouetteurs de Crème Chantilly - real name Corinne (she works in a local restaurant), had joined us to demonstrate how to make the famous Chantilly cream which is said to have been invented at the chateau. When she asked for volunteers, I was in, I mean, how hard can it be to whip cream? Actually, if you do it properly, it takes about 10 minutes of good hard whipping! I was rewarded with a bowl of delicious vanilla-flavoured cream, whipped to puffed up peaks of perfection, which passed the hold it over-your-head-upside-down test and gained me my Squire status in the Knighthood - I have a certificate to prove it! It’s just one of the fun and fabulous organised events on a week-long cruise of the Oise Valley that is full of surprises – culture, history, beautiful villages, ancient sites, and delicious, truly delicious, food and wines. My rendezvous point was in Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, and you’ll either embark there or be transported by private minibus to Noyon in Picardy, to board the specially built barge which will be your home for 7 days. Carrying just 22 passengers maximum, and with 6 staff, there’s plenty of room and two sun decks to enjoy, as well as a hot tub and bikes for cycling along the tranquil tow paths. The barge hotel cruises between Paris and Pont-l’Évêque in Noyon where French Protestant reformer John Calvin was born in 1509 and takes in some of the most famous 24 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 25