Betty Barge; Adventures Afloat On the Canals of France eBook Bill Hezlep
Download As PDF : Betty Barge; Adventures Afloat On the Canals of France eBook Bill Hezlep 
The title of this delightful book merely hints at the extended journey inside. Betty's Barge takes us faraway and into a peacefully adventurous life exploring the historic canals of France aboard an antique Dutch motor barge. The book brings to life, in vivid color and charming detail, canal barges and the people, villages, geography and history of the canals, along with the joys and tribulations of living aboard a seventy foot long, sixty year old, floating iron pied-a-terre―while renovating it. A book to be savored anytime you would really rather be somewhere else.
The author has more than thirty years of experience living aboard, overhauling and sailing boats ranging from an ocean going ketch through a Maine lobster boat to...Betty's Barge.
Betty Barge; Adventures Afloat On the Canals of France eBook Bill Hezlep
This book has been very enjoyable in many respects, but a bit disappointing in others. Bill Hezlep is a technician at heart so there are a lot of facts in this memoir. The book follows the three seasons he and his Betty spent cruising on a historic Dutch barge in France between 2001 and 2004. It documents where they went and how many locks they passed through to get to the various towns they visited. It tells of restaurants, wines and monuments. The couple are very interested in history (as I am) and he has a lot to say about French history both in terms of cities and canals, so it really is very interesting. However, I missed something and I think that was the real experience of barging. There was little about the countryside they passed through, and there was even less about the actual barging experience. They could have been cycling from one place to the next for all we learnt about what it was like to be cruising those canals. In fact, there was quite a lot about cycling! There was also quite a lot about the technical problems they had and the weather. In many respects, it wasn't a very encouraging book! There was one other thing that I found very disturbing too and that was the number of spelling and grammar mistakes. Forgive my being picky, but when the word 'except' is spelt 'accept', you cannot pass it by. That was just one example. In most books, there are a few typos, punctuation problems and spelling mistakes, even in professionally edited books, but this one was littered with them. I would suggest that Mr Hezlep gets himself a good proofreader next time he writes a book. Overall, a pleasant read, though, and if you are interested in French food and wine, there are some good recommendations here.Product details
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Betty Barge; Adventures Afloat On the Canals of France eBook Bill Hezlep Reviews
Mr Hezlep writes with a good sence of humor relating the efforts taken to buy, operate, and sell a barge in France. The book is a fun reade. For being one who might visit France some day, I found the footnotes very interesting, including names, web addresses, and all sorts of things one would need if traveling there, barge or not. In addition, Mr. Hezlep adds a great deal of history associated with the places Betty and he visit.
This is for anyone the has or would like to boat the French canals.
I expected a book similar to Terry Darlington's book, "Narrow Dog to Carcassonne" which was so funny and full of insights Betty's Barge seems to be more for like-minded boaters who want information. Mr. Hezlep has researched his subject very well. I only wish, he would make his future books more personable for a wider readership, giving us a reason to go where he has gone.
This is a very well written non-fictional account of two accomplished boater's experiences in adding a new dimension to their already long list of boating experiences. In their case, they went in a direction very few American boaters would dare venture - buying, restoring, maintaining and cruising an antique iron barge through the French canals. It is a delightful and informative true-life story of their adventures through the canals with facinating descriptions of the small towns encountered along the way including some of their history dating back many centuries. We also read about all the surprises a boat has in store for its owners (especially the owners of an 60 year old iron boat) as any boat owner already knows. The author's writing style and humerous approach to this experience makes this a must-read for anyone contemplating boating adventures along any country's inland waterways.
One can't help but notice the delightful similarities between Betty's Barge and Bill Bryson's bestselling A Walk in the Woods. Both are about living out lifelong dreams and taking challenging personal journeys, all while keeping one's sense of humor.
The adventure begins when indomitable and invincible Betty, the author's lifelong partner, purchases Nova Cura, an antique canal boat lying in the tiny town of St. Jean de Losne, France. Nova Cura is a serious vessel, over 60 feet long, and in need of major renovations as would be expected for a vintage 1927 craft.
With a wry sense of humor, the author takes us through the intricacies of buying Betty's nautical antique, learning to drive it at "barge school" (capped off by a written test, taken in French, which neither of them spoke), the trials and expenses of refitting the boat, and the hedonistic joys of cruising the canals of France.
Not every day on the canals is a pastoral delight, filled with wine and cheese and croissants, and ending with Nova Cura being tied to anchor stakes driven into the bank of a canal as the sun sets over a lovely old village. Weather, aging boat parts that abruptly reach their end, and events in the outer world intervene, adding challenges and creating complications.
Part travelogue, part restaurant guide, part a serious cruisers' guide, Betty's Barge is also a story about true companionship and resiliency. It contains amazing turns of phrase, great lessons in geography and charming hand-drawn maps. It is a "must read." Its plot and action are every bit as vibrant as A Walk in the Woods, which is now being turned into a movie.
I've read a few books on barging the canals in France, so was ready to read yet another one - Betty's Barge. While I enjoyed it, I felt that it was written more for those who have experienced - or are experiencing - barge traveling. Why? There were many details about the barge (what was broken, what needed replacing, what was missing, etc.) that were written with a specificity more appropriate for barge owners. That said, I liked reading about the places they visited, which places to avoid/put on the "must see" list, some pertinent and interesting history, and some descriptions of the people they met along the way. And, I liked "meeting" Betty and Bill because they seem like such a self-sufficient and fun couple!
This book has been very enjoyable in many respects, but a bit disappointing in others. Bill Hezlep is a technician at heart so there are a lot of facts in this memoir. The book follows the three seasons he and his Betty spent cruising on a historic Dutch barge in France between 2001 and 2004. It documents where they went and how many locks they passed through to get to the various towns they visited. It tells of restaurants, wines and monuments. The couple are very interested in history (as I am) and he has a lot to say about French history both in terms of cities and canals, so it really is very interesting. However, I missed something and I think that was the real experience of barging. There was little about the countryside they passed through, and there was even less about the actual barging experience. They could have been cycling from one place to the next for all we learnt about what it was like to be cruising those canals. In fact, there was quite a lot about cycling! There was also quite a lot about the technical problems they had and the weather. In many respects, it wasn't a very encouraging book! There was one other thing that I found very disturbing too and that was the number of spelling and grammar mistakes. Forgive my being picky, but when the word 'except' is spelt 'accept', you cannot pass it by. That was just one example. In most books, there are a few typos, punctuation problems and spelling mistakes, even in professionally edited books, but this one was littered with them. I would suggest that Mr Hezlep gets himself a good proofreader next time he writes a book. Overall, a pleasant read, though, and if you are interested in French food and wine, there are some good recommendations here.
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