One April morning in 1967, the Palinurus, a converted barge, slipped its mooring at Samois, a village on the Seine, and began a lazy and idyllic voyage through the rivers and canals of France. Aboard

Floating island

One April morning in 1967, the Palinurus, a converted barge, slipped its mooring at Samois, a village on the Seine, and began a lazy and idyllic voyage through the rivers and canals of France. Aboard were Emily and ten good friends. Included in the unusual cruise equipment were a number of bicycles for riding along the towpaths. There was also a Volkswagen Microbus for on-shore excursions. Parked in towns near the water when not in use, the Microbus was retrieved by taxi when the Palinurus made its stops. From their lively explorations on land the passengers returned to the dreamlike rhythm of the barge, a veritable floating island, content to be released from the tensions ashore, detached from earth and time. Adventures and misadventures, delightful and preposterous, starred their happy progress to Montbard on the Burgundy Canal. And Emily tells it with that joy of living and sense of nonsense only she can convey so irresistibly.

Floating island