BELGIUM

摘要

Gent-Oostend Canal: I have long thought that a barge float in Europe would be a mind-numbing way to spend a vacation...crawling in slo-mo up some scenic but crowded river, crammed together with people you thought you liked when you left home but now, several days in, are getting on your nerves. But when I began to hear raves about a new barge based in Belgium, I gave in. The boat in question is the GOLDEN ODYSSEY, a 110-foot Dutch-built vessel, circa 1926, exquisitely refitted in its mother country four years ago. The teak paneling gleams, and the polished wood floors and Belouche and Caucasian carpets justify co-owner Greg Birra's rule that only boat shoes or bare feet are allowed inside.