Ever experience something led, staged or otherwise managed by others, and then wondered if you could do it just as well yourself? Well, that's what happened after our inaugural barge trip down the Canal du Midi in the Languedoc region of southern France.

And we not only did it, we did it even better! And then we did it again. And we even did it a third time.

And it's not only fun; it's an adventure. And it's a lot easier than anyone would ever have you believe.

So sit back and join my wife and I and two other couples as we cruise from Chenillé-Changé down the Mayenne River towards Angers, around the island of Île St-Aubin and up the Sarthe River to La Suze-sur-Sarthe.