Bill and Laurel Cooper both retired early from promising careers to travel by water. They spent ten years living on a yacht which they built themselves and wrote Sell Up and Sail on how to do it successfully. One winter they left England in their half-finished Dutch barge, Hosanna, for the canals and warmer climate of France. Their easy-going means of travel took them off the beaten track and into numerous adventures, including being trapped in the Haute Marne and blown to bits by a winter mistral. Amongst the many colourful characters they met was a man who took them to a cockfight in Picardy and a bargewoman who spent all day gossiping on UHF radio. This is their account of the trip. It presents the French people, their folklore, customs and - above all - food, seen through the eyes of two seasoned travellers who are always ready to take a fresh view of the unexpected.