An Inland Voyage

For will anyone dare to tell me that business is more entertaining than fooling among boats? He must have never seen a boat or never seen an office who says so.-Robert Louis Stevenson An Inland Voyage (1878)An Inland Voyage (1878) by Robert Louis Stevenson describes a canoe trip through France and Belgium that he took with his friend Sir Walter Grindlay Simpson in 1876. Although he had never been in a canoe before Stevenson was an excellent traveler and enjoyed every aspect of the adventure. His book describes barges with their flower-pots and smoking chimneys and fishermen stupefied with contentment. In addition the author reflects on the mindlessness of canoeing with the ecstatic stupor it provides along with wider issues including the French character and the artists role in society.