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Reflected sunlight from water outside dances on chestnut ceiling of my cabin first morning I awaken aboard luxury barge La Belle Époque. I get up to look out open porthole window and am greeted with a friendly squawk. A large white swan approaches expectantly, followed by several mallard ducks. We are eye level with each other. Having no bread to offer, I quickly close window.

After a shower in tiled bathroom and rub-down with a thick nautical blue towel, I head upstairs. On an antique oak sideboard in main salon hostesses Fanny and Barbara have laid out a breakfast of granolas, yogurt, and fresh fruit. While I was still gazing at ceiling of my cabin, Captain Lee had been in village of Auxerre buying fresh baguettes, croissants and pain chocolate.

La Belle Époque is one of several luxury canal barges operated in France by European Waterways. Once a working canal barge, it has been redesigned with both elegance and passenger comfort in mind. The salon is hunter green, rose and mahogany, with comfortable banquettes and vases of fresh flowers. There are a sun-deck, Jacuzzi spa, sauna, fitness studio, and bicycles for guests to ride along canal paths.

It's a fine fall day in France, still summer in afternoons, with nights that offer a crisp reminder of winter to come. This state-of-the-art hotel barge carries just twelve passengers, with six crew members to take care of every possible passenger need.

Nick, our guide, had picked us up in Paris previous day in front of Hotel Ampère. A two-hour journey by minivan through rolling French countryside had brought us to medieval town of Auxerre, where La Belle Époque and her crew awaited. We enjoyed a champagne welcome accompanied by freshly-baked popovers. After meeting crew and getting settled into our cabins, we explored cobblestone streets and fashionable shops of Auxerre.

At junction of Canal du Nivernais and River Yonne, Auxerre was a pivotal town on ancient north-south road through France. It was a big market town for lumber and wine as well as an important spiritual center. Surrounded by timber-framed buildings are a 15th century tower with a large decorative 17th century clock.

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Penn and Teller make their own brand of magic six nights a week at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Iconoclasts to bone, Penn is tall and verbose, Teller, diminutive and silent. Together they are known as Bad Boys of Magic.

Recently, I had unique, slightly unnerving pleasure of seeing internationally famous duo perform live at Samba Room, showroom created especially for them at Rio.

It's 8:30 p.m. and show is scheduled to begin at nine. Hot jazz is being played from stage left. There is no curtain. The stage is awash in a red hue over a bright high gloss red and black checkerboard floor with a thin red frame and Penn and Teller spelled out in flame red against a black backdrop. Audience members are trooping on stage, taking pictures in front of two large empty boxes, one Plexiglas, other wood.

"Feel free to open them up and see what they're made of ? but please, for your own safety, do not try to get inside one of boxes."

It's pianist speaking to audience. Mike Jones, as he will later be introduced, is playing jazz on a baby grand Kawai piano while someone wearing a hat, who looks suspiciously like Penn Gillette, is standing next to him playing bass.

I take Jones' invitation and venture up on stage. What a heady feeling. How much fun is this to stand on very stage where magic is about to happen? Like my fellow audience members I lift lid of Plexiglas box and it seems to be nothing more nor less than it appears. The wooden box is heavy and well constructed. There are no visible clues.

"I'm going to play one more very fast song giving you time to carelessly run on stage and look at two boxes that will be used in box escape challenge tonight." The last group hurries on stage to investigate props, and to capture memory on their digital cameras.

Penn and Teller tickets OnlineNine o'clock rolls around and every seat looks occupied. "That's Jonesy ? our friend ? Penn tells audience as he and Teller burst onto stage. "This is not your typical Las Vegas show!" he boasts. "Teller and I write our own stuff. We've been doing magic together for thirty years."