Luxembourg and Germany

June 28th, 2009 (Sally) 

We collected Rotary friends, Mervyn and Glenda, at Metz and found time for them to see some of the sights before heading off downstream the next morning. First stop Thionville, where the only mooring available was a finger wharf right in the middle of town that was occupied by the town youth and their toys. i.e. jet skis. They moved over for us and we tied-up and headed into town for a quick look. By the time we returned so had they, and the quay was awash with enthusiastic jet skiers and their families. Sable being a convenient height, was being used as a seat and one lovely lass had stripped down to a bikini and was using Sable for a photo shoot. All good fun and though we did cop a bit of wash from exuberant skiers by 7pm it was all over and we had a pleasant night. Our next stop was meant to be just before we crossed the border into Luxembourg but at the last lock we were told to move on as that 17km stretch of river was to be lowered two metres as part of a major works program. Just a few kilometres on we found a marina close to the village of Schwebsange. Like all villages on the Moselle it is a vintners village but this one has the added attraction of a fountain that in festival season gushes wine for all to enjoy. Much as we would have enjoyed that spectacle it was just as well for our health and well being that it is not festival season at the moment. We were all taken with the neatness of the village, it looked like a recent entry in Tidy Towns but as we ventured further into Luxembourg we found the whole country to be the same. Nowhere was there a piece of litter or graffiti and every house and garden was a picture.

Our knowledge of Luxembourg was woefully inadequate but with the aid of a friendly waiter in Luxembourg City we did fill in a few gaps but no one was able to tell us why they have two flags, one of which is almost identical to the Dutch flag. Very confusing. Our impressions of Luxembourg was that it was a very desirable place to live and others seem to think the same. The population of Luxembourg City is 90,000 of which 67% are foreign citizens. Also, another 90,000 cross the borders to work in Luxembourg every day. Finance management seems to play a big part in their economy. It was not the only similarity we felt it had with Switzerland.      

As we cruised downstream the next morning we looked at the village of Remich and reluctantly decided that with the amount of activity on revamping the bridge and a little ferry boat crossing from one bank to the other there was no room for us and admired it from afar. However only 3kms further on we were turned back by the lock keeper with the news that the Moselle and the Sarre were closed! For a week! Major maintenance was being carried out on numerous locks so back we went and found a magic spot right opposite Remich on the German side of the river. It was no hardship to spend a week there, the ferry was free and crossed as soon as it had passengers. On one morning as I crossed over to buy our morning croissants the pilot said he would wait for me to shop, and he did. We spent the time on a little bit of maintenance, some dining out under the long esplanade of shaded tables, and another trip to Luxembourg City (bus fare 1.50€ for 25 km trip!) to explore and hire a car for two days. Just to satisfy ourselves that the rest of the trip would be hassle free we took the car over to the Sarre Valley and checked that all the work was going to be finished on time. At the little village of Mettlach we discovered the German home of Villeroy and Bosch. (Villeroy was from Luxembourg and Bosch was German; they have factories in both countries, founded in the 1700’s.) It is obviously the favourite shopping centre for many, and why not. The whole main street is a plethora of outlet stores of which Villeroy and Bosch occupy four. We had fun and Sable now has a new dinner service and the old one has been banished to the store cupboard.

The next day to satisfy a whim we took the car and drove through the northern part of Luxembourg and into Belgium to visit the sites of the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes. It started on December 16th 1944, the day Tony was born, and was Germany’s last major offensive in WW11. With 800,000 Americans taking part and 19,000 casualties it was the bloodiest campaign that the Americans took part in and is obviously a major stop for many American tourists. The German objective was to break through the Allied lines at the crossroads of Bastogne and get control of the port of Antwerp, therefore leaving four armies without a supply line. We visited Bastogne, where the memories are very much alive — a WW11 tank and US jeep in the square — and then went across the high plateau through some lovely forest and farmland to La Roche en Ardennes. It also sports a US tank plus the biggest museum devoted to the battle but apart from that has refashioned itself as an outdoor centre for active sports. Mountain biking, kayaking and canoeing were very much in evidence but it was apparent that the favourite sport, as in all Belgium cities, is sitting in the town square with a large Belgium beer.

Day eight of our enforced stop and while we were preparing to leave I took the motor bike for a run into Nenning, our nearby German village, and visited the roman villa that I had seen a sign post directing one towards. Wow, in this minute village is the best preserved roman mosaic floor outside Italy. It was only discovered in 1852 so had been under dirt for 1500 years and was in almost perfect condition. Measuring 160 m2 and made up of three million individual pieces it was the centrepiece of a very wealthy Roman palace. They have discovered enough of the foundations to build a model of the villa. The original was 140 m long and must have dominated the whole valley. I was open mouthed when I saw it and could not understand why it is so relatively unknown.

From Nenning to the confluence of the Moselle and Sarre is through ever-increasing acres of vineyards, new plantings going on some of the steepest slopes we have seen. We turned into the Sarre and made our first stop at the pretty town of Saarburg. The town is delightful, built over an old water mill with bridges crossing the mill race and geranium boxes on every available surface. It seemed that everyone in town was sitting down in the area called ‘Little Venice’ to the largest ice cream sundaes imaginable and it was apparent that this was a regular treat. French people are not fat. Don’t ask me why, but it is so obvious when you cross the border and see the increasing girth of so many other nationals. In spite of the fact that we were parked under a P sign we were told to move on by two of the townsfolk. As we have no German we were able to look suitably nonplussed and eventually they gave up. One lady even tried to enlist the help of a group of young guys to translate for her. They were far more interested in the bottles of beer they had with them than acting as pseudo policemen so we stayed very comfortably where we were.

The Sarre is a busy commercial river, feeding coal to the steel mills at Saarbrucken and Dillinger and taking loads of steel back down to the Rhine. We passed barges coupled with a pusher barge carrying 5,000 tonnes of coal. Those ones measure 175 metres long and 11.5 wide so one gives them a very clear berth. Good to see though as the equivalent amount carried by trucks would put over 200 semi-trailers on the road. On the lower reaches it is a pretty river with steep tree clad slopes on either side, vineyards too but in smaller numbers. However as one reaches the steel manufacturing area the giant mills and furnaces are a defining part of the landscape and we were not inclined to linger too long. After Saarbrucken we were back into cruising country, small locks and canals again, soon the signs changed to French and we were back in France. Not only were we back in France but at the very first stop, Sarreguemines, the annual festival of the river was in full fray. Street stalls, food and music everywhere and try your hand at every sort of water sport. What a welcome back. We moored right next to Kiwi bargees Roger and Ruth, on Romany, whom we met last year on the Meuse, ordered a wood fired pizza and sat back to enjoy the spectacle and catch up on news. Thank goodness the Wallabies thrashed France the night before.

Metz and Moselle

June, 13th 2009 (Tony).

Metz is a gem. Notwithstanding that France is the most popular tourist destination in the world and despite all that we have read about places before we get there, Metz, "City of Light," came as a complete surprise. This city is gorgeous and worthy of its distinction as winner of the European Floral First Prize with extensive botanic gardens and parks. Brimming with young people — it has a large university — and three thousand years of history, it proudly displays an eclectic mixture of striking architectural forms. Lorraine was ceded to Germany in 1870 after Napolean III's debacle (known as the Franco-Prussian War). It was thus spared from damage in WWI and was returned to France under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Metz bore the brunt of some heavy shelling in September 1944 when Gen Walker's 20th Corps, part of Patton's 3rd Army, forced the Germans out of town, again. The city has retained some splendid relics of its German period of governance including the portentious railway station and Governor's residence, and 'fairy-floss' protestant church which stands in defiance of the prominent catholic cathedral (built 1200 - 1500). It takes something special to get me to venture inside a cathedral any more, having seen a few in our travels, but St Etienne's has the highest nave in all France (42 m) and 6,500 sq m of stained glass, including a number of stunning windows created by Chagall. Chartres is nothing compared to this! And the whole building is in remarkably sound condition — a must see! If I ever mention another cathedral, believe me, it will have to be good.

After the near-disaster with the gas rupture, we set off down the Moselle from Epinal and paused for several days at Charmes where we rode our bikes to the top of a hill overlooking most of Lorraine. A large monument to commemorate General Castelnau's forces' successful resistance to the German invasion in August, 1914, albeit brief, dominates the summit. His temporary triumph here caused the enemy to concentrate their attention on Verdun, almost visible, slightly further west. Charmes has a delightful mooring place, marred only by about a hundred motorhomes parked adjacent to the quay. Presumably there must have been a rally of some kind for so many to be gathered in the one place. We were joined at Charmes by Allan and Bev, 70's friends from Christchurch, NZ. It was great to catch up on news and reminisce over the fun times we had at the tennis club. They spent several days aboard as we gently (I almost said quietly, but that wouldn't be accurate) cruised on downstream to Toul.

Toul was largely disappointing. Somehow it didn't live up to expectations, the cathedral for all its intricate design and ornate stonework is in a dilapidated state and the town centre seemed to lack any liveliness or character. Vauban's fortified star-shaped ramparts enclosing the old town are admirable and we enjoyed a cycle ride around them. How many man-hours went into building such places? They must have presented a daunting image to would-be invaders. The water in the port was crystal clear but full of weed. Our English neighbour dragged out about half a ton of it with a grappling hook. I am not sure if the authorities would have appreciated his efforts. I rather fancy they would have been dismayed for he left it in stinking piles for them to clean up. Still, better than round our propeller.

After Richardmenil, where we spent a very pleasant evening, the canal splits in two. The right branch, presently closed, leads round to the Canal Marne au Rhin, which we will enter in a couple of weeks on our journey to Strasbourg, whereas the left fork leads directly into the river Moselle. Almost immediately this becomes a major commercial waterway although it meanders serenely through unspoiled, heavily forested countryside. Barges, some as long as 135m and carrying up to 4,500 tonnes of grain, coal, gravel, scrap steel etc abound. It is quite intimidating to be waiting at a lock, only to have the gates open and to be confronted by one of these enormous hulks bearing down on our little tub. Some are so laden and low in the water it is amazing they remain afloat. Because we intend to go down the Moselle and return up the Sarre (their confluence is in Germany and we will be, for a day or two, in Luxembourg) we are unlikely to return to Nancy which is on a canal about midway between the two rivers, in Sable. So we took the train, with Allan and Bev, and spent a day exploring this lovely town. Nancy has a grand town square with elaborate wrought iron gates and wonderful statues, and nearby, beautiful parks and gardens. The roses were an absolute picture. At Allan's encouragement we visited the museum of fine arts and were impressed with the scale and quality of the paintings displayed. There is no shortage of museums and art galleries in France, just choosing which ones to see is a challenge.

We seem to have developed a penchant for climbing hills. Mont St Michel, at Toul, conceals a massive old fort now almost completely overgrown by trees. In its day it must have been a formidable barrier and garrison. There are thousands of similar edifices all over France. The trees, no doubt younger than me, unfortunately obscured what should have been a fine vista. Not so at Mousson. The highest promintory for miles around stands sentinel over Pont a Mousson where in 1944 US troops suffered more than two thousand casualties forcing a bridgehead over the Moselle. After a long, steep climb to the summit, encircled by the ruins of a huge chateau destroyed in the 16th century, one is rewarded by a magnificent panorama of the Moselle from Toul to Metz and beyond. But the real surprise was discovering a very neat and beautiful hamlet nestled beneath the old ruins. We surmised that most of the inhabitants must be retirees as every yard had a vegie garden to die for as well as raspberries, red currants, cherries and other delicious fruit. Most of the houses appear to have been rebuilt since WWII when virtually everything was blasted to smithereens by artillery.

About a week ago the canal between Roanne and Digoin breached, again, almost two years to the day since the last one, leaving a thirteen kilometre section devoid of water. VNF hope to effect repairs by mid-July but we have heard rumours that it may take until September to fix. We feel sorry for the twenty or so boats trapped in the port. Two we know were planning to leave the day after the bank burst into the Loire. Sad state of affairs. Sable and her previous owners were trapped in Roanne for seven weeks in 2007. Since leaving Roanne in March we have had very few wet days, although it has often rained at night. Mostly the weather has been great. Last week however a cold wind, unseasonal I suspect, frustrated our endeavours to venture far into the countryside. The upside to that was to remain indoors and watch hours of French Open Tennis, live. And Pres Obama's visit to Normandy and the D-day 65th commemoration. Hopefully that wind has now blown itself out. Last evening, at 9:30pm we licked ice cream sundaes, in broad daylight, in the town square. Summer is here. Today we expect close to 30°C so a barbeque up on top could be the go with Rotary friends Merv and Glenda fresh off the TGV from Paris.