Alsace - Lorraine canal boat trip

We are now back with reliable WIFI after exploring the canals in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France/Luxembourg/Germany. The route took us along the Moselle and Saar Rivers, therefore we had to share the waters with the big boys! We learnt pretty smartly to give them plenty of space!!

Our journey began and ended in a little corner of France called Lutzelbourg. Although cute we arrived on "everything is closed on  Monday", so started out with a shortage of the essentials - wine, cheese and baguettes. From there on our 18 days on the water were planned around gathering supplies at the boulangerie, and various local markets where we bought everything from cheeses we couldn't pronounce, to wines we knew very little about, to foods we don't normally eat like smoked goose and roast rabbit. Must add we went on our water adventure with friends from Tauranga, Neil and Carol. This would be a typical dinner setting!

For the majority of our trip we basked in Europe's heatwave. Most days were 35+ degrees and it was a battle to beat the heat. The scenery varied from the absolutely beautiful......

to the darn right ugly.........

But each day gave us a different vista, a new challenge, and generally a bundle of laughs (especially when we were in competition getting the ropes over the bollards). Our deepest lock was 18 metres which made our boat look pretty insignificant. We also had to go in a boat lift (128m) which was like being transported to a different level in a giant bath-tub.

At one stage the canal took us through a three kilometre tunnel requiring really careful steering!

Special moments included an illumination show at Nancy, Bastille fireworks on the Moselle River, and the World Cup football final at Metz. The latter was jubilant and scary at the same time,....best described as one big party,......the car horns, music, chanting and fireworks carried on to the small hours. National productivity must have surely been at an all time low the next day!!

Sadly we had to leave the many delights,......old French cottages, delightful historic villages, colourful geraniums spilling out of window boxes, the quirkiness of the local, the wine of Alsace, and the beautiful Lorraine fare to spend our last couple of days in Munich before returning home. Will sign off with our love and a token of our best memories...