Cruise to the heart of Alsace and Lorraine, through the most picturesque countryside imaginable, pausing in fairy tale pretty villages and dining like a lord on board a hotel barge…
My journey began and ended in historic Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, a buzzing city of culture and art, gastronomy and heritage. But aboard CroisiEurope’s MS Madeleine, life is rather more tranquil as you sail along the Marne-Rhine Canal. And if you want to get to know authentic Alsace-Lorraine in northeast France, its historic villages deep in the countryside, its ancient castles and rich culture – you’ll certainly find it on this cruise.
Barging in Alsace-Lorraine
After boarding the barge, which has 11 double bedrooms, a dining room, comfy salon, hot tub, and spacious sun decks, I met my fellow passengers, a mix of British, French – including 92-year-old Louise, a sprightly solo traveller – and Americans, joined by the 6 crew members for welcome aperitifs. The onboard chef served a superb meal, the first of many delicious dishes, paired with fabulous wines.
You’re totally spoiled on the cruise, everything is inclusive, even drinks (except for a few, like Champagne) and over the next few days we indulged in salted caramel creme brulée, Alsatian salads, loads of different cheeses, roast beef, John Dory, fabulous wines from Alsace and from Bordeaux, strawberry soup and strawberry macarons, pain perdu and cinnamon ice cream and many other truly scrumptious dishes – all made by the chef and his team. You can eat yourself to a standstill on a CroisiEurope cruise.
Hop on a bike for a gentle ride along the tow paths, take daily walks when the boat docks and enjoy the included excursions to discover the hidden riches of this most spectacular part of France.
Our first stop was the town of Saarebourg in Moselle, and I couldn’t help thinking that the names of the places in this part of France sound distinctly like something out of Lord of the Rings and many of the villages are certainly fairy tale looking. Saarebourg isn’t one of them, it’s a former industrial town but it has something very special that is well worth stopping off for – a stunning and huge Marc Chagall-stained glass window in a former Franciscan chapel.
It depicts the tree of life, an explosion of vibrant colour, deep rich blues, ruby reds and gold, emerald green and ripe plum. Sections of it are like a jigsaw puzzle but then you see more and more as figures and shapes come into focus, it is a dazzling work of art, unforgettable. There was also time to visit the fascinating museum and take a wander in the town.
You’d think a candlelight lunch gliding through the famous 2,307m long Arzviller canal tunnel, an other-worldly experience – pitch black outside the windows and utterly silent – couldn’t be topped, until you arrive at the boat lift at Saint-Louis Arzviller. This unique elevator which gently transports boats a mind-boggling 44.5m – up and down – in a few minutes, replaces 17 locks and an entire day of sailing. Our barge, the MS Madeleine, 38m long with 22 passengers and half a dozen crew, sailed into essential a box full of water. Gates closed behind us and then the box was gently lowered, an extraordinary experience.
At the bottom of the lift, we docked and took a short walk to the famous Cristal Lehrer Glass workshops where you can watch master craftsmen create gorgeous glass objects before your eyes, heating and rolling glass amid brightly burning furnaces. Whatever you do, don’t miss a visit to the enormous shop to buy a souvenir.
Discovering the hidden gems of Alsace and Lorraine
Sailing on we reached Saverne, the gateway to the Plaine d’Alsace, at the base of the Vosges mountains. The scenery is magnificent, I’m hard pressed to think of a more beautiful countryside location, and sitting on the deck, with an aperitif before lunch is one of those relaxing moments you want to hold onto, it’s impossible to be stressed, it’s a cocooning cruise. Wildflowers line the banks of the canal, pale pink bells, fluffy white blossoms, bright yellow buttercups, and wild plum trees, the beloved fruit of the region. The captain stopped the boat to let us pick and feast on the soft sweet fruit.
We visited the lofty ruins of the medieval chateau de Hohbarr, also known as the “Eye of Alsace” thanks to its jaw-dropping views over the mountains of Vosges and the Black Forest, and on a clear day you can spot the spires of Strasbourg Cathedral. Built on three rocks connected by a bridge, local legend has it that it was built by the devil.
A short walk on a mossy forest path brought us to another historic monument – the Claude Chappell Telegraph. In this hidden spot, the forerunner of modern communications was developed when signals were transmitted to Paris via a series of 47 towers using a system of shapes. Messages that once took 4 days to deliver by horse, took just 3 hours. It’s a fascinating monument manned by volunteers who are passionate about the history of the area.
And on we sailed, stopping at villages full of half-timbered houses painted pastel blue, light lemon, burned orange, cherry blossom pink, sunset orange, and pea green. Window boxes were festooned with bright flowers, hearts cut into shutters, and there was an expectation of bumping into Hansel and Gretel at any moment. Spotting storks’ nests from the sun deck became a ‘thing’ for us passengers, with bonus points for storks sitting in them, sometimes mistaking great balls of mistletoe in the trees for nests.
A guided tour and generous tasting at the Meteor brewery introduced us to one of the area’s famous exports – beer! A visit to Maison du Kochersberg museum folk museum, revealed the fascinating and unique culture of the region.
It is a gentle cruise, and as the sun glistened on the water, the only sound was the low hum of the engine and birds singing in the trees. At one point a train whizzed by at top speed, highlighting the difference in our travel arrangements and all of us agreed, slow travel is the best way to experience the region.
And you simply can’t go to Alsace and not eat flammekueche, tarte flambée, a local specialty, which we enjoyed at a restaurant (included with the cruise). Traditionally it’s a bread dough baked with cheese and onion, cream, and various other toppings – followed by a dessert version with apples and cream.
We ended with a tour of Strasbourg and a boat ride through the oldest section of the city followed by a gala dinner where the chef pulled out all the stops to create a memorable night.
Cruise Alsace and Lorraine
The thing with Croisieurope’s cruises is that you see so much at a really relaxed pace, you experience the culture of a region, its history, gastronomy, wine (and beer). And on this tour, you feel that you’ve really seen the secret side of this region that most visitors are unaware of, though we had barely travelled 100km during the week. A truly fabulous cruise.
Find out more and book your authentic France cruise at: www.croisieurope.co.uk
Janine Marsh is the author of several internationally best-selling books about France.
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