The Sauerkraut Tour is a popular route for boat tourists through Germany, Luxembourg and France. You should allow at least three weeks for the entire route. Not everyone has that much time. So why not concentrate on an attractive part of the route? Along the Saar and Moselle vineyards and the Rhine-Marne Canal, you can visit all three countries and many highlights such as the idyllic Saarburg or the Saar Loop, the Lorraine metropolises of Metz, with its Gothic cathedral, or Nancy, with the unique Place Stanislas. All of this is complemented by culinary delights such as quiche lorraine, bibeles cheese and sauerkraut.
The journey begins in Saarland. The marina in Merzig is an ideal starting point. The Yacht Charter Holiday Tours GmbH charter base here offers a total of twelve well-maintained steel displacement yachts for round trips or one-way trips. Peter Schönberger is already waiting on the "Solaris", a Linssen Grand Sturdy 35.0 AC, which will be our floating home for a week. The exemplary handover also includes a trial run with mooring manoeuvres. This gives the crew a chance to practise the procedures, as my companions are looking forward to their first boat trip with great anticipation, and two lock manoeuvres await the newcomers on the very first day. We don't have to leave the harbour for the culinary finale in the evening, as Roberto Luzzardi treats his guests to excellent Italian cuisine alongside the brewery with its hearty cuisine. We manage to get one of the few free tables and enjoy the evening with a delicious meal.
The next day's journey to Saarburg takes a good four hours. We reach the first attraction in the form of the Saar Loop after just a few bends. From the boat, the passage looks much less spectacular than the view from the vantage point near Orscholz, which we had already enjoyed on our journey the day before. Shortly afterwards, we pass Mettlach, where the main factory of the Villeroy and Boch porcelain empire forms an impressive backdrop on the banks of the Saar. If you want, you can moor at the jetties in front of the lock to visit. But we want to explore Saarburg extensively and decide to continue our journey. The marina with the welcoming jetties of WSC Saarburg is a good kilometre away. So we first have to walk to the town centre. The eponymous castle from the 10th century is an attraction here. However, the village was probably already inhabited in Roman-Franconian times. Fishing, shipping, weaving and leather production spread outside the castle from the 13th century onwards. Today's townscape is still characterised by the historic buildings of these industries. The town is framed by the vines of the local winegrowers on the slopes of the Saar. We recommend taking the chairlift from the valley station to the vineyards, which offers a marvellous view of the Saar valley. The Leuk waterfall in the centre is spectacular. Here you can also visit the Amüseum and the mill museum. The numerous restaurants in the town centre are very popular. On the banks of the Saar, there is also the Mabilon Bell Foundry Museum. A walk along the riverbank then takes you back to the marina.
The next stage takes us to the Moselle, where the harbour of Konz can be reached directly behind the lock at the mouth of the Saar. Our destination, however, is Luxembourg. Here, in Schwebsange, the only marina on the Luxembourg Moselle awaits guests, and we don't want to miss out on a visit to the Grand Duchy. The Brasserie Du Port closes at 6 pm. If you want to eat later, you have to walk through the vineyards to the small village, which is mentioned in documents from the Trier Abbey of St Maximin as early as 893. The walk into the village takes you past an open-air museum where you can marvel at a 13th century wine press and a Gallo-Roman sarcophagus. Although there is no gastronomic choice, you will be well catered for at Le Bistro Italien. The highlight the next morning is the baguette vending machine in the harbour.
Today's route takes us past Schengen, accompanied by vineyards, across the French border. The first opportunity for a stop is the large Nautic'Ham camping and harbour complex near Basse-Ham, which we pay a brief visit to. Here you are far away from the hustle and bustle of nature. If you are looking for peace and quiet, the marina is the right place for you. However, there are no facilities apart from a harbour bar. The crew have to do their own cooking in the galley. We opt for the much livelier programme in Thionville, just two bends further along the Moselle. Here, the Halte Fluviale de Thionville, a municipal jetty right in front of the old town centre, is waiting for guests. Staying here for 48 hours is free of charge. We are happy to put up with the fact that mooring directly on the Moselle is a little choppy because the occasional freighter causes waves. The long history of the once royal palace has been documented since 753, the time of the Merovingians. The very diverse historical buildings provide a beautiful backdrop as you stroll along the old walls. Those who wish can deepen their knowledge at the Musée de la Tour aux Puces, in the city's oldest tower from the 11th century, or at the Musée du Pays Thionvillois with archaeological finds and exhibits on local history. The lively Place du Luxembourg is full of restaurants and cafés, and not far away, on the Place du Marché, stands the striking Belfry bell tower from the 14th century.
After casting off the next morning, we have to pass through the lock in Thionville. As commercial shipping has priority, we have to let a large freighter pass that completely fills the chamber and can only lock with the next commercial vessel. This delayed us for an hour, but you have to expect that on busy waterways. We are already looking forward to our next destination of Metz, definitely one of the highlights of the trip. The journey now largely takes us along the canalised part of the Moselle, which runs alongside the original loops. The floating jetties in Metz are located directly in the Moselle, with through traffic passing outside in the canalised fairway. Metz is a very quiet city in the centre of the old town with a magnificent view of the cathedral and the old arms of the Moselle. The city has so much to offer. Unfortunately, we only have one night. The banks of the Moselle near Metz were settled 5000 years ago. The Celts and Romans followed. The history is correspondingly eventful. In Roman times, the city was larger than Paris due to the trade routes that crossed here. The most outstanding building today is the Gothic cathedral, which was built from 1220 and only completed 300 years later. The church's stained glass windows are very impressive, which is why the church is also known as "The Lantern of God". The stained glass windows were designed by many famous artists, including Marc Chagall.
The local Jaumont stone, from which the cathedral is made, can be found in numerous buildings in the city, for example in the neighbouring Marché Couvert, Metz's market halls. Here you can find everything from fresh fish and meat to vegetables for catering on board. There are also numerous bistros offering delicious Lorraine cuisine. The centre of the old town around Rue Taison is lined with medieval buildings and a large sculpture of the dragon Graoully. According to legend, the dragon is said to have wreaked havoc in the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre. There are numerous pavement cafés, beer gardens and restaurants along the streets of the old town. It could hardly be better. The German era during the imperial monarchy between 1871 and 1918 also left its mark on the city. Numerous buildings such as the Temple Neuf on the south-western tip of the Île du Petit-Saulcy, which is surrounded by the Moselle, are part of this. We end the wonderful day in Metz at sunset with a view of the illuminated cathedral and a good bottle of red wine and agree that we would have liked to stay a little longer.
The next day shows a completely different side to the Moselle. The river is partly canalised again, and we move along the very wide course of the original watercourse. The vineyards have long since given way to forests and agricultural land. In the early afternoon, the striking baroque buildings of the former Jesuit abbey of Sainte-Marie-Majeure with the church of St-Martin and the Moselle bridge at Pont-à-Mousson come into view. The marina's large basin is located behind the bridge, which was built here in the 9th century and gave the town its name. The harbour master welcomes us directly at the spacious guest jetties on pontoon 3 and we take advantage of our early arrival to explore the town. The route takes us directly over the beautiful bridge, which is almost immediately followed by Place Duroc. The striking triangular market square is lined with numerous historic buildings - the oldest dating back to the 16th century - and has the largest group of Renaissance arcades in Lorraine. The 18th century town hall is also worth a visit. Numerous bars and restaurants invite you to linger in the pretty setting. We don't want to miss out on this either. We head back to the harbour for dinner. Here, the terrace of the harbour restaurant beckons with a beautiful view of the marina and the bridge.
For the last stage, you have to leave the Moselle at Custines, as its third largest tributary, the Meurthe, actually leads to Nancy. The waterway was used by raftsmen until the 19th century, but is not navigable, so you travel along the Rhine-Marne Canal, which runs parallel to it. Nancy also looks back on a long and very eventful history. The castle of Nanciacum formed the basis for today's settlement around 1000 years ago. Numerous historical buildings document the different eras and make the city centre an attractive sight. Nancy's large marina is located in the Bassin St-Georges. The centre is just a 20-minute walk away. The city centre is dominated by the unique Place Stanislas, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Stanislaus I Leszczyński, the then Duke of Lorraine and former King of Poland, came up with the idea for the neoclassical building. He wanted to connect the historic old town with the then new town. The result is impressive. The range of museums, such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts with the Daum Collection, and other attractive destinations is enormous. The choice of restaurants is almost inexhaustible. A few highlights should not go unmentioned. There is the beer bar Le Ch'timi in the old town centre with sixteen draught beers and several hundred bottled beers right in front of the Basilique Saint-Epvre. In the evening, we savour the delicious regional cuisine from Alsace-Lorraine at the Fromagerie Les Frères Marchand restaurant (www.fromages-freres-marchand.fr) in the Grand Rue.
Fortunately, there is still plenty of time to explore the city the next day before the handover in the afternoon. Foodies should definitely plan a visit to the wonderful Pâtisserie Adam (www.patisserie-saintepvre.fr). The ambitious confectioner Jean-François Adam produces a variety of other delicacies here in addition to the Saint-Epvre, a legendary almond meringue with vanilla buttercream and crushed nougatine - a speciality that has been made in the same place according to a secret recipe since 1882.
One of the oldest buildings is the Gothic Porte de la Craffe. The former city gate dates back to the 14th century and formed the northern entrance to the old town. The round side towers were only added in the 15th century. Those looking for a change from the urban ambience can plan a walk through the Parc de la Pépinière. Before our return journey, we take a look at the Art Nouveau district, where we treat ourselves to lunch in the Brasserie Excelsior (www.excelsior-nancy.fr) with its breathtaking Art Nouveau ambience. The crew agrees that we would have liked to have spent more time in both Metz and Nancy so that we could have enjoyed the beautiful cities and their attractive attractions even more. If you have the time, you should definitely consider a longer trip on this marvellous route.
More information? You can find the full article with more pictures and information about the area in BOOTE issue 12/2021 (available from 17 November 2021) at newsagents or online at Delius Klasing Shop.
