Catching Our Breath

After seven straight days of cruising, it was nice to be moored for a week in Saverne's port, with electricity, water, easy access to shops and restaurants, and proximity to a railway station. It allowed us to do some necessary things--laundry, grocery shopping, trying to get a new controller for the bike (not successful, unfortunately)--a couple of "touristy" things, and just generally relax into the rhythm of being in this small town. 

On our walks through Saverne on various days this past week, we saw more of the sights that Saverne is proud of. 

The Cloister of the Recollets dates to the 14th century and was part of a former Franciscan
convent. The garden is composed of various medicinal plants.

In the south bay of the cloister were a series of early 17th century murals
that depicted various Biblical and religious scenes. Most were badly in
need of restoration.

Saverne is known as a "City of Roses" due to the presence of the Rose
Garden, with its 5000 rose bushes comprised of some 800 varieties. The
"Roseraie" was closed when we walked by, but the view
 from outside was still impressive, and it smelled wonderful!

For most of the week, except for June 6th, when we had to relocate due to a cruise
barge displacing us, we were moored on the quay at one end of the harbor.

A line of boats waits to go through the lock for the western
exit from Saverne. Seeing this made us think long and hard 
about how to time our departure from Saverne on June 8.

The view down the Grand Rue, a.k.a. Main Street, of Saverne.

The unicorn is the emblem of Saverne. The reason for choosing this
mythical animal has been lost to history, so more than one story has
been created to fill the void. The people of Saverne may at one time have
seen themselves as the embodiment of the unicorn's qualities of purity and
 courage, but these days the symbol is most often seen on the local beer.

A return visit to the old Notre-Dame of the Nativity Church allowed for a 
slower perusal of the artistic treasures it contained. Most of its old stained
glass windows were destroyed in a "friendly fire" bombing of the church in
1918. When the stained glass was replaced after WWI, it contained the panel
above, which depicts the bombing.

On Wednesday, June 3, we enjoyed dinner at the canalside restaurant "La Marne." 

Friday, June 5, was field trip day for us. The weather had been unsettled the previous few days, with off-and-on rain--good for the canals, not so much for sightseeing. By the 5th things were better, and we headed off to the city of Strasbourg. We picked Strasbourg as a destination because we were no longer intending to cruise there after we left Saverne, and decided that a day trip by train was just the thing. It was only 22 minutes from Saverne, and having spent a few wonderful days in Strasbourg in 2023 during Christmas Market season, we were curious to experience the city during warmer weather.

Strasbourg is the largest city in, and capitol of, the Grand Est region (formerly known as Alsace) in northeastern France. It's currently the formal seat of the European Parliament. It sits very close to the border with Germany and has thus been controlled by either Germany or France at various times in its history. 

During our visit to Strasbourg in December 2023 we did the city walking tour, entered the famous cathedral and climbed its tower, and visited the European parliament building. Our visit on June 5th was more about strolling the old city neighborhoods and soaking up the atmosphere. We had thought that there were lots of tourists in the city for the Christmas Market, but it felt much more crowded this time, so we were happy that we didn't have to battle the crowds to repeat our 2023 visits to the touristy sites.

A somewhat distorted panorama of the cathedral. Parts of the cathedral date back to the end
of the 10th century; the most recent additions were made in the 18th century. 

The 142-meter-high spire of the cathedral was finished in 1439. It was
the world's tallest building from 1647-1874. An amazingly beautiful
building up close, we were tempted to go inside, except . . . 

. . . this was the view that greeted us when we entered the square in front of the cathedral. The
line to enter the cathedral wound through the square and back to one of the side streets. All
 purses, bags, and back packs were being checked at the entrance. We simply didn't have
 the patience to wait in line.

The sculptures on the exterior of the cathedral were
extraordinary. Among the probable saints and monarchs
 was this figure with a dog. Who was this person?
No idea, so we decided it must be "Saint Veterinarius."

Saint Stephen's Church, part of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Stephen. Construction
began in the 8th century, although much of what currently exists was reconstructed after
Allied bombings in 1944.

Carousel window decorations above a bistro.

"C'est deux euros" seems to be the French equivalent
of the American "Dollar Store."

This "Village of Beer" might have been shopping nirvana for Lon, but the product would
have been a bit heavy to transport during our Strasbourg stroll.

Sitting by the canal for lunch at "Au Petit Bois Vert" in the Petite France neighborhood as a
tourist boat makes the rounds.

The picturesque "Petite France" quarter of Strasbourg, formerly the home of tanners,
fishermen, and millers. The half-timbered buildings are mostly of 16th and 17th
century vintage.

The architectural claim to fame of the upscale "La Galeries
Lafayette" department store branch in Strasbourg  is
its central staircase.

Tourism at its finest--but the buildings ARE beautiful.

Strasbourg is encircled and bisected by canals. 

After our Strasbourg outing on June 5, we stuck closer to "home" on June 6 and explored another of the castles in and around Saverne. On our previous visit to Saverne we were able to drive to the ruins of the Chateau de Haut-Barr, and a short walk from there took us to the remains of the two Geroldseck castles.

Our Saturday visit to Chateau Greifenstein was a different matter. The ruins of this 12th-century fortified castle were located on a rocky promontory at an altitude of 360 meters and required some trail hiking (about 2.5 miles each way) through the forest to reach them. The site is actually occupied by two castles, Old Greifenstein (12th C.) and Little Greifenstein (13th C.), abandoned by the early 16th C. and described in 1643 as being in ruins.

At left, Lon makes the final approach to the castle site. We were happy to have bought
trekking poles when we were in Strasbourg. At right, I'm photographing the tower of
Little Greifenstein.

In the foreground, the keep of Old Greifenstein, the largest castle keep in the Alsace region.
At one time, tourist entry to the keep must have been allowed, as a set of wooden stairs could be seen 
inside. Now, however, the entrance to the keep is barred and signs on each of the towers warn
of danger. The tower of Little Greifenstein is visible in the background.

The keep of Little Greifenstein.

What looked like the ruins of a round tower on the site.

The view was lovely from the castle ruins. As we were making our
climb, we did it to the strains of polka music from a building at the 
lower altitudes. Not quite the silent "back to nature" experience
 we were expecting.

We spent a beautiful and sunny June 7 preparing for departure from Saverne. On the way back toward Nancy and Toul, we will be matching our cruise timetable to the "reopening date" of the locks on the Moselle River (either June 18 or 19). It will allow for some shorter cruising days, and, we hope, some sightseeing that we skipped on our cruise east. So far, the Marne au Rhin Ouest (West) Canal is still open, and we're hopeful that recent rains will have eased the water shortage problem.