Typically we would be writing about taking the train to a vacation destination, especially in France, but today it’s about travel on the Canal de la Marne du Rhine from Lagarde to a city we’ve visited several times, Strasbourg. Two of the times that we’ve been there were in December to experience the colorful holiday atmosphere when it truly earns the nickname, “Capital of Christmas”. This time, however, it was only last week when we were gliding past this Alsatian city’s familiar sites aboard a 22-passenger péniche, a canal hotel barge identical to the ones we cruised with on other French canals.

The cruise started in Lagarde, where there’s no train station, so we opted to pay extra for the bus shuttle from Strasbourg to the boat. Once aboard, there were welcome cocktails and dinner, then off to the lounge for an after-dinner drink to get acquainted with our fellow passengers. The age range was from 50 to 90, half English speakers and half French, so we got lots of conversation practice, often outside in the days following since the weather was ideal.

We sailed the next morning to Xouaxange, the closest port city to Sarrebourg for a visit to the Marc Chagall exhibition. The focal point of the tour was at the 15th-century church, Chapelle des Cordeliers, that features the artist’s stained glass windows including the 12-meter high (39 feet) “La Paix” (Peace). The chartered bus then returned us to the boat in time for an apéro and dinner. All but one meal was served onboard and navigation was always during the day, giving us a relaxed morning and peaceful nights for sleeping.

As the dining room was being arranged the next day for lunch, Bill and I noticed that the tables were being set with candles, something that we hadn’t seen before on the other canal cruises. We soon discovered why, when we entered the Niderviller tunnel followed by another while lunch was being served. For about an hour we were silently gliding through almost total darkness outside yet the candles lent a romantic air to our 4-course meal.

The next surprise unfolded as we exited the tunnel and slipped into what I would describe as a giant bathtub. Before we knew what was happening, the barge, the water in which we were floating, plus this big tub were all being lowered down the mountainside on an incline like an elevator for boats. Built in the 1960s, this Plan incliné d’Arzviller takes you directly down to the canal below in 4 minutes, avoiding 17 locks and about 11 hours of transit time. Conveniently close to where the incline deposited us was a cristallerie where we could watch glass being blown and cut. During the Middle Ages this part of the country was well-known for its glass making because of the ample supply of firewood from the dense forests.

Sailing resumed for the short trip to where we would park overnight at Lutzelbourg with the possibility to visit the ruins of a castle. The aptly named pink sandstone Château de Lutzelbourg that’s been overlooking the village below since the 11th century could be reached on a steep, rocky path in about 30 minutes. We were happy to enjoy the view from water level on the bow of the boat, with a chilled glass of white wine in hand.

Day 4 took us to Saverne for 2 castles and the unusual Chappe Telegraph, invented in 1794. This was one of dozens of towers with giant semaphores visible for miles that allowed for a communication link between Paris and Strasbourg. Before the towers were in use, a message by horseback took 4 days to cover the distance that could now be connected within hours. Next to the Telegraph was Château du Haut-Barr, from the 12th century and “updated” in 1583. Our guide from there then continued with us back down to Saverne on a walk that included the exterior of the gigantic Château des Rohan from 1780 that’s now used for concerts and theater events.

For the one meal not onboard, we were still not far from the boat. Dinner that night was at a canal-side restaurant that featured this region’s signature dish: tarte flambée. It’s like a very thin crust pizza, lightly topped with a creamy cheese (crème fraîche), onions, and perhaps bacon (lardons). To obtain the classic crispy crust it needs a very hot oven that just isn’t available on the boat.

After a morning of sailing through the “breadbasket of Strasbourg”, called that because of the endless wheatfields, we stopped in Truchtersheim to visit the folk museum Maison du Kochersber. Although interesting, more people seemed to be anticipating the final stop for the day in Hochfelden at Villa Meteor. This is the oldest brewery in France where the Haag family has been making Meteor beer for almost 400 years. They do bottle some of their brew but most of it is sold within the region from barrels including the glasses we got to sample before returning to the boat.

The week was ending so it was time to complete our circle by returning to the city where we started, Strasbourg, for our final night onboard. We arrived at our dock in time for an afternoon excursion through the waterways of this Alsatian capital before the gala farewell dinner in the boat’s restaurant. In the featured photo across the top of today’s post you can see the Ponts Couverts in the Petite France section of Strasbourg while in the first paragraph is the city’s soaring cathedral.

This cruise had a few elements that were different from our previous canal boat experiences: a lunch by candlelight, a boat elevator, and a dinner not on the péniche. In common with the other boats, however, we had an all-inclusive trip with meals, drinks, and excursions, fascinating conversations with our fellow passengers, and the discovery, for us at least, of an unexplored part of France, the slow travel way.