Meandering Moselle : BIKE & BARGE France, Luxembourg & Germany (commencing METZ)

Metz

Join the barge after you have visited Metz, an ancient city strategically situated on a Roman trading route. St.Etienne Cathedral is France’s 3rd largest Gothic church, with flying buttresses and Marc Chagall stained glass windows. Metz is full of stunning architecture, flowers and great cafes. Worth considering arriving here a day earlier and having a night at a hotel.

Metz - Remich

Today we leave France behind and look to Luxembourg and Germany. For centuries, this territory has been more French than German. German, then French. You get the idea. Thionville was the centre of the steel industry until the 1980s. That might sound modern and industrial, but the city is ancient. The historical centre shows us the medieval ramparts, lovely gardens, old streets and St.Maximin basilica, which houses one of the finest organs in the world. Thionville is also part of the infamous Maginot line, an enormous defence network of forts and bunkers built between World Wars against the Germans. It failed miserably—one of the worst military strategies ever conceived. After spending millions on it, the Germans marched around in their Blitzkrieg warfare style. We pass the fortress high up on the rocky outcrop, one of the palaces inhabited by the powerful Dukes of Lorraine. The route is lovely French countryside, riparian landscapes and tiny villages. We ride past wheat fields and pastures of white cows (Charolais) praised for their strength as draft animals and excellent meat! We end our tour in Remich, on the Luxembourgian side of the Mosel, Germany on the other.

Remich - Saarburg

We take you to a hidden gem. It’s a great story of historic preservation…imagine you’re a farmer in 1852 and you’re tilling your field. Suddenly, these colorful square pieces start appearing in the plough sod. What that farmer soon discovered was pieces that belonged in a tiled mosaic floor—dating back 1,600 years! The tile floor which lies in its original place, was once the centerpiece in a palatial Roman villa. The scene (in 3 million individual tile pieces) reveals scenes from gladiator games in the amphitheater. It’s breathtaking and original.

We pedal toward Luxembourg. Don’t let the size fool you; Luxembourg is a vital finance centre and EU administrative city. We have a stop in Schengen where the European Union created the Schengen Agreement, enabling European free traffic.

Our path leads us to a place that’s a throwback in time. The name Saarburg means “fortress on the river Saar” to give you a hint of what to expect there. The ruins date back to the 10th century, a summer palace for the Archbishops of Trier—powerful men and power brokers in the Holy Roman Empire. We love Saarburg. There’s a natural, steep drop between the “upper and lower” towns, but they’re connected by a high waterfall. Town fathers back in the 1300s diverted a local river to run through the centre so they’d have access to water to fight fires quickly and have continual energy to run their mills. This is well-preserved in the 17th-18th century homes that cling to the hillside. It’s medieval German engineering at its best.

Saarburg - Trier

We bike on to Trier, leaving the Saar river and following the Mosel again, into this lively university town, powerful Arch-diocese, and Imperial Residence of Constantine the Great. All roads lead to Rome as they say, but in this case our road leads to Trier, the 2nd Rome in the 3rd century. The history is fascinating. More than you’d expect on the sleepy Mosel. Great museums. Superb shopping. A gem of a city.

Trier - Bernkastel

The wide river valley is now showing us vineyards as far as the eye can see. We pass the heavy-hitters in the wine world: Trittenheim lies in a sharp hairpin turn on the river surrounded by mountains coated with grapes. The chapel in the vineyard is one of the most photographed on the river. Piesport, Brauneberg and finally Bernkastel, the darling of the famed middle Mosel. This is Valhalla for Riesling aficionados. A good size village with great shopping, wine bars and ice cream. One of the prettiest town squares with timber-frame buildings dating back to the 1400s! The castle ruins on the hill are base-lit at night. An evening stroll along the river is a must…words can’t describe the feeling of Old Europe.

Bernkastel - Zell

We are now in the hearth of the wine producing Moselle Valley, cycling through the vineyards.

Our bike journey follows the river upstream passing the steepest vineyards in the world to arrive in Zell, a beautiful hamlet where the river slices through slate mountains in dramatic oxbows and S turns. Zeller Schwarze Katz (black cat) is a legendary Mosel Wine.

Bernkastel - Cochem

Another Mosel Beauty: Traben-Trarbach; this town features world-class Art Nouveau architecture that proves its great importance in the international wine trade during the 19th century.  And then the Sleeping Beauty on the Mosel. It’s a precious medieval village called Beilstein. It has been the backdrop for many German films. You will have the chance to see the revered and rare relic, the Black Madonna, in the chapel of the Carmelite Monastery overlooking the valley. Great photo ops here.  After the visit, our journey follows the river downstream, passing a last lock and docking in Cochem, a bustling and characteristic Mosel town with steep wine-clad mountains, wooded hills, an impressive castle and a picturesque square with beautiful timber-framed houses and cafes. You can visit the castle, have a glass of local wine, or both!

Cochem

Time to say goodbye, your tour ends after breakfast. You can leave your luggage on board until lunchtime, and visit Cochem a bit more