The Moselle rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north eastern France to Luxembourg and then to Germany, where it joins the Rhine at Koblenz. The total length is 544kms. The section from Nancy to the border with Luxembourg is 113 kms with 12 locks.

Just to recap

Day 1 Nancy to Pont au Mousson 4 locks, 2 lifting bridges, 30kms

And it was hot! Yes at last summer had arrived with vengeance. But if we were not discouraged by the rain to continue sightseeing, we would not be put off by the heat.

We started with the mandatory visit to the Abbey des Pemontres that was established in 1705. The Abbey was built in the neighbourhood of the then famous 17th century Pont au Mousson university. After Lorraine became part of France in 1766, the university was moved to Nancy and the Abbey fell into decline. From a once great city renowned for its scholastic and religious establishments all that remained was a military training school. The abbey then fell into total disrepair as it suffer from the numerous military bombardments of the Franco Prussian war, WW1 and WW2. Thanks to massive renovation works it now houses a cultural centre and a hotel. The public are welcome to visit (for a price). We found the atmosphere to be serene and cool. A truly wonderful discovery.

The Abbey features 3 spiral staircases that lead to the conference rooms, bedrooms and library

Day 2 Pont au Mousson to Metz, 2 locks, 25 kms

The original plan was to miss Metz and travel the length of tteh Saar to the Moselle. But the plan changed due to a lock closure on the Saar, and Metz was back on the agenda. I’m so glad that I was able to visit this fabulous city.

In the 2nd century Metz was an important Roman fortified town, as the local residents fought off the invading Gauls. Apparently a local nobleman St. Livier tried to introduce them to christianity instead of fighting them. Unfortunately he was captured and beheaded by Attila the Hun, but not to be defeated, he picked up his head , climbed the local mountain and was buried there. That’s the second saint in France that that carried on regardless after losing his head (the other was St. Denis in Paris). Metz was a favourite residence of Charlemagne and in the 12th century was so wealthy the residents lent money to many of the European nobility. The area and forts around the city was the site of heavy fighting in 1944. Thankfully the historic centre was spared for us to enjoy today.

First stop St. Etienne Gothic cathedral with its largest display of stain glass windows in the world, a total of 6,496 sq.m., nicknamed ‘the good Lords lantern’. The stain glass dates from the 14th century right through to creations by Chagall.

Entry to the Musee de la Cour is free and it houses exhibits from the Gallo Roman period through to Medieval times. All discovered in Metz and the surrounding area.

In the museum we meet an ancient image of the Graoully. Now you might think this looks like a dragon, but no. The Graoully, unlike a dragon only has 3 toes. According to French folklore the Graoully lived in the ancient amphitheater in Metz, terrifying the local population. That was until St. Clement came along and harnessed the beast with his cassock.

Walking the city of Metz

A suggested walking tour in the Michelin guide took me to the Porte des Allemands, a massive fortress that formed part of the town walls that ran along the Moselle. The port straddles the river Seille and dates from the 13th century

Continuing on from the port, I passed a number of churches, with various claims to fame

As if I hadn’t done enough walking, that night we toured the city viewing the various light installations that were part of the Constellations de Metz festival. Running from the 20th June to 31st August and starting at sunset, this was a fabulous display.

In summary if you have a chance to visit Metz, just do it!

Day 4 Metz to Ecluse Thionville 3 locks, 30 kms

We were now party of 3 boats, and the next stop was unplanned as Danny and Hilda’s boat lost power to both the main propeller and the bow thruster. The only solution was for Mimosa to tow them while we scouted ahead for a suitable mooring

Day 5 Ecluse Thionville to Haute Ham 1 lock, 10 kms

Safely through the lock we continued on to Haute Ham, which was a very secure mooring, part of a holiday park, offering jumping castles, line water skiing and sailing.

Day 6 Haute Ham to Sierck les Bains 1 lock, 12 kms

We left Danny and Hilda as they waited for a diver and spare parts and continued on down the river to Sierck les Bains. This village is dominated by an old chateau, which was a favourite of the Dukes of Lorraine. Situated on a loop of the Moselle it allowed its inhabitants to control shipping from the Moselle to the Rhine. This once thriving town is a pale shadow of its former glory, with many abandoned run down houses. There were excellent information boards in English describing some of the past glories of this village, the saddest being the capture and final execution by fire of a young lady accused of being a witch.

Our stay in Sierck de Bains was to be our last night in France as we continued down the Moselle into Luxembourg and Germany.

In the next blog we start to explore Luxembourg and Germany