Daily program Lorraine tour 2013

Cycletours Holidays Buiksloterweg 7a, 1031 CC Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Your Bike & Barge tour

Lorraine Tour Your Bike & Barge Tour

8 days

FWT / FTW 2013



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This trip takes you through the green heart of Lorraine. You ride across newly laid bicycle paths and old (well-maintained) towpaths along the Moselle river and French canals. The hilly area between Moselle and Meurthe offers a great variety of culture and nature. In short, a typical French bike-holiday … Highlights

Moselle Mostly bikepaths and old (well-maintained) towpaths Beautiful historic town centers

Daily program Wasserbillig – Toul (FWT) (The program is subject to change without notice)

Saturday: Arrival in Wasserbillig. Wasserbillig – Moselle appr. 15 km The crew of Eva Josiena welcomes you on board at around 15h, in the border village of Wasserbillig. From here you will start a short bike trip along the Sauer; a small border river that flows closely past the resting place of the ship in Moselle. On this trip, you will pass along several nice and cosy German villages. Sunday: Moselle – Trier – Remich, appr. 51 km, by boat to Schengen After breakfast, you will cycle to the Roman city of Trier. Here, you can go for a stroll, passing the famous Porta Negra and the Dom. Though you wouldn’t want to miss visiting the ancient Roman terms, and indeed so many other Roman sites that this region has to offer. After that, your journey continues along the Moselle, towards the Franco-Luxembourg border, until you arrive at the Luxembourg town of Remich. There, after a walk through the old streets and narrows alleys, you will arrive at the spot where you will find Eva Josiena waiting to greet you. After dinner on board, the ship leaves the harbour to set course for the world-famous border town of Schengen; a tiny village that managed to find a place on the map many years ago, due to the well-known Schengen agreement which was signed there (on the day-trip ship Marie-Astrid, which was moored at the border of France, Luxembourg and Germany, just for the occasion). We’ll spend the night in this village. Monday: Schengen – Rodemack- Thionville, appr. 46 km Today you will ride straight into France, and with that the scenery will change too. The narrow Moselle valley becomes flatter and wider. This gives you the opportunity to make a deeper acquaintance with the country, by paying a visit to medieval Rodemack, where you’ll almost bump into Robin Hood around every corner. But a visit to the Maginot-line is certainly also a part of the program today. The underground defence system stretches across the whole area, which was meant to protect France, and at the same time make all facilities available for pure survival. In other words, you’ll be looking at a masterpiece of wartime architecture. When it is coffee time, Eva Josiena expects you in Thionville; a city that was rich in metal industry, but today it is primarily a city of beautiful deserted buildings, left behind by the many conquests, such as that of the Romans, the Luxembourgers and the Spaniards. Tuesday: Thionville – Metz, appr. 35 km The trip today takes you along the Moselle, where you can enjoy all that made this region so great. You ride past old steel mills and pumping-stations, across shady bike paths to the very well-known Metz. In short, today is dedicated to industrial heritage, nature, and for the perfect finish; examples of great cultural achievements. Upon arrival in Metz, you can also participate in a guided walk through the city, not just to admire the Centre Pompidou, but also the Cathedral and so much more. Or perhaps you would rather enjoy the ambiance at the many squares and terraces the city is proud of.



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Wednesday: Metz – Pompey, appr. 55 km Now it’s time for a somewhat more adventurous trip; the old towpaths of the Moselle take you to the picturesque Pont à Mousson. After a visit to this city, which has a typical character because it is situated on both banks of the Moselle, you’ll bike though an old canaled part of the Moselle. As you ride through, you will be amazed by the beauty of a bygone era, as you eventually arrive at one of those typical quiet little French village of Pompey. This village seems to have gone to sleep under the vicinity of Metz and Nancy, and perhaps that’s how it got it’s quite nature. Thursday: Pompey – Nancy – Maron, appr. 45 km Today, our bike trip takes us to Nancy, along the connecting cannel between Moselle and Meurthe. All those little sluices that you pass at this cannel, are certainly also a treat for the eyes. During the summer months, this canal is quite busy with yachts, though occasionally you might see a freighter pass by, heading south. After a visit to the famous Palais de Stanislas, and the many art nouveau buildings in Nancy, we move on towards the wonderfully silent village of Maron. There, at an idyllic spot, Eva Josiena humbly awaits you. Friday: Maron – Toul, appr. 17 km After breakfast, you get onto your bike and ride a short distance till the sluice of Villey-le-Sec. Here, we leave the bikes behind, and climb the Côte to visit the fort up there. This fort is a part of a very old defence line, which had later been extended by the construction of the Maginot-line, which you visited in the neighbourhood of Thionville. And because the valley is so narrow, the fort gives quite a fairy-tale kind of look to the surrounding area. Next, we ride on towards Toul; a charming little fortified town at the bank of the Moselle. This little town, which once competed for the recognition of the bishop, exhibits a rich religious history in its churches and its old official homes. Saturday: end of the tour After breakfast at around 10 AM.



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Daily program Toul – Wasserbillig (FTW) (The program is subject to change without notice)

Saturday: Arrival The crew of Eva Josiena gladly welcomes you on board at around 15h, in the charming French fortified town of Toul. After coffee, you have the opportunity to visit this town using a guide. Toul, a town that used to be the diocese of the bishop of Toul in times gone by, will display its pretty churches, its old house of government officials, but also its little alleys and nice terraces. Sunday: Toul – Maron, appr. 17 km Today you will follow the Moselle, as it gently winds across the valley. This section of the Moselle was canalised long ago; large parts of the old canal are not in use anymore because they have become too small for the ever bigger cargo ships. These sections have partly become obsolete, while there are also parts that have dried out here and there, and you also get to see the little sluices that are completely covered with greenery by now. At the sluice of Villey-le-Sec, we set our bikes aside, to hike up the hill to the old fort. This fort not only offers you an extraordinary look at the defence line, that has been patched up and renovated continually, in order to repel the enemy for centuries to come, but this spot also makes the surrounding area look like a fairy-tale. To bring an end to our bike trip for the day, we bicycle a bit further to the idyllic little harbour of Maron. Monday: Maron – Nancy – Pompey, appr. 45 km The bicycle path will take us today to Nancy, along the canal connecting the Moselle and Meurthe. The many little sluices that are spread across this canal, are certainly a treat for the eyes. Many yachts use this canal in the summer months, and every now and then you may get to see a little freighter pass by, heading south. After visiting Nancy, with its famous Palais de Stanislas and its many art nouveau buildings, the trip takes us further to the typical peaceful village of Pompey. This is where Eva Josiena lies awaiting our arrival at an idyllic spot. Tuesday: Pompey – Metz, appr. 55 km The trip that is set in the programme for today, begins with a ride along an old part of the canalised Moselle, till we arrive in Pont à Mousson. This city, which is situated on both banks of the Moselle, has a very outstanding character due to its unique location. After this the adventure picks up, as passing the old towpaths of the Moselle, we arrive in Metz. Here, you can participate in a guided walk through the town, to admire the Centre Pompidou, the great well-known cathedral and so much more. But it’s certainly also worthwhile doing some shopping in this great city, with so many big shopping centres to choose from. Wednesday: Metz – Thionville, appr. 35 km Today, you will bicycle along the Moselle and enjoy everything that has made this region so historically great. You ride past old steel mills and pumping-stations, but also through forests, where you can see old bunkers and subterranean army barracks of the Maginot-line, by now all covered by greenery.



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When it is coffee time, Eva Josiena awaits you in Thionville; a city once made rich by the metal industry, but today only displays many beautiful deserted buildings, left behind by the many conquests, such as that of the Romans, the Luxembourgers, and the Spaniards. Thursday: Thionville – Schengen – Remich, appr. 46 km Now it’s time to take a trip to the Franco-Luxembourg border, where we visit the famous village of Schengen. This was once just a small sleepy village, before it was awakened by the event that made it world-famous; the Schengen agreement, which was signed here on board the ship called Princess Marie-Astrid, which was moored here especially for the occasion. During this trip, we exit the Moselle bike path for just a moment, to pay a visit to medieval Rodemack. After the evening meal, we sail a bit further entering Luxembourg, to spend the night on the boulevard in Remich. Friday: Remich – Trier, appr. 51 km This day is reserved for a trip through the many beautiful vineyards of Luxembourg, to the German city of Trier. Long ago, the Romans had clearly left their mark here, but you have only come to visit the Porta Negra and the old Dom. However, the beautiful half-timbered houses at the market square will also be worth appreciating. To conclude the trip for today, we ride further to the village of Wasserbillig. Being the final destination of your journey, this little border town offers you the possibility of doing some last-minute shopping in Luxembourg. Saturday: Departure After breakfast, the crew of Eva Josiena warmly waves goodbye to you at around 10:00 hours.

Daily program Lorraine tour 2013

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