Train to Paris – Saturday July 28, 2018

We were awake early and at breakfast for 7:00 am on our disembarkation day. Soon after breakfast Emma, Liam, Sammy and Rose left with Judith to get their bus. We finished packing leisurely. Alison’s parents were next to leave in a Tesla that came to collect them. Alison, Louise, Paul and I were the last to go at 9:30 with Florian driving us to the train station. Mel accompanied us too as she was going to another boat and Louise continued on to the airport for her flight home. We found a covered area outside the station which was light and air-conditioned to wait in. After our journey, it was time for a loo stop but found there was an 80c charge which seemed rather excessive. Instead, Alison and Paul went to explore the town and in addition to the free loo, they found the central area was closed off for a massive street market.

For lunch, Chris and Paul went to fetch food from Carrefour and McDonald’s (for Paul). We order at the new automated machines which makes life easier, however, I was proud to be able to ask for the code to enter the toilet in French – the reply was in English but I tried. We waited until the platform was announced only 20 minutes before departure. We are always anxious that we could miss the trains in Europe. The train was mostly empty as we pulled away from the station. However, many more people joined at the first stop. We were able to connect to the free Internet and watch our journey on a moving map on the laptop. It seemed incredible as the train speed passed 300km/hour. After about an hour we arrived at our destination of the Disney resort.

We had a few jobs to complete here before going on to our accommodation. The first was to buy our Disney passes. In order to get to the ticket office, we needed to go through security with our large cases. Paul’s bag got pulled aside for a physical search. After finding the ticket office was not the correct place we made our way to Guest Relations. We needed to get the special needs tickets which allowed Paul to have a discount and Alison got a free ticket. Before leaving the resort area we took a few photos then made our way to the RER station. Here we needed to get the Navigo cheap weekly pass. There was an information desk where we were sent to an office marked “Navigo”. After queuing we got to the front of the line to be told that they did not sell the Navigo there – how odd! Instead, we need to go to the regular ticket desk. Only in France would you get Disney tickets at guest relations instead of the ticket desk and buy the Navigo pass at the ticket desk and not the Navigo office.

We had a little challenge getting through the gates for the first time with our cases. Two stops along the line we got out and had even more trouble getting through the gates since everyone (lots of locals) tried going through the special gate at the same time. Once we got ourselves oriented, we walked a couple of blocks to our Airbnb accommodation where we met our host Robin, originally from Thailand. We were shown to our room, the bathrooms and kitchen. After our long journey, we had a refreshing cup of coffee before going out to get dinner at a nearby pizza restaurant. The owner seemed to be a real entrepreneur trying to upsell us but we resisted the dessert. We packed up our leftover pizza for lunch tomorrow and returned to the hotel to pack for the next day and get an early night at 10:30.

Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg – Friday July 27, 2018

Breakfast as usual. At 9 am, Sammy and Rose went off with Florian for a walking tour of Strasbourg. We had decided not to take the tour since we spent so much time there already. Instead, we cruised along the canal to our final destination. Progress was very slow. The first lock was occupied by a boat coming the other way so we needed to wait for it to clear. The next lock was out of action and we needed to call for service which took about 30 minutes to arrive. Here we got off the barge with our bicycles and cycled to the next lock which was also not working and we needed to wait for service one more time. The lady who came to service the lock said it was too hot for the controller. It was around 36C, but not exceptionally hot for the region. This is also where Sammy and Rose rejoined us. Given the delays, it was now time for lunch so we got back aboard.

After lunch, we finally reached our destination of Krafft and set off in the van to visit a restored chateau. It was about an hour’s drive through interesting little villages before ascending the mountain with the chateau perched on top. There were cars parked for kilometres before the chateau, so we found a space and then had a long walk for the remainder of the way. Florian bought our tickets which were reasonably priced at €9 each, although Alison’s parents decided to sit this one out. The chateau was amazingly well restored and looked like something out of a Disney cartoon. We followed a guided walk through the many rooms and courtyards, then up to the battlements and descended back to our starting point. Louise stopped to feed Arlo in a shady spot before rejoining the others for the long drive back.

Back aboard we were greeted by Cat with glasses of lemonade. After refreshing ourselves we assembled on the open deck for the usual canapes and drinks where we were joined by Florian and Judith. Our evening meal was the captain’s reception which was a little more extravagant than usual. We ate portobello mushrooms with cheese topping and steak for the entre. I sat next to Florian and across from Judith. Most of the conversation was about the cruise operation. Towards the end, glasses of champagne were distributed and we were joined by the remainder of the crew for a series of toasts.

After dinner, the younger group went outside to the hot tub, where we could see the total lunar eclipse with the blood moon. Meanwhile, I went to bed close to midnight.

Strasbourg – Thursday July 26, 2018

We were awake and at breakfast around 8 am as usual. As I entered the lounge, I found Louise crying and in pain. Apparently, she had poured hot water over her hand. This was a tragedy since she already had her other wrist strained from carrying Arlo, so both hands were now in pain – poor Louise!

At 9:30 we assembled for our morning tour to a winery. It was about an hour drive to Domaine Pfister in Dahlenheim near Strasbourg. The owner was one of three sisters and was the 8th generation to run the business. The lady guided us through the production process of crushing the grapes. Then we went downstairs to where the grapes were chilled and fermentation controlled in large vats. Back upstairs we crossed the courtyard into the sampling room and tried several of her Alsace wines.

After the drive back to the barge, we had lunch of risotto and fruit sorbet. In the afternoon, the younger generation went cycling. Meanwhile, Louise was taken to Strasbourg to go shopping and then met us at our mouring which was in a park in central Strasbourg.

For our evening meal, we went to a restaurant for fine dining. This was a magnificent meal with many courses paired with several wines. It included eal, pigeon and chocolate cake. We made our way back to the barge without an escort. Finally, we sat outside on the deck with more drinks

Chateaux – Wednesday July 25, 2018

Most of us were up for breakfast at 8 am, although the boys showed up an hour later after we had all finished. Then we assembled at 9:45 for this morning’s outing to Chateau Haut-Barr. This was a castle built on a sandstone outcrop on top of a hill. This was the much-awaited castle ruins that we wanted to do yesterday and it was very interesting and worth the wait. We drove back to the barge and following a short refreshment break, we set off for a walking tour of the town. Our first stop was the Chateau de Rohan also called the Versailles of Alsace and built as a residence for the town bishop. It seemed rather extravagant and thankfully he never got to live there since his plan was preempted by the French revolution. Further along the road, we visited the church, which was very modest in comparison to the bishop’s home. Then we walked through the town and finally found a cloister with frescos. There were a few minutes for shopping before we needed to be back on the barge and sailing again.

Lunch was a goat cheese tart with salad followed by cheese. The afternoon cruise was long with many locks and very hot (34C) eventually arriving in Waltenheim-sur-Zorn. Alison and Louise walked while the others bicycled. With two locks to go, Alison and Louise swapped the stroller for two bikes and continued to our destination after drinking much water.

As usual, we had canapes and drinks on the deck at 7 pm,  followed by dinner consisting of baked tomato with salad, filet mignon (which is pork in France) and a very rich chocolate cake. A few people went for a walk after dinner along the canal bank while Louise, Paul and I went in the hot tub until the others came back.

Savern – Tuesday July 24, 2018

We all got up at 7 am for coffee before setting off on our morning adventure. At 7:30, Florian led our party through the streets to the local boulangerie where we watched the baker making bread rolls. We later went to the front of the store to buy our bread supplies for breakfast and each selected a treat. Once back aboard the barge breakfast was prepared and we sat down to another delicious continental breakfast with today’s fresh baking.

Sailing was planned to be about 10km with 9 locks to Savern. I walked with Louise and Arlo on the towpath while most of the others rode on bicycles. We stopped at the first lock to watch the barge arrive and the lock operation. Interestingly, the lock seemed to know that our boat was coming and prepared itself for the arrival. Then proceded ahead a couple more locks for the exercise before going aboard.

We had lunch once we arrived at Savern and docked opposite a park with a grand building looking like a small version of the Château de Versailles. Lunch consisted of Caesar salad followed by raspberries in jelly and a sorbet. We had an idea to split the group since several of us would rather visit castle ruins rather than another art museum in the afternoon. Our tour guide was reluctant and suggested options which led to a very heated and embarrassing discussion and the options being vetoed by Alison’s parents. In the end, we all set off to tour La Petite Pierre, which was a pretty village built as a walled fortress on top of a hill. We also entered a church which had long been used simultaneously by both Protestant and Catholic. Those of us who did not want to continue to the museum returned to the barge and rested. While the others continued to view the museum containing 500 pieces of Rene Lalique glass.

When everyone returned to the boat at 6:30, a trio of jazz musicians played for us on the deck and we enjoyed the music together with drinks and canapes in the warm evening sun. Eventually, we returned inside for dinner consisting of smoked mackerel, guinea fowl and a lemon flavoured dessert. Once again dinner finished late, but we were less tired. Several of us decided to walk off our large meal by going 10 minutes into the town.

Tunnels and Lift – Monday July 23, 2018

We were woken by our alarm going off at 8 am and went straight to the dining room for breakfast. This was billed as a candlelit breakfast as we passed through tunnels. We actually finished breakfast before we arrived at the first tunnel. This was relatively short being a few hundred metres. It wasn’t far before we arrived at the second and much longer tunnel, this one is several kilometres in length. It seemed that we could see “the light at the end of the tunnel” but this was an illusion and it seemed to go on and on. Eventually, we came out and not much further came to a lift. We manoeuvred into position and then slid sideways down a steep ramp for 450m to the continuation of the canal below. There was a movie set at the bottom and we determined they were setting up for a movie stunt.

It was just around the corner that we had our first stop at a glass studio. We received a demonstration of glass blowing as a man created a vase. This was similar to the glassblowing we had seen many times before, however, this man was working alone which made it even more challenging. It was a short distance on the barge to our first real lock. All of our youngest generations got off the barge and walked along the towpath keeping a pace ahead of our boat. Eventually, we arrived at Lutzelbourg.

We had a lunch with a cold Spanish soup and fish cake. After lunch, we all loaded into the two buses and had a long drive back to Sarrebourg, near where we had started this morning. Here we visited a church containing a very large stained glass window by Marc Chagall. We were provided with an audio guide and all sat to listen to the story of the artist and the creation of the work. We then walked a short distance around the corner to a museum where there was a tapestry by Chagall. There were also collections of ceramics and Roman finds. It was another long drive back to the barge.

In the evening we had canapes with drinks at around 7 pm. Dinner was a very slow occasion consisting of artichokes, although Paul and I substituted mushrooms. This was followed by duck and for dessert, we had a mouse. Dinner lasted all the way until around 10:30, by which time I was very sleepy again and went to bed while the younger crowd went in the hot tub.

Departure – Sunday July 22, 2018

I was woken by my alarm going off at 6:30, but Alison was not pleased. I rallied anyone I could to go down for breakfast which opened at 7. We had been told that we needed to be there early to get a good seat outside. I was joined by Paul, Louise and later Alison. The breakfast was excellent with lots of selection at a buffet. While sitting outside we were joined by Alison’s parents and we stayed for a full 90 minutes having seconds and thirds. Afterwards, I finally mailed my compensation letter. We needed to check out early since we would not be back from church until the afternoon.

Most of the family joined us to visit the Notre Dame cathedral for mass. We waited outside for a few minutes until the previous service had finished. As we entered there was a security check of bags. Then we made our way to seats near the front while listening to organ music. The music continued for 15 minutes and through the procession at the start of mass. The procession was led by a knight in French uniform. The service lasted 75 minutes and was conducted in French, apart from one reading in German. We had several songs accompanied to organ music. This was a smaller one at the front in contrast to the big organ at the back that provided mood during the readings and communion. The gospel procession was accompanied by insense. We heard the famous astronomical clock strike 11 at 11:30. It seemed to be running 30 minutes slow. We had hoped to stay to hear the noon bells but were asked to leave straight after mass ended at 12:15.

We walked slowly back to our hotel where we found the others waiting in the lobby. We had arranged to use the spa in the afternoon since we were not able to use it yesterday. Unfortunately, one of us heroicly volunteered for babysitting duty. Arlo seemed rather fussy and although I could get him to settle he did not like being put back in the stroller. As a result, he rested lying on top of me for two hours. By the time everyone came back I was getting fussy myself since I had not been able to move for so long. We just had time for lunch (a.k.a. 4th breakfast!).

We got our cases out of storage and waited for the transportation to arrive. A bus pulled in and we got excited, but it proved to be a false alarm. By now, our bus was 15 minutes late so we phoned to discover that they were stuck in traffic. A short time later two large vans pulled up. We met Florian, the captain and driver, together with his spouse, Judith, the deckhand and driver. Once loaded with cases and people we set off on a 60-minute journey to the barge. I was delegated to join the younger generation of grandchildren and friends in the larger bus while the older generation travelled in the smaller one with Louise and Arlo in a car seat. I slept most of the way.

On arrival at the barge, we were greeted by the remainder of the crew. There were two hosts: Cat from England and Max from Argentina who would look after our needs. The chef was Mel from England but now living in Spain. The pilot was Andree who was a real bargee (born on barges) and was French with no other language. We were provided with champagne and hors-d’oeuvre on the deck while Mel asked about food preferences. Then Cat and Max took us down one cabin at a time to explain how things worked (bathroom, safe and air conditioning). Later Florian (captain and cruise director) explained all the safety procedures. We were not to handle ropes, stand while going under bridges and the location of emergency exits and life vests.

Finally, we enjoyed our first meal on the barge consisting of lamb, cheeses and creme brulee. Cat explained the local wine selection in great detail followed by Max explaining the cheeses.

Regent Petite-France – Saturday July 21, 2018

I woke and got up early at 5 am, to everyone’s dismay thinking it was 8 since my tablet was still in the wrong time zone. With everyone still in bed, I finished drafting my letter until the shops opened at 8:30 to buy the baguette for breakfast. The remainder of the morning was spent cleaning and packing to leave our accommodation before noon. We walked a short distance to the Regent hotel where Alison’s parents were staying and we would all stay tonight. Fortunately, all the rooms were ready so we started to settle in. Louise had an amazing room all to herself and Arlo. The boy’s room had a magnificent view across the locks to the old buildings. The hotel was very nice and well situated in the centre of Petite-France, which is the old town surrounded by waterways. We settled into lunch finishing our food from yesterday and a cup of tea. Emma and Liam arrived and they all settled in too.

In the afternoon, we went out for a walk to the covered bridge and it began to rain. Inside the bridge were statues and gargoyles from the cathedral. Sam and his friend Rose arrived which was our first meeting and she settled in with Emma in the girl’s room. With my letter complete and proofread I went down to the business centre to print it. This was more difficult than it ought to be since one printer requested authentication and the other had no paper or black ink. By splitting the letter into two files and changing the font colour, I was able to print the letter.

I was in need of a nap and was left baby minding Arlo while the others went off to explore. Alison allowed me to sleep as long as possible but was woken up with 4 minutes to get ready for assembly before dinner. We rushed down and joined the others then walked a short distance to the restaurant where we had booked a table for 10. On our return to the hotel, we planned to go to the spa but found that it had closed at 8:00. Instead, Alison made do with a bath and we both went to bed.

Strasbourg – Friday July 20, 2018

With jet lag, we were awake very early. I went out to get breakfast supplies and found a store at end of the street which was only a few steps from our front gate. I had great difficulty at the automated checkout since the baguette did not have a barcode and an assistant came over to help me. Breakfast was wonderful although simple consisting of a baguette with butter and jam. Later, Alison’s parents arrived for a visit. We then went out shopping for necessary clothing supplies since we still did not have our cases. We realized that we only had a couple of days to get enough to keep us going for the week since we would be cruising from Sunday onward. We found a budget clothing store which was ideal for buying many items at minimal cost. We were advised the airline would compensate us by 100 euros each which were not a lot. It took a very long time choosing clothes and trying them on. Eventually, Paul and I had our selection and left the girls to finish their task. It was lunchtime so Paul and I went to McDonald’s. It may seem crazy to go there when we are in Strasbourg with so many nice options but we find it easier to allow Paul to indulge in his preferences.

On our way back, I stopped in an electronic store to buy some adapters to European power since all mine adapters are in the missing checked bags. I asked the man if he could speak English, which he did, and it helped explain what I needed. We then walked back to our accommodation where I continued to work on my letter until I received a phone call saying my cases were about to be delivered. The man had poor English and I thought he said he would be arriving in 5 minutes so I went outside to greet him as it was difficult to get to our accommodation. In fact, he must have said he was leaving the airport in 5 minutes because we waited about 40 minutes for him to arrive in the heat. He called to say he was parked a couple of streets away and was looking for us. We searched for him for a while an eventually found him walking along the street.

In the afternoon, I worked on drafting my claim for compensation. Later, we went out to walk to the Regent hotel in Petite-France where Alison’s parents were staying and where we would stay on the final night before the barge cruise. We all walked out quite a long way before finding a restaurant to eat, which was a challenge since it was 5:30 and most restaurants opened at 7:00. Eventually, we found a nice one in Place Gutenberg near the cathedral and all ordered a local pizza specialty with thin crust base. Over dinner, I was struggling to keep awake. Emma and Liam had just arrived in Strasbourg and found us at the restaurant and they took our leftovers to eat for their dinner while sitting in the square.

We talked to them for a little while but Paul and I left to return to our accommodation where I crashed. I was woken again by a phone call that the man was here with our remaining cases. I went out to find him and found him standing outside the front door. After taking them inside I went straight back to sleep and I heard everyone come in some time later but was completely out of it.