A Chocolate Factory, La Petite Pierre, Eschbourg-Graufthol and Strasbourg, France Memories from 2022

 

Philippe came by for a visit 

We went to a chocolate factory

There was an endless assortment of chocolates

Something chocolate for everyone

In my search for a special purse we travelled to La Petite Pierre.  It's a charming little town that we plan on visiting again

This is the purse I just had to have which took us to La Petite Pierre


They had a beautiful selection of leather purses, backpacks, and desk items all hand made in France

We went to Eschbourg-Graufthol to view the Maisons des rochers de Graufthal.  These three semi-troglodyte rock houses have been restored and refurbished.

These are the ruins of the Ancient Abbaye of Graufthal 11-16 century.

It was time for us to end our 2022 cruising season.  Due to the terrible drought Europe was facing we were unable to return to our home port in Burgundy.  We were fortunate to find a mooring in Strasbourg.

We cruised by the European Union (EU) headquarters.  It's a beautiful and dramatic building.

Rabelo with the EU headquarters in the background

Once we arrived in Strasbourg it was a tight squeeze getting Rabelo into her slip.  It took some careful maneuvering 

Rabelo entering our mooring...but this is only the beginning

We had people on all sides pushing and pulling to get her into our new space.

It was a tight squeeze

Rabelo was finally in place (but only temporarily as it turned out)

Strasbourg at night

The blanket I knitted for Rabelo

Saverne, Saint-Louis Arzviller Inclined Plane and the Lalique Museum, France

We went on the Saint-Louis Arzviller Inclined Plane with Alysa and Bruce who came to visit us.

It’s exciting riding the Azerviller Lift Incline on Rabelo.  The views aren’t bad either 

Cruising through Saverne

Lunch being prepared on Rabelo

Lunch with three types of duck

We eat well on Rabelo and “grazing” is our favorite meal

It’s hard to resist French desserts

A local artist creating a new painting on the side of a lock house 

Cruising through the heart of Saverne where diners watch us watching them 

It’s peaceful cruising

An interesting exterior decor along the canal

 Captain Estelle has the job of climbing up steep ladders in deep locks to get us properly secured 

We returned to the Lalique Museum.  I am in awe of the jewelry that was created

Crown

Perfume bottles 

We visited an outdoor market in Saverne.  We aren't in Paris any more.

More from the outdoor market

Colorful display

Alysa rocks her new beret and Bruce is appreciating his warm new scarf

Tom and our friends explored some of the local ruins

 

Sarreguemines, France

Cruising along the Saar we saw strategically placed German bunkers as a grim reminder of European history.

In Sarreguemines we were parked alongside a park.

We visited a ceramic factory that has been turned into a museum.

An archeological section of the museum shows life in the territory during the Gallo-Roman period.  These are old grinding stones.

This is an example of the stones that were ground up for the pottery

The old water wheel

One of the trains used to move the material around.

Inside one of the remaining kilns

The exterior of the kiln

The museum has magnificent examples of fine earthenware covered with colorful glazes
. 

A fountain

Beer mugs with a sense of humor

They made frescoes that were used to cover the walls of shops, breweries, spas and restaurants

A fireplace

A ceramic room heater

At the end of the museum tour we sat at a dining table and enjoyed a laser show depicting many of the different styles of ceramics that were made in this factory.