Back from an enjoyable trip to Alsace. Flew, of course to Paris, had to take a cab to Gare de l'est in Paris, then a train to Strasbourg. Flew on American Airlines, who offered a decent champagne, two whites and two reds to choose from, along with dinner. Dinner was some shaved beef appetizer with guacamole, pico de gallo, a nice salad with cranberries, feta and oven dried tomato, and a choice of main dishes, including grilled beef filet with a bordelaise sauce, or crab cakes, or artichoke ravioli. There was a good cheese plate following.
In Strasbourg we got in rather late, like 8 PM. Ate at the hotel. Had a marvelous chicken caesar salad. The chicken was deep fried, without a trace of oil. Quite crispy. White anchovies. Washed down with a Meteor amber beer. (Meteor has been a brewery in Alsace since around 1640). The next day we ambled about Strasbourg, taking in several museums, enjoying the town. We had lunch in an Indian restaurant, which was good, not great.
That night we were met at our hotel by the captain of the barge we'd be on. 8 American tourists (four couples) were escorted on a nice van to the barge, which was in the port of Saverne. Over the next 6 days, we'd travel down the Canal du Marne au Rhin. The barge goes only around 1.5 miles per hour tops, so one can get off at various locks and go for a nice walk on the paved path adjacent to the canal.
We had various side trips, including a wine tasting at Domaine Frederic Mochel in Traenheim, https://www.winetourism.com/wi...ine-frederic-mochel/ the Meteor Brewery, a visit to Sarrebourg to see a beautiful chapel with a huge Marc Chagall stained glass window, a trip to Marmoutier to see a Romanesque church with a stone underground area, built in the 6th century.
The food on the barge was outstanding. The chef on board was a woman from Hungary who deserves a Michelin star. One night we were at dinner at a Michelin starred place, Villa Rene Lalique, in Wingen-sur- Moder. Frankly, that restaurant was beautiful, but the food was better on the barge.
Everyday on the barge we had a delicious breakfast, with fresh croissants, cheese, fruit, yogurt and so forth. Lunch was terrific...usually 4 salads, plus a main course. White and red wine with each lunch, and each lunch followed by 3 cheeses. Dinner was a starter and a main dish, some sides and of course the white and red wines and the cheeses.
The wines were all French. Mostly Burgundies. We had a Corton Charlemagne grand cru 2016, a Chassagne Montrachet of 2015, and a host of others. If you want a list, send me an email to irwin@irwinweiss.com I can't figure out how to attach my lists.
The trip was run by French Country Waterways, Ltd, www.fcwl.com
They have barge trips in Burgundy and Champagne and Loire. In prior years we've done Burgundy and Champagne. Some day we'll do the Loire trip.
At the conclusion of the trip we got a train back to Paris, stayed just one night, ate at a small place called Moustache on the left bank, which was rather good. Flight back was easy and on time.
