Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Ouest): Pompey to Toul

The next leg of our journey started as we pushed Wanderlust off of the pontoon in Pompey.  Angling her bow out into the current of the Moselle River, we continued on our journey.  A short distance upstream we reached l’écluse …

The Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Est) and the Moselle River: Nancy to Pompey

Given our druthers we would have stayed longer in Nancy.  It’s a beautiful city with all that we want.  But we needed to get Wanderlust situated in a place where we could leave her for a month and a half …

Nancy

Wanderlust leaves Nancy

After a brief excursion to Luxembourg, we turned Wanderlust about and headed back up the Moselle. When Wanderlust reached the village of Pompey, we split left off the river and moved on to the eastern segment of the Canal de la Marne au Rhin. At first the landscape alongside the canal is industrial. As the waterway nears the urban center of Nancy residential housing predominates.

Uckange: U-4

U-4 in Uckange

The waterways in France were once the arteries of industry. Over time, economies have shifted and the modes of transportation have changed. Left behind in the wake of modernization is the decaying infrastructure of bygone eras.

Luxembourg

Wanderlust moored for the night in Uckange France.

At times practical needs define Wanderlust’s cruising route. In August of 2015, we took Wanderlust down the Moselle to Luxembourg so we could add fuel. Fuel is cheap and easily accessible in Luxembourg. Past adding fuel, there was another reason for us to detour to Luxembourg. As earlier, we needed to slow our pace to best accommodate our arriving guests’ schedules. A side trip down the Moselle would serve as a holding pattern and would let us take on the fuel needed.

Metz

Streets of Metz

Mooring on rivers in France can be a challenge for us. The dolphins are usually set up for the big commercial barges and are too widely spaced for Wanderlust to use. At same time, the occasional ports de plaisance are often configured for small cruisers and speedboats. Many barges, even ones shorter than the magic 15-meter cut-off, are effectively excluded from many small boat ports. At 20 meters in length, Wanderlust is too large to squeeze into to many of the pleasure ports and too small for the commercial moorings. Nevertheless, with a little searching, we’ve always found a pleasant enough place to tie up Wanderlust for the night.

Liverdun

The lock gates open on the River Moselle.

On a hill above a bend of the Moselle River between Toul and Nancy is the village of Liverdun. Liverdun is a quiet town seemingly in the midst of being forgotten. In 2015 we stopped at the town’s moorings twice.