France 2016 - Day 13 (Saverne)

This is more a photo blog than anything else 

We were away by 9.15am.  This was our first lock of the day.

The lock has a lovely cottage 

But see what they look out onto?

We had a chain of 5 locks which all worked really smoothly and were ready for us each time.  We were soon entering Saverne our stop for the night.

This is the Chateau de Rohan.  A rather austere building which put us off visiting.  It was built in the 18th century in the neo-classical style.  It was originally the home of the Prince Bishops who had the headquarters in Saverne.  Between 1852 and 1857 Napoleon restored a rather run down building  and used it to house widows of highly placed Civilian and Military officials who gave their lives for France.  In 1870 the house became a military barracks until the town of Saverne bought it in1952.

These next three photos are taken in the little marina where we are moored stern on.

These silly swans were right by the roadside.

We walked into town and had coffee in a patisserie - guess what we had?

Saverne dates back to the time of Caesar.  There were three taverns where travellers could change their oxen before the steep incline ahead.  During the German Peasant's war, the town was occupied, in 1525, by the insurgents who were then driven out by Duke Anton of Lorraine.  It also suffered from the ravages of the Thirty Years War.  Finally Saverne was conquered by Imperial Germany after the Franco-Prussian war.  It was returned to the French after World War I.

This part of France is so German that all the street signs are in both languages.

This is Hotel du Ville with its amazing gates.

I cooked a spaghetti bolognaise/chilli for dinner which was followed by ice cream of raspberries.  There was an ice cream stall behind us so we went over with our pudding dishes and chose what we wanted.  It was the first evening that we had been able to sit out late and we were "seranaded" by a group playing in the marina.  Apparently there is a magic festival which runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the summer with different types of music being played in different parts of the town.  I think we might have drawn the short straw tonight 😕