Saturday, March 10, 2012
Saarland
The Saarland is the super small German province in the west of Germany bordering France. It was under French administration until 1957 after a referendum in 1955 when it returned to Germany. One third
of the land area of the Saarland is covered by forest, one of the
highest percentages in Germany. The state is hilly; the
highest mountain is the Dollberg (695.4 m), but the River Saar forms a major flat valley from the south to the northwest almost along the western edge of the province. Most inhabitants live in the area around the capital, Saarbrücken. This means it very interesting for cyclists and the province is making great efforts to attract cyclists with good routes and excellent pre-booked cycling holidays. See http://www.visitsaarland.co.uk/en/cycling-1. One of my favourite routes is to follow the Saar Coal Mine Canal into France, over the Vosges and then visit Strasbourg. The Saarland Tourist Office offers a tour from Trier along the Moselle, the Saar, the aforementioned Saar Coal Mine Canal and the Rhine-Rhone Canal to Strasbourg. Our Riesling Route book also follows the Rhine-Rhone Canal to Strasbourg. Well worth doing!
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Great post! have you ever been to Strasbourg in the winter time? The city is beautiful! I am going there later this year as a combined trip with a Prague city breaks holiday. So many stalls all eliquently lit!
ReplyDeleteWe have been a number of times in winter. We live near enough to the city to have a day there. Around Christmas time there is an excellent Christmas Market. If you read our section on the AtoB website (http://www.atob.org.uk/bike-rail/bikeeurope-france/) there is a comment about the best place to wait for your train on the Gare Strasbourg Ville. The Historical City Museum has an interesting display and great central heating if it is a cold day when you are there. The museum is well worth visiting as well. There is also some information about the city for the cyclist in our e-book
ReplyDelete"Following the Rhine gently upstream, Rotterdam to Basel, a Cycle Tourist's Guide by Judith Forsyth and Neil Forsyth (Kindle Edition - Oct 29, 2011) - Kindle eBook"