Category Archives: International Travel

Cultural travel, International Travel, Museums and Exhibits

Museum Hopping and Shopping in Hanoi, Vietnam

Leave a comment
Among the museums and sites to visit in Hanoi, Vietnam, the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius, is still a pilgrimage site. © Geri Bain

by Geri Bain for Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Hanoi is the last stop on a 16-day journey through Vietnam and Cambodia with my 30-year-old daughter. We built our itinerary around a one-week AmaWaterways Mekong River cruise (AmaWaterways.com) which began with a pre-cruise stay in Ho Chi Minh City and finished with a post-cruise stay in Hanoi. Here are highlights of Hanoi:

We check into our hotel, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, happy we decided to spend three days here before flying back to the U.S. The hotel’s Heritage Wing, where we are staying, completed a full renovation last year, maintaining its luxurious French Colonial feel. We are thrilled to find that our Metropole Suite is actually comprised of three rooms—a living room with comfy chairs and a couch that is a sofa-bed, a parlor/office and a master bedroom with a king-size bed, plus two oversized bathrooms with Toto smart toilets. A nice surprise are the two balconies with great city views. (www.sofitel-legend-metropole-hanoi.com)

The recently-renovated Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Heritage Wing, which opened in 1901, maintains its luxurious French Colonial feel. © Geri Bain
 

The oldest continuously operating hotel in Hanoi, the Sofitel Legend Metropole has a central location that allows us to walk to everything we want to do and offers a lovely pool and spa for recharging. Most of all, we love that the hotel’s rich history, decor, art collection and permanent “Path of History” exhibit create a kind of live-in history museum where we can relax and still feel immersed in the city. 

The hotel served as the official guest house for government guests and delegations under Ho Chi Minh. Walking through the hotel’s “Path of History” hall, we see that its list of past guests reads like a Who’s Who of the 20th and 21st century, from writers Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene to U.S. presidents. Photos of more recent political conclaves hosted here include a 2019 meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un.

We enjoy listening to traditional Vietnamese music as we enjoy a tasting menu of specialties from different regions of Vietnam at the hotel’s Spice Garden. © Geri Bain

In addition to the actual history exhibit, over the course of our stay, we take in the entire hotel as we would an art museum, studying the sculptures and scenes of contemporary and historic Hanoi that decorate the stairwells, lounges, and other public spaces of the hotel.

A tour of the hotel’s historic bomb shelter, free to hotel guests, turns out to be a much broader lesson in history. Our guide shows us photos of visiting diplomats and other hotel guests huddled in the small underground space during the Vietnam War (known as the American War in Vietnam); sometimes they were roused to retreat to the shelter multiple times a night. We also see heart-wrenching photos of the effects of the war on the city, its surroundings and its people.

We don helmets before descending into the bomb shelter where Jane Fonda, Joan Baez and other guests found safety during “American War” bombings of the city. © Geri Bain

Especially haunting is standing in the shelter and listening to the song “Where are you now, my son?” by Joan Baez, putting words to her experience when she emerged to witness the devastation caused by bombings.

We come to the Hoa Lo Prison expecting to learn about the American POWs held here during the Vietnam War, most famously John McCain. Facetiously called the “Hanoi Hilton” for the torture and harsh treatment that McCain and other American soldiers received here, the small area of displays and videos of happy Christmas moments and proclamations of how well they were treated is startling.

Hoa Lo Prison was built by the French to quell political uprisings; it had the opposite effect. © Geri Bain

But that exhibit is only a smidgen of the museum. Its main message is the cruelty of French colonial days. We learn that the prison was built by the French Colonial government in 1896 for political prisoners. We see a portable guillotine, torture instruments and a life-size recreation of a room lined by prisoners shackled side-by-side on long concrete slabs. The museum is mainly dedicated to the horrific treatment of the Vietnamese at the hands of the French, to the heroes who lived and died here, and to the communist education and revolutionary fervor that fomented here, making the Hoa Lo Museum a proud Vietnamese heritage site.

The Temple of Literature, founded in 1070, was Vietnam’s first university. © Geri Bain

As we walk through the grand Gate of the Temple of Literature, we are amazed to realize that we are entering a university that was founded in 1070. The school was first open to members of the Royal families and later to exceptional students of other social classes. It stopped serving as a university in 1779, but it has never veered from its purpose to honor, worship and provide a place to learn the wisdom of Chinese philosopher Confucius. Students and their parents still come here to burn incense, make offerings and pray for success before important exams. We see people waiting their turn to touch a statue of a crane standing on the back of a turtle. We’re told that rubbing the belly of the crane and the head of the turtle bring good luck, and not just on exams. Never wanting to pass up a chance for positive energy, we respectfully take our turns as well. 

Couples seeking children are among those who bring offerings and pray at the One Pillar Pagoda, an 11th-century Buddhist site. © Geri Bain

Throughout our travels in Vietnam and Cambodia, we’ve come to appreciate how much architecture in this region is imbued with symbolic meaning. A great example is One Pillar Pagoda which dates back to 1048. The pagoda, which sits on a single pillar on a small lake, is designed to give form to a lotus flower like the one in a legendary dream by an 11th-century heirless emperor. He dreamt that the Buddhist goddess of mercy sat in a lotus flower on a lake and handed him an infant son.

When he did indeed have a son, he had this pagoda built in gratitude. The number three, which represents fertility, is symbolized by the three figures on the roof: two dragons (representing yang) gazing at a moon (representing yin). Inside, eight beams represent the eight petals of the lotus. The number of steps to the main hall—13—represents fertility and wealth. Although the temple has been rebuilt several times over the centuries, the architecture still embodies the spirit of the shrine. We observe a number of women placing offerings of flowers, fruit, wine, and trios of incense sticks in front of a shrine to the goddess of mercy to pray that they too will have a child.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum draws people from around the country who come to pay their respects.© Geri Bain

From what we’d read and seen on this trip, Ho Chi Minh–“Bac (uncle) Ho” as he is affectionately called—was a beloved selfless leader. Interestingly, he had stated in his will that he wanted to be cremated with his ashes buried in three regions of the country. But in 1969 when he died, his followers embalmed his body and built the grand mausoleum we are visiting today. We pass through security to enter the grounds of the Presidential Palace where the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is located. We wonder why there are no lines to enter and file past his glass coffin where people come to pay their respects and we learn that the mausoleum is closed for its annual maintenance.

Nevertheless, we’re impressed by the grandeur of the Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, which was inspired by and resembles Lenin’s Tomb, but with Vietnamese flourishes, and we sense the reverence it inspires. The setting is also impressive. The Mausoleum is across a large plaza/parade ground from the National Assembly and down the green we see the imposing Presidential Palace, built by the French during Hanoi’s colonial days. Uncle Ho declined to live there as he said it was too grand for a man of the people. Instead, a traditional stilted house was built for him on the grounds of the Palace.

This bronze bas relief celebrates the Trung Sisters’ heroic uprising against the Chinese. © Geri Bain

I had just read “Bronze Drum” by Phong Nguyen, a historical novel about the Trung Sisters who led a women’s uprising to overthrow the Han Chinese in 40 A.D., so I am excited when my daughter points out an exhibit devoted to them at the Vietnam National Museum of History. The sisters had used bronze drums to inspire and communicate with their warriors, and we admire an array of drums with intricate carvings.

The museum is divided into two buildings. The main building takes us from the first humans through the end of the Nguyen Dynasty in 1945 and is a great consolidation of the history we’ve been learning throughout our journey. The second building takes us from 1858 and the struggle against the French colonial government to the present.

As we admire the sculptures and artifacts of the many ethnic groups and cultures throughout Vietnam’s history, we get a sense of the depth and diversity of its people today. A constant theme is the nation’s long history of fighting to maintain and develop their own unique civilization and pushing back invaders.

The second building takes us from 1858 and the struggle against the French colonial government to the present. Photos, documents, artifacts and profiles of heroes tell the story of the struggle for independence and the rise of the Vietnamese Communist Party and then, the shift in 1985 to “Doi Moi,” the fast-growing, market-oriented economy that continues to this day.

The Vietnamese Women’s Museum offers unique exhibits like this one celebrating the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms. © Geri Bain

At the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, among the fascinating customs, we learn that in some Vietnamese ethnic groups, men must move into their bride’s home for several years after marriage. In others, there is a trial sleepover when the prospective groom stays in a guest room at the bride’s home. And in at least one matriarchal group, women choose their groom, he moves to her home, and the children take her last name.

Detailed exhibits cover women’s roles in family life, heroic women in history, and both ethnic and high women’s fashion. It’s among the best small museum’s we’ve seen; it’s well organized, well-labeled with short videos, and there’s an excellent audio tour.

Its mix of architectural styles, parks and shopping make Hanoi a great walking city. One minute, we are on a wide tree-shaded boulevard lined by elegant turn-of-the-century French buildings, the next we are in a twisting medieval alley in the Old Quarter, where many streets still have the names of ancient trades. Some, like Hang Gai (Silk Street), still reflect their current shops. The huge, buzzing Dong Xuan Market sells everything imaginable, but the goods seem oriented to locals and don’t match what we saw in Ho Chi Minh City for style or price.

We head to the elegant shopping streets and dip into some luxury brand shops expecting bargains, but prices seem higher than back home. We decide the best values are found in the artisan shops. We are especially drawn to the wonderful hand-made lacquerware at Hanoia, a small boutique near our hotel, and Tired City, which sells prints, bags and t-shirts featuring the art of over 200 local artists who receive 10% of every sale.

A 1902 train route that cuts through a narrow lane in the Old Quarter is still in use and now a tourist attraction. © Geri Bain

We take a coffee break at quirky “Train Street”, timing our visit for a train passage. This narrow ancient street is lined by small eateries with barely enough space for the train to zip through and it is fun to watch as we sip our new favorite drinks—hot or cold Vietnamese coffee made with condensed milk.

Our anchor as we explore Hanoi is Hoan Kiem Lake, just a few blocks from our hotel. Every evening, we join locals for a stroll around the lake. One night, we cross the pretty red Rising Sun (Huc) Bridge, where young couples pose for photos with the city lights as a backdrop. The bridge leads to the Ngoc Son Temple (Temple of the Jade Mountain), which sits in the middle of the lake. We are surprised to find a gatekeeper on duty at night. We pay the small admission fee and enjoy tranquil views of the city reflected in the lake. Inside, carvings depict Vietnamese history, folklore and Confucian literature.

Sitting in the middle of the lake, Ngoc Son Temple is especially lovely at night. © Geri Bain

From its start, this temple has honored both warriors and scholars, and stands as a symbol of Vietnamese resilience and pride. Built in the 19th century, the temple is dedicated to Van Xuong De Quan, a deity in charge of examination and education, and to the 13th century hero Tran Hung Dao (1231 – 1300), who led the Vietnamese army to repel two Mongol invasions.

A sign near a giant embalmed turtle and shrine explains how the lake got its name. According to legend, a god in the form of a turtle gave a magic sword to Le Loi, a l5th century leader of the Vietnamese rebellion against the Ming Chinese occupation. The sword empowered him to outsmart and defeat the Chinese. After his success, he returned to the lake and the turtle god reclaimed its sword. The lake became known as Hoan Kiem, “Lake of the Returned Sword”.  The legend is also commemorated in a picturesque monument, Turtle Tower, which sits on its own islet in the lake, one of the iconic symbols of Vietnam’s capital.

We leave Hanoi wishing we could stay longer. Another deep-tissue spa treatment. More time to relax in one of the ubiquitous cafes. More time to take in the vibes of this vibrant capital and to explore the history and legends of this fascinating and welcoming country.

Travel Tips

Many museums and sites close for lunch so check hours in advance. Also check for special shows and exhibitions; the Mother Goddess exhibition had specific but limited show times that we learned about too late.

Check with your doctor or a travel medicine specialist for recommendations on vaccinations and other health precautions, and the U.S. Department of State, CIA.gov and the CIA World Factbook for helpful country information.

Get the required visa at Vietnam’s website (evisa.gov.vn), where the fee is $25 (if you use a visa service it costs something like $197), and at Cambodia’s website (evisa.gov.kh), where the fee is $30, but give yourself enough time to get the confirmation. When filling out visa applications, flight and hotel reservations, note that dates in Vietnam and Cambodia are written day/month/year. I almost booked my flight for the wrong date. (April 1, 2025 should be written 01/04/2025).

See also:

AMAWATERWAYS’ MEKONG LUXURY CRUISE THROUGH VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA: HO CHI MINH CITY AND THE MEKONG

AMAWATERWAYS’ VIETNAM-CAMBODIA MEKONG CRUISE: THE CAMBODIAN MEKONG AND SIEM REAP

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Cruising, Cultural travel, International Travel

AmaWaterways’Vietnam-Cambodia Mekong Cruise: The Cambodian Mekong and Siem Reap

AmaWaterways’ Mekong River cruise takes us deep into the cultures of southern Vietnam and Cambodia (Photo: Courtesy of AmaWaterways)

by Geri Bain for Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

My 30-year-old-daughter and I are on a week-long AmaWaterways Mekong River cruise. Our journey starts with two pre-cruise days based at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza exploring Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam before setting out on AmaWaterways’ five-star, 64-cabin AmaDara. We have completed the Vietnam portion of our cruise, featured in Part 1, and have crossed the border into Cambodia. Here, in Part 2 of our three-part series, we share highlights from our cruise through Cambodia and our stay in Siem Reap.

On day three of our AmaWaterways Mekong River cruise, we wake up to find our ship docked in Phnom Penh, where we will spend the next two nights. During our time in Vietnam, we anchored mid-river and tendered ashore; we are excited that for the next two nights we are docked right in town near a lively riverside park and can walk or take a tuk tuk (motorized rickshaw-style taxi) to the market, temples and other sites when we are not touring. 

The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh is still used for religious and royal ceremonies ©Geri Bain

The Royal Palace complex, our first destination in Cambodia, takes our breath away with its gilded storybook Khmer architecture. Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy and this complex is the official royal residence as well as a key religious and educational center. Finn, our guide, explains the religious icons and the meaning woven into the architecture. For example, Nagas, which often take the form of multi-headed semi-divine snakes, are used to form balustrades and climb the steep, slanted roofs of buildings, symbolically connecting earth and the heavens. We learn more at our next stop, the National Museum, where Finn shares important Hindu and Buddhist stories behind the sculptures and bas reliefs on display.

At the Genocide Museum, we meet one of only seven men known to have survived the Sleng S21Detention Center torture camp © GeriBain

In the afternoon, we tour Sleng S21 Detention Center, now a Genocide Museum, where AmaWaterways has arranged for us to meet with one of only seven men known to have survived this torture camp. He has written a book about the horrors he’s seen. Our next stop, as it was for many S21 prisoners, is the infamous Choeung Ek Killing Fields, an extermination camp where the inhumanity is even more startling. Here, mass graves labeled with the number of men, women and children they contain and the skull-filled memorial tower are among the shocking things we witness there.

This Memorial Stupa displays more than 8,000 skulls and the blunt weapons that took their lives at the Choeung Ek Killing Fields © GeriBain

Most of us were aware of the Khmer Rouge genocide, but the scale and cruelty are unfathomable. It’s believed that at least 1.5 million Cambodians—about a fourth of the population—were murdered from 1975 to 1979 and many more died under the harsh conditions of forced labor camps. It is amazing to realize that most Cambodians alive today either lived through the genocide themselves or have relatives who survived (or perished) during that terror-filled period.

Khmer dancers come aboard our ship to perform and explain folkloric stories of love and deities told in stylized movements. ©GeriBain

Our moods lift that evening at a pre-dinner performance by a local Khmer dance troupe, whose stylized hand gestures and movements tell classical and folkloric stories.

At the Oudong monastery, we chat with two monks who answer questions about their rigorous routine and why they chose to be monks © GeriBain

The positive spirit carries into our next day at the Oudong monastery. As we enter its impressive prayer hall, awash in brilliant religious paintings, a giant Buddha statue seems to look down benevolently at us. We seat ourselves on the temple floor. Buddhist monks walk in and sit cross-legged facing our group. Before bestowing a blessing on us, one of the monks, in perfect English, answers our questions and tells us about their lives and the importance of blessings in Cambodian life, where more than 93 percent of the population is Buddhist. During the 15-minute blessing ceremony, their chanting resounds hypnotically through the grand temple, drawing to a close with a gentle scattering of lotus flowers.

Silk worm cocoons are carefully reeled into thread © GeriBain

Over the next few days, we get a sense of rural and religious life on visits to a number of temples and small villages. Highlights include an ox-cart ride to a small temple, a visit to a school where we pair off with students to practice their English and a stop at “Silk Island” where we are shown the painstaking process of weaving silk fabric, from mulberry trees and silk worms to cocoons. We watch cocoons being “reeled” into thread that is dyed, set into hand looms and woven into iridescent scarfs, ties, and other products.

Angkor Ban is a rustic, remote village where traditional wooden homes are raised on stilts © GeriBain

One of my favorite excursions is to Angkor Ban, a small agricultural village where people live in wooden homes raised on stilts, and we are guests of a friendly local couple who show us around their home and talk about their children and grandchildren. Leading us along its dirt roads, Finn points out the offerings families place at the small gilded ancestor shrines set on posts in their front yards, the oxen, tethered or fenced near many of the homes, and the daytime activities, many of which take place in the shady under stories of the stilted houses. 

Our last stop is Kampong Cham. We dock next to a riverside park where we see locals picnicking, exercising to music in small groups, and socializing. We are sad that our cruise is coming to an end. One of the things we love about AmaWaterways is that we tour in small “families” and our guides—one for each country—travel on board with us. The continuity helps fosters a deeper understanding of the culture as our guides build on their narratives. It also creates a familial feeling with them and our fellow travelers. Many of us exchange addresses. Marveling at how much we have seen and done, it’s hard to believe we have only been cruising for a week. We leave the AmaDara with a sense of life in the Mekong region that we could never have fathomed on our own.

Following the Cambodian Royal Guard tradition, the doormen at the Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor wear silk pantaloons—a different color for each day of the week. ©GeriBain

AmaWaterways transports us by bus to Siem Reap, where we check into the Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor, a cultural icon that blends French Art Deco architecture with Khmer (Cambodian) art and design. It also showcases ancient Khmer art as well as contemporary Khmer art curated by gallery owner Nat Di Maggio, who offers guided art tours for hotel guests. Other hotel activities include daily monk blessings, morning yoga, and botanical, history, garden and other tours. (www.raffles.com/siem-reap)

Statues of ancient warriors and other heroes © GeriBain

Across the street is one of the royal residences of the King Norodom Sihamonia. We stroll through the public Royal Gardens and stop to listen to the prayers at a popular shrine where people come with candles, incense sticks, lotus flowers and other offerings. We return to the hotel in time for afternoon tea—or in my case, the condensed-milk sweetened Cambodian coffee I have come to love—and then head around the corner to the Angkor National Museum which presents a cultural history of the Khmer civilization that proudly conveys how far-reaching and advanced the Khmer Empire once was.

That evening we indulge in a memorable tasting menu of Cambodian specialties, including corn cake with coconut sauce and snow fish with sweet and sour sauce, at the hotel’s gourmet restaurant,1932. The restaurant takes its name from the year the Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor opened to satisfy the burgeoning interest in Angkor Wat, just a few miles away. After dinner, we walk to the lively nightlife area, a chic modern area of bars, restaurants and sidewalk cafe-style eateries.

Angkor Wat’s 12th century temple, featured on Cambodia’s flag, look especially magical at sunrise. ©GeriBain

We set our alarm for 4 a.m. so we can watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat, a long-standing tradition. Seeing the reddish hues sweeping over the temples and reflected in the huge surrounding moat is well worth early wake-up and we enjoy the generous backpack breakfast Raffles sends with us. We’ve arranged for a private tour, which allows us to go at our own pace and tour several nearby temples, including Banteay Srei. We’re amazed at how well preserved it is – its exquisitely detailed 10th century carvings seem untouched by time.

We visit at the atmospheric Ta Prohm site, where trees have intertwined with the temple, during the filming of a movie. @GeriBain

The 800-year-old Ta Prohm Temple, a.k.a “Tomb Raider Temple” feels especially wonderful—not because the site starred in the the 2001 film starring Angelina Jolie—but because climbing around it gives me the feeling that we are explorers discovering something for the first time. Here, tree roots are spreading over and digging into the stone buildings, and I can imagine how archaeologists felt when they first began discovering the many temples in this region.

After sniffing me with its trunk, an elephant pauses to pose with me on a walk through the Kelen Elephant Forest.

Before leaving Cambodia, we spend a morning at the Kulen Elephant Forest, where elephants that once worked under cruel conditions at Angkor Wat are protected and lovingly cared for. We notice torn ears and other evidence of their hard past; now they seem happy to be among people. Their handlers show us how to make treats that they eat from our hands and then we stroll with these gentle giants through the forest, watching them interact with each other. We stop at along the way and allow them to sniff us with their trunks as we pet their rough, thick skin and feed them a treat. These elephants, that have been through truly horrific times, seem to harbor no grudges and to be striding resiliently into the future, much like the people of the region. My short voyage through Vietnam and Cambodia has not been a sightseeing trip; it has been a timeless journey into resilient cultures that will live within me forever.

Next, we fly back to Vietnam and spend three days exploring Hanoi, which you can read about in our next installment.

The basics:

In 2025, AmaWaterways offers one-week Mekong River trips, except during May, June, and July, traveling between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Siem Reap, Cambodia. Prices start at around $2,320 and include transfers between the ship and Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap and all sightseeing, wi-fi, meals, and on-board programs. Airfare (discounted fares are available), visa fees, bar drinks (alcoholic beverages with meals are included), port charges (about $210 per person) and suggested tips ($80 per person for the crew) and $20-$25 for the cruise manager are extra. AmaWaterways also offers a choice of all-inclusive pre- and post-cruise options. The most comprehensive is eight nights, including Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap/Angkor Wat, Hanoi, and Ha Long Bay, priced at $2,779 per person. (AmaWaterways.com)

Credit cards are accepted most places, but not everywhere. In Cambodia, where the U.S. dollar is an official currency, you’ll find it helpful to have small bills on hand. 

Be sure to check with your doctor or a travel medicine specialist for recommendations on vaccinations and other health precautions, and the U.S. Department of State, CIA.gov and the CIA World Factbook for helpful country information.

Note when filling out visa applications, flight and hotel reservations that dates in Vietnam and Cambodia are written day/month/year. I almost booked my flight for the wrong date. (April 1, 2025 would be written 01/04/2025).

Next: Museum Hopping and Shopping in Hanoi

See also:

AMAWATERWAYS’ MEKONG LUXURY CRUISE THROUGH VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA: HO CHI MINH CITY AND THE MEKONG

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Cruising, Cultural travel, International Travel

AmaWaterways’ Mekong Luxury Cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia: Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong

We explore the watery Tra Su Cajuput Forest by boat and on foot. ©GeriBain

by Geri Bain for Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Silently, our rowboat glides through waters thick with lotus flowers, water lilies, and vegetation and along narrow passageways lined by towering evergreen cajuput (melaleuca) trees whose outstretched branches host hundreds of nesting birds. Later, we hike to an observatory tower for panoramic views of the 2100-acre Tra Su Cajuput Forest and Bird Sanctuary, which shelters over 70 bird species.

We are in Vietnam, and this is one of many amazing tours my 30-year-old-daughter and I enjoy on a week-long AmaWaterways Mekong River cruise. We are traveling on the five-star AmaDara. Our cruise begins in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and ends in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  Here, in the first of a three-part story, we share highlights from our journey through southern Vietnam.

The Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel’s welcoming elephant statue has its trunk up to convey positive energy and good fortune.  ©GeriBain

Our trip begins with two pre-cruise nights at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. The hotel is within walking distance of almost everything we want to see, and its rooftop pool and Bremiere spa are great for unwinding after our 26-hour journey from New York City.

The Sofitel reflects the city’s blend of French Colonial and traditional and modern Vietnamese influences in its decor, service and dining. The lobby has a croissant/pastry cart as well as an area displaying and selling fine local lacquerware and other crafts. It has both French and Vietnamese restaurants, and an extensive breakfast buffet that features Pho (soup) made to order, a croissant and pastry station and extensive selections of foods from around the world.

ST25 by KOTO is a high-end restaurant with the lofty mission of educating and hiring disadvantaged youth.   ©GeriBain

Our favorite meal in Ho Chi Minh City is at ST25 by KOTO, our hotel’s tony Vietnamese restaurant. It is popular with locals and guests for its ambiance and its creative twist on traditional dishes like spiced Barramundi (fish) roasted in banana leaves with mắm tôm sauce (fermented shrimp paste). It takes its name from the acclaimed Vietnamese rice variety, ST25.

One of the wonderful things about this restaurant is that it trains, hires and supports at-risk and disadvantaged youth, and the training is in life-skills, not just hospitality. Everyone working there has come through the program, including our personable maitre d. The service is impeccable and every dish is an artfully presented unique treat, from the yellowtail kingfish in avocado puree and black sesame appetizer to the Barramundi, a delicious fish roasted in banana leaves with chili, turmeric, spring onion and a mắm tôm sauce (fermented shrimp paste).

A friend had advised us to pack lightly and bring an empty suitcase because Vietnam prices warranted buying a whole new wardrobe. The values are definitely there; two shopping experiences stand out.

Phuong Giang tailor shop has books of styles and bolts of fabric to choose from.  ©GeriBain

The first is Phuong Giang, a small shop that came highly recommended, where we page through style books, select a fabric and get measured; the dress is delivered to our hotel the next day for a follow-up fitting at the time we request. The cost is under $75.

Also memorable is Ben Thanh Market, a bustling, clean and orderly indoor market that sells everything from running track suits to suitcases at jaw-droppingly low prices. For example, Nike shirts and shorts are about $5. I buy a chic pleated maxi dress for $18 USD that is similar to ones I’d seen for more than $100 in the U.S.

The Museum of South Vietnamese Women has an extensive exhibit on the many varieties of traditional women’s clothing among the region’s many ethnic groups.  ©GeriBain

Happily, the museums in Ho Chi Minh City we visit have excellent English signage. We start out at Independence Palace, a.k.a. Reunification Palace, the opulent former seat of French Colonial and South Vietnamese governments, where we see the stately meeting rooms where diplomats and heads of state were greeted, held important meetings and were entertained, and the War Remnants Museum, where news clippings, photos, munitions and other artifacts reveal the ravages of the “American War.”

Since we’re especially interested in learning more about the cultural and historic roots of Vietnam, we visit two other excellent museums: the Museum of South Vietnamese Women, which focuses on women’s roles in farming, family and war during more than 1,000 years of foreign invasions, and the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, whose exhibits start with prehistoric times. We spend about two to three hours in each and they provide great context for the sights we will see during our cruise.

AmaWaterways’ Mekong River cruise takes us deep into the cultures of southern Vietnam and Cambodia (Photo courtesy of AmaWaterways)

On our third morning, we meet up with our AmaWaterways group in the hotel lobby and board buses for a lively, informative ride to our home for the next seven nights, the AmaDara. Built in Vietnam, the five-star, 62-cabin river cruise ship reflects the Mekong’s French Colonial and Asian aesthetic in its hardwood floors, wood furnishings, and colorful artwork depicting local life.

Exploring the ship, we find a small air-conditioned workout space, three spa treatment rooms, a plunge pool, large indoor and outdoor cocktail/coffee lounges and a large dining room. Before dinner, Huy, our energetic and knowledgeable cruise manager, provides the first of our daily talks about the destinations we’ll visit. We begin getting to know some of our crew members, who are almost all from the region.

We appreciate that the dining room always serves a choice of several regional foods like sweet and salty pork bowl and fish “amok”, cooked in a rich, spiced coconut milk sauce, as well as international dishes. And we love that menu items are plated and displayed with a list of ingredients as we enter the dining room—especially helpful for some less familiar dishes.

After a performance by local folk musicians, we are invited to try their exotic instruments. ©GeriBain

After dinner, a group of folk musicians comes aboard to perform. The music is unlike Western music and each musician demonstrates their instrument before performing.  Then, after the performance, we are invited to chat with the musicians and if we like, try out their instruments.

The next morning, I join a pre-breakfast stretch class on the sundeck with Hanna, the ship’s wellness coach. She offers a surprising number of daily yoga, qigong and other classes, and I can still hear her gentle reminders to breathe deeply and take in the healthy air of the Mekong.

Our next two days in Vietnam are packed with adventure and our days take on a rhythm of morning excursions, a refreshing midday break and lunch on board the ship in air-conditioned comfort, and then a second set of activities in the afternoon. We opt for the active excursions which have more walking or add a second site to the standard tour.

Cobras are bottled in wine, but our guide warns about possible adverse effects of their toxin. ©GeriBain

After breakfast, we head out in sampans (traditional small boats) to a candy and rice-paper workshop in Cai Be, where we watch and sample each step of the candy process, see rice paper being made by hand, and visit their small local crafts shop. We taste some local liquors, but on the advice of our guide, we skip the snake wine.

Active travelers continue on for a guided walk through Dong Hoa Hiep, an ancient village of fruit tree groves and ornate historic homes. The highlight is Mr. Kiet’s Ancient House, a faithfully restored upper-class 1838 home with intricately carved wooden archways and doors and a fine collection of antique furnishings, many with luminescent inlaid nacre. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site, the home is still occupied by the widow of Mr Kiet, who operates a small restaurant in the orchard garden.

Mr Kiet’s Ancient House Shrine©GeriBain

Phuc, our guide, points out the three impressive ancestor shrines in the entry room which include photos of deceased relatives, religious statues, candles, incense burners and offerings of fruit and other items. He tells us that most Vietnamese homes have ancestor shrines near their entrance or in a prominent location; the richer the family, the more elaborate the shrine. He explains that departed family members are thought to watch over their descendants and offerings at the altars allow the living to show their gratitude and remain connected. The three shrines here are quite grand.

The Divine Eye looking out from behind the altar at the Cao Dai Temple is a reminder to worshippers that God is all-seeing and omnipresent.  ©GeriBain

Our afternoon tour takes us to the wet market in Sa Dec, where we see live eels, snake fish, snails and duck embryos, still in the shell, which are a local delicacy. From there, we board sampans and boat over to the Cao Dai Temple, where brilliant paintings and sculptures illustrate the beliefs of this home-grown Vietnamese monotheistic religion. Combining elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Vietnamese folk religions and other practices, the Cao Dai religion is now the third largest religion in Vietnam.

On our last morning in Vietnam, we have two options: a trishaw tour of a village, stopping at silk and rattan workshops and a home visit, or an excursion to the Tra Su Cajuput Forest and Bird Sanctuary. Based on conversations with fellow passengers over dinner that evening, there was no wrong choice. We opt for nature, and are thrilled to have the chance to see this pristine eco-system.

This afternoon, we are required to remain on-board as the boat clears customs into Cambodia. AmaWaterways has collected our passports, arranges our visas and takes care of all the details. We take the opportunity to experience the region’s special deep-tissue massage spa treatments and join a cooking class. 

It’s only been three days since we set out on AmaWaterways’ AmaDara, but it feels like much longer because of all we’ve seen and done. Our guide, Phuc, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, must leave us at the border. He has been more than our guide; he has shared stories about his family and taught so much about Vietnamese culture and everyday life in the Mekong. We are sad to bid him farewell as we prepare to sail across the border to Cambodia. At the same time, we are excited for tomorrow, when we will wake up in Cambodia’s exotic capital, Phnom Penh.

The basics:

In 2025, AmaWaterways offers one-week Mekong River trips, except during May, June, and July, traveling between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Siem Reap, Cambodia. Prices start at around $2,320 and include transfers between the ship and Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap and all sightseeing, wi-fi, meals, and on-board programs. Extra charges include airfare (discounted fares are available), visa fees, bar drinks (alcoholic beverages with meals are included), port charges (about $210 p.p.) and suggested tips ($80 per passenger for the crew and $20-$25 for the cruise manager). AmaWaterways also offers a choice of all-inclusive pre- and post-cruise options. The most comprehensive is eight nights, including stays in Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap/Angkor Wat,, and Ha Long Bay, and all transportation, priced at $2,779 per person.

Flights from the U.S. can take well over 20 hours. As with all cruises, it’s important to arrive at least a day early in case of flight delays. Considering the time change and potential for jet lag, I’d suggest a minimum two-night pre-cruise cushion—more if you have time. 

Bargaining in markets is expected. Generally, when we tell a merchant we will think about it and start to walk away, the price drops. Then, we may ask if that is the best they can do, and the price sometimes drops again. If it’s a big purchase, it’s smart to stop at a few booths to get a sense of pricing and quality.

Be sure to check with your doctor or a travel medicine specialist for recommendations on vaccinations and other health precautions, and the U.S. Department of State, CIA.gov and the CIA World Factbook for helpful country information.

Note when filling out visa applications, flight and hotel reservations that dates in Vietnam and Cambodia are written day/month/year. I almost booked my flight for the wrong date. (April 1, 2025 would be written 01/04/2025).

Get the required visa at Vietnam’s website (evisa.gov.vn), where the fee is $25 (if you use a visa service it costs something like $197), and at Cambodia’s website (evisa.gov.kh), where the fee is $30, but give yourself enough time to get the confirmation.

Useful contacts:

AmaWaterways.com

Sofitel Saigon Plaza

Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor Siem Reap

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel

Next: AmaWaterways Cruises to Cambodia

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Benefits of travel', International Travel, Travel Industry, Travel Trends

Travel Trends 2025: Industry Responds to Growing Demand for Purposeful, Mindful, Experiential Travel

Discovery Bicycle Tours’ biking in Vietnam trip taps into an array of travel trends: the desire for purposeful, mindful, experiential travel that immerses you in local people’s lives, culture and environment, that maximizes the benefit and minimizes the damage of tourism and that focuses on emerging destinations which also afford value for dollar © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

A clear indication that the U.S. economy is (and has been) strong is how robust the demand and spending for travel has been and is anticipated to be for 2025. Americans are traveling in surging, even record numbers, looking further afield, being more purposeful, mindful in their quest for life-changing, life-enhancing experiences, giving truth to the adage: it is the journey, not the destination.

In fact, special events – like the Taylor Swift Eras concert tour, the Paris Olympics, Formula 1, even the Total Eclipse of the Sun – are driving travel purchases, with people building trips around the events.

“People are traveling for their passions, for experiences – lifestyle, activity, food, entertainment, adventure,” observed Mandy Gill, Marriott International’s Vice President Global Marketing, US & Canada, at the Travel Media Summit. She was among the travel professionals who cited Taylor Swift’s Eras tour as a major boost to business in 2024; indeed, the tour -149 shows across 51 cities and 21 countries – sold 10,168,008 tickets, totaling $2.1 billion (boosting the GDP of countries), making it the highest-grossing tour in history. 

Major events like the 2024 Total Eclipse of the Sun, enjoyed at Long Lake, New York, are inspiring millions of people to travel © goingplacesfarandnear.com

Some 12 million people traveled into the path of totality that crossed 15 states to experience the once-in-a-lifetime April 8, 2024 solar eclipse – making it the largest mass travel event in the United States in 2024.  The next total solar eclipse, on August 12, 2026, will be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and part of Portugal, https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/) and travel companies are ready – AdventureSmith, specializing in small ship adventure cruising, is offering seven solar eclipse cruises.

“Travelers increasingly are looking for alternative and authentic destinations, new destinations and adventure travel,” said Erik Evjen, Executive Vice President, Tourism Economics, at the 2025 Travel Media Summit. “Whereas in the past, people would go to a hotel, now they go for ‘what is important to me.’”

“What is important to me” is increasingly determined by “influencers” and social media, with FOMO overriding any skepticism that might arise if travelers appreciated that influencers they trust may well be paid to promote destinations (what used to be termed “advertorials”).

Influencers are the new power brokers in travel, playing a critical role in shaping consumer decisions, noted Rashaad Jorden at the Skift Megatrends event in New York. “Platforms like Expedia have already integrated influencer marketing into their booking process, allowing curated recommendations to be directly bookable. Kayak plans to employ a mass-market approach, enabling users to share their favorite destinations on social media and earn rewards if bookings are made through their recommendations.

“Influencers are the new power brokers in travel,” and one of the key Skift 2025 Megatrends © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Influencers are also playing a huge role in stimulating travel by specific interest groups, including Black, women. solo travelers, and travelers with disabilities who now have access to information about places and programs that serve their interest. This in turn, is prodding companies to accommodate these travelers. Even Googlemaps is now taking disability into account in providing directions, thanks to Googler Sasha Blair Goldenson, who became wheelchair bound after an accident , so you can now activate a toggle on Googlemaps app to access 55 million accessible locations.

The AI enhancements that are being incorporated into travel planning apps and making travel experiences accessible. “AI is enabling travel companies to tap into social media as a performance marketing channel,” Jordan said.

Accessibility to information will not only inspire travel, but help travelers better organize their itinerary, packing in more to see and do – a boon to destinations, attractions and lodging, and a key tool to mitigate against the destructive impacts of overtourism and enable travelers to find the life-changing, life-enhancing experiences they crave, fulfilling the increasing demand for experiential travel, educational travel and multi-generational and “skip-gen” travel.

Travel companies are responding to the interest in “experiential travel” that affords opportunities to become immersed in culture, connected with local people and actively engaged in the environment. Companies like Earthwatch (earthwatch.org), Audley Travel (audleytravel.com), Exodus Adventure Tours (exodustravels.com), and Village Experience (experiencethevillage.com) build their programs around experiential travel, while others are incorporating immersive experiences –  biking (Discovery Bicycle Tours, VBT Biking, Backroads), hiking (Wildland Trekking, Backroads, REI, G Adventures), walking (Country Walkers, Classic Journeys), camping, adventure, ecotourism (Wild Frontiers), and indigenous tourism (Discover Aboriginal Experiences, discoveraboriginalexperiences.com) – fundamentally provide these experiences. 

“Detour destinations” like Colmar, which are within three hours from such overly popular places as Paris are being discovered © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Travelers are also increasingly looking for sustainable, responsible travel – in hotels, tours, and destinations, and to avoid feeling guilty about contributing to the destructive impacts of overtourism (but beware of  “green-washing”).  Dubbed “mindful tourism,” these travelers look  to avoid the guilt of destroying the most highly prized “bucket list” destinations by looking more to spreading visits to what used to be called “the off season” (there almost isn’t an off-season anymore); relatively “new,” “unexplored,” and “off-the-beaten” track (though even these are becoming well visited) places; and “detour” destinations (places within three hours of the popular destination like visiting Paris but hopping on the train to visit Strasbourg, or staying in Strasbourg and traveling less than one hour by train to Colmar). The added benefit is traveling when places are less crowded and cheaper (better value), especially as price is being used to mitigate over-crowding. Another benefit is the enjoyment of being in the vanguard with photos and social media posts.

“With overtourism putting pressure on major cities, travelers are increasingly turning to lesser-known, less traveled destinations for more authentic and mindful experiences,” said Maryanne Sparkes of European Waterways, in fact helped by the availability of technology that assists with translation, directions, money exchange and facilitates interactions while relieving the anxiety of  traveling where English is not common.

Biking in Albania. Travelers are increasingly seeking out new destinations, while easy access to information with tech advancements like AI ease the way to plan trips, and more comfortable to travel to emerging destinations © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“Places like Albania, Greenland, and Uzbekistan are really having a moment. People are drawn to their raw beauty, unique cultures, and opportunities for immersive, local-focused tourism—whether it’s farm-to-table dining, craft workshops, or guided tours by locals.” Sparkes highlighted the growing trend of seasonal flexibility as well. “Travelers are also exploring destinations in the off-season, which not only avoids the crowds but often comes with lower costs and a deeper connection to the place.”

Destinations like Galapagos that can be destroyed by overtourism are restricting travel by controlling the allocation of pemits © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Despite the desire to generate tourism revenue, governments, destinations and travel suppliers are also utilizing regulations and implementing policies promoting sustainable, responsible tourism out of realization that overtourism will literally kill their golden goose. Places like Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, many national parks, and experiences like swimming with whales in Australia, are limiting permits, requiring advance, capacity-controlled reservations, and increasing fees, while the limited spaces means higher rates for accommodation, which is itself a form of regulating access. (Here’s an idea: have an allotment of tickets at affordable prices that may be obtained by lottery so these places are not just for the elite.)

“Infinite growth is not possible,” Penny Rafferty, Executive Chair, Luxury Lodges of Australia, told the Travel Media Summit, “Our lives, our economies, our businesses need to be sustainable to survive.”

“We have to protect what we love… We have to think ahead in terms of sustainability, environmentally friendly way to operate ships, and future of cruising,” Lasse A. Vangstein, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer, Havila Voyages said. “We borrow nature. If future generations want to experience, we need to make a conscious choice how to showcase and spread tourism.” 

“Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword—it’s become essential in travel. We’re seeing airlines investing in sustainable fuels and working to offset their carbon emissions, which is such an important step. Hotels are also stepping up, with more achieving certifications like LEED and Green Globe, and even entire ‘green resorts’ running on renewable energy while promoting eco-friendly practices,” Sparkes noted.

Concern for the health and wellness in a destination coincides with continued surging interest in health and wellness tourism, as well as indigenous tourism experiences which blend together wellness and sustainability, nature and culture.

“People have increased understanding that wellbeing is linked to wellbeing of planet- why we seek connection to nature and place,” Rafferty noted.

European Waterways’ hotel barge, Panache, moored for the night in the charming village of Waltenheim-sur-Zorn in the Alsace-Lorraine – an example of the growing popularity of “slow travel” (the barge only goes about three miles per hour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Slow travel is another trend that meshes with the desire for mindful, experiential, responsible, and sustainable travel:  biking, hiking and walking vacations, river and canal cruises on barge hotels and train travel – that provide connections to local people and places and provide a kind of serenity and peace.

“Slow travel is really taking off, with more people choosing longer stays in fewer places to not only reduce their environmental impact but also to truly connect with the local culture. It’s about making travel more meaningful for everyone involved,” Sparkes observed.

The travel industry’s embrace of AI will significantly aid travelers in their quest to find lesser traveled destinations as well as the experiences they crave and the value they want. At the same time, AI gives travel entities like indigenous tourism companies, small, special interest and niche operators and those lesser-known destinations access to customers and markets as never before – a win-win for mitigating the negative impacts of tourism while maximizing the positive economic and social benefits that sustain communities, heritage and sites.

“Technology is breaking down cultural barriers,” Sparkes stated .  “Real-time AI translation tools are a huge leap forward. They make it so much easier to connect with locals, whether you’re ordering a meal, asking for directions, or just having a chat. It adds a whole new layer of richness to the travel experience.”

She added, “Technology is transforming every part of the travel experience, making it smoother, smarter, and  more connected . Biometric check-ins and digital wallets are taking the hassle out of airports, letting travelers focus on the journey rather than the logistics. Even luggage is getting an upgrade—GPS tracking, self-weighing features, and built-in charging ports are becoming the norm, which is a game-changer for peace of mind and convenience.”

The concern for getting the most bang for the buck is sparking interest in all-inclusives – resorts, cruises, farm and ranch vacations, ski holidays and wellness trips. “There is a huge surge in the use of the all-inclusive filter on the hotels.com app,” noted Melanie Fish, Vice President of Global PR, Expedia Group Brands.

Booking apps like Expedia are also helping travelers save money such as flight price tracker: Expedia just launched a “flight deals departing near you” feature.

Sailing passed the Konigstein Fortress on CroisiEurope’s Elbe Princess, cruising from Prague to Berlin. Cruising is considered the ultimate “all inclusive” vacation. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Cruising, considered the ultimate “all-inclusive”, is also seeing huge demand and at every level, from the floating resort cities with over 3,000 passengers that are so popular with multi-generational cruisers (NCL, Royal Caribbean, Disney), cruises focused on the destination (Holland America); small-ship and expeditionary cruises (Hurtigruten, Quark Expeditions, Lindblad, Sea Cloud Cruises, AdventureSmith Explorations), river cruising (AmaWaterways, Viking, CroisiEurope, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Amadeus River Cruises, Delfin Amazon Cruises), barge hotels (EuropeanWaterways), historic windjammers (Maine Windjammer Association) and even self-skippered canal boats (LeBoat.com, EricCanalAdventures.com) and yachts (Dream Yacht).

The travel industry is responding to another key trend: the surge in solo travel. Cruise companies are even offering single cabins or other options for solo cruisers (Norwegian Cruiselines, Holland America, Virgin Voyages, Oceania Cruises, Riviera Travel, Tauck, Cunard Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises and small-ship Scenic and Emerald Cruises). Tour operators, like G Adventures (gaadventures.com), Wild Frontiers Travel (www.wildfrontierstravel.com), Road Scholar (roadscholar.org), Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com), EF Go Ahead Tours (goaheadtours.com), Exodus Adventure Travels (exodustravels.com) and Western River Expeditions (westernriver.com) are offering some “solo traveler” departures, waiving the single supplement or offering to match single travelers with a companion. Indeed, solo travelers have discovered the benefits of joining small-group tours so they can travel on their own, but not alone.

The rise in “solo travel” coincides with growing availability of women-only travel programs. A rise in female-focused experiences, trips, and hotel packages, empower women to explore the world, whether solo or in small groups. For example: a transformative Women-only Icelandic Adventure with Naya Traveler, while last year, Butterfield & Robinson launched a “Women-Only” collection of biking, hiking and adventure tours (butterfield.com).

Wild camping in Arch Rock Campground, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada in a Moterra luxury campervan © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The industry is also addressing the surge in popularity of outdoor expeditions – especially travelers who want to be out in the wild but not give up their creature comforts. Marriott International, for example, in December acquired Postcard Cabins, a brand of tiny cabins in the woods “to bring the passion of outdoor travel more seamlessly to the consumer.” There has also been a rise in companies offering fully outfitted camper vans, like Moterra Campervans (gomoterra.com) and Roadsurfer (roadsurfer.com), and glamping (luxury camping) with apps like Glamping Hub (glampinghub.com), Glamping.com and hipcamp.com, as well as campgrounds of America (koa.com) and even Airbnb – a trend that took off during the COVID pandemic and has continued.

Cool-cations also are in hot demand, as people seek out destinations to avoid the worst impacts of global warming – golfing in Scotland instead of Phoenix or Miami.

The travel industry was projecting record demand in 2025 (by February, Carnival Corporation said its eight brands, including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line, were 75% booked for 2025), but that was before the Trump administration took a chainsaw to the economy, with mass firings and layoffs of federal workers, imposing tariffs that will cost millions of private-sector jobs and reignite inflation and damage regional economies, while injecting insecurity and anxiety into society that already caused consumer confidence to plummet to the lowest levels in years. 

Travelers are resilient and will respond to tightened household budgets by staying closer to home, like a camping trip to Watkins Glen State Park in New York State © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

When people are feeling financially insecure and are concerned about future economic prospects, they pull back on spending, and travel spending tracks most closely with consumer confidence. But travelers are resilient and because there are infinite options, opportunities and choices to accommodate any budget, when the economy falls, find ways to scale back spending but still travel. They may substitute long-haul trips by air for shorter roadtrips by car; trade resort stays for Airbnb, a camping holiday or even venture into home exchange (homeexchange.com); and look for value destinations where the dollar goes further.

“Value destinations are among the fastest growing,” said Erik Evjen, Executive Vice President, Tourism Economics, at the 2025 Travel Media Summit.

Kayaking at Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick, Canada, to experience the most dramatic tide changes on the planet. American travelers are likely to take advantage of the strong dollar to visit Canada while Canadians may well cut back on visits to the USA © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Indeed, the geopolitical climate, may well spur Americans to travel abroad even as international travelers shun the USA.  The strength of the dollar (and the US economy relative to other countries) helped propel 98.5 million Americans to travel abroad, spending $215 billion, a 34% increase in American travelers’ spending abroad in 2024. The window of opportunity will remain open in 2025 – especially to places like Japan, Canada, Vietnam, and Greece where the dollar goes far, and especially among older adults who have the most time and discretionary money to spend.

For much the same reason, it is likely the US travel industry will also have to respond to a drop in international arrivals, suppressed by the strong dollar, the likely economic strains due to Trump’s tariff war, growing anti-Americanism because of Trump’s foreign policy, as well as ongoing concern (and travel advisories) about America’s gun violence epidemic.

There may well be a significant reversal from 2024, when 77.7 million international tourists visited the US in 2024, a 16.8% increase from 2023, when 66.5 million foreign visitors came, contributing $155 billion to the economy, TravelPerk reported.

Indeed, travel and tourism is a vital industry for the United States, contributing $2.36 trillion to the nation’s economy in 2024, and supporting 18 million jobs across the country.

International tourism has been a boon to such places as Siem Reap, Cambodia, which has a new international airport, new hotels, and has the funds to restore and maintain centuries old sites like Phnom Bakheng © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Travel and tourism has also been a major stimulant to economic development, and yes, world peace around the globe, as travelers become ambassadors for their nations and bring back to their communities newfound familiarity of the people they visit – you can see it in Siem Reap in Cambodia, Hoi An in Vietnam, Cuzco, Peru. 1.4 billion tourists traveled globally in 2024 (140 million more than 2023), spending $1.4 trillion worldwide, according to the World Tourism Barometer from UN World Tourism Organization.

Growth in international tourism was expected to continue at a strong pace in 2025, but that was before Trump’s threats to undermine the global economy by igniting a trade war, threatening to take over Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada, bullying allies like Ukraine and cozying up to the world’s tyrants and generally and raising the specter of World War III. International travel may still be robust, but travelers from major markets, like China, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe may detour from the USA.

There are already reports that Canadians – the biggest international market for the USA, who made 20.4 million visits to the United States last year and were responsible for $20.5 billion in spending, according to the US Travel Association – plan to pull back on travel to the United States.. Indeed, international travel is an export that contributes to the US trade balance and economy. Even a 10 percent drop in Canadian visitation would cost the US economy $2.1 billion.

“Economic and geopolitical headwinds continue to pose significant risks…. Against this backdrop, tourists are expected to continue to seek value for money,” the UN World Tourism Organization projected.

Indeed, the travel industry, adept at yield management, is also resilient and can be expected to respond to any drop in bookings with incentives, discounts and deals.

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

International Travel, Resorts & Hotels, Skiing/Riding/Snow Destinations

Best of the Alps Destinations, Where Skiing Began, Showcase Heritage, Authenticity

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Best of the Alps, a tourism promotion consortium founded more than 40 years ago, recently came to town to remind American travel writers that this is where skiing began over 100 years ago and that these iconic destinations are still for the most part villages and towns where people live year-round, where tourists come year-round, and where you can be immersed in heritage and traditions as you experience all that the mountains have to offer.

Best of the Alps is a consortium of 10 resorts, with a centuries long heritage of tourism.

“There is more to skiing than a purpose-built resort,” said, Sammy Salm, CEO of the Best of Alps. “These villages have existed for 100 years, some for more than 300 years, attracting summer travelers. Then, 155 years ago, some hotels decided to stay open in winter.” They built the first motor-driven ski lift, hosted the first Winter Olympics.

These are the most authentic places, he noted. Most of the businesses have been in the same family for generations. There are cultural and sports events throughout the year – some 1,000 in 10 destinations – covering all manner of interests. You enjoy cuisine that reflects the locality – “farm to table” before the expression was a thing.

There are iconic hotels – some five star, some with a century of history but with the modern amenities and technology to suit today’s skiers, even Americans. And while the Alps are regarded as upscale, there are accommodations to meet every budget and style of travel – you can find hostels; cool, trendy boutiques; hotels ideal for families, multi-generational families and women traveling solo. “There is something for every level, age, interest, summer and winter.”

Best of the Alps Span Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy: Chamonix Mont-Blanc, St. Anton Am Arlberg, Crans-Montana, Kitzbuhel, Megeve, Garmisch-Partenkirghen, Lech Zurs am Arlberg, Cortina D’Ampezzo, Courmayeur, and Davos – each manifesting its own charm and authentic style, a strong sense of place, identity. Together, they form the “cradle of skiing.”

“If you like skiing, you will want to go to the Alps at least once,” reflects Cortina’s Maria Alessandra Montuori.

Cortina D’Ampezzo, the “Queen of the Dolomites” in a national park within a UNESCO World Heritage Area, epitomizes charm, glamour and elegance (photo: Cortina Marketing)

Cortina D’Ampezzo, the “Queen of the Dolomites” in a national park within a UNESCO World Heritage Area, epitomizes charm, glamour and elegance. Today, it is in northern Italy, but for 400 years (until 1900), Cortina was part of Austro-Hungarian Empire, so manifests an Austrian ambiance. There is evidence of ancient Roman settlements, traces of the Barbarians. During its strategic geographic location on one of the crossings through the Alps, Cortina was part of the Republic of Venice and even today is on the Venice Simplon train route from Paris to Venice. The railway arrived in the mid-1800s bringing the first wealthy Anglo-Saxon, German and Russian travelers. Newspa­per articles and guidebooks written by pioneering mountaineers soon made Cortina d’Ampezzo known all over the world.  Beginning in 1896, Cortina’s “purity of air” made it one of the first tuberculosis retreats. Visitors started playing golf in summer (there are two courses), then skiing. Today, the town of 6,000 inhabitants offers 20,000 guest beds, 85 restaurants and 200 shops.

Set on a plateau 4500 ft. high, Cortina d’Ampezzo, with 6,000 inhabitants, offers skiers breathtaking scenery from an altitude of 1224 to 3248 meters. The resort’s three ski areas are connected by a free bus and offer 120 km of slopes (the longest trail is 10 km),accessed by 35 lifts with snow making. Winter activities also ski mountaineering, sledding in the moonlight after a dinner in a mountain hut, 70 km of Nordic skiing and 100 km of snowshoeing and 50 km of winter hiking. In summer, Cortina offers 400 km of hiking trails, biking on hundreds of kilometres of marked trails amid magnificent Dolomite scenery, mountain climbing, an indoor climbing center, indoor and outdoor tennis; golf, summer ice skating; horse riding, canyoning, and activities families can enjoy together – water park, skate park, zipline.

“’New’ isn’t a new lift, it’s a new way to enjoy mountain,” Montuori tells me. “People can exercise the way they like.”

Seventy years since it was the first Italian venue for the Olympics, in1956, Cortina will host the 2026 Winter Olympics (with Milan), spurring new development and improvements.

The most convenient airports are Venice (there is bus service from Venice Airport), Treviso, and Innsbruck; the train station is Toblach. (cortina.dolomiti.org)

“Discover your true nature” is the motto of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a multifaceted mountain region at the base of the 2,962 meter high Zugspitze mountain. It features winter sports with 207 km of ski runs (longest is 6.8 km) from a base at 708 meters to 2,962 meters, state-of-the art lifts, snowmaking on four long runs into the valley, backcountry skiing; the legendary ski stadium and ski jump and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn invites ski alpinists to a “Ski Tour Evening.” Also: 28 km of cross-country ski tracks, the famous biathlon and cross-country ski center in Kaltenbrunn (snow-making and flood lights for night-skiing); Visitors’ Biathlon in Kaltenbrunn on Wednesdays); ice skating and curling at the Olympic Ice Sports Center on one of the many natural lakes. The racy 1.6 km run down from the cozy lodge, St.-Martins-Hütte am Grasberg, is an insider tip for bold sledders. Garmisch-Partenkirchen also offers 110 km of groomed winter hiking trails. Special experiences: a torch hike through the Partnachklamm gorge featuring amazing ice and snow formations; a romantic ride in a horse sleigh; guided winter hikes from the Gesundheits-Eck meeting point (book January-March).

In warmer seasons, hiking in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen region offers varied landscapes and breathtaking views of hiking along 300 km (124 miles) of paths (the GaPa tour planner, www.gapa.de/tourenplaner, has detailed route and trail descriptions); you can plan multi-day tour with overnight stays in rustic mountain lodges, or guided hikes ranging from herbal excursions to therapeutic climatic healing hikes. Also rock climbing, mountain biking, kayaking and canoeing, paragliding, hang gliding, tennis, horseback riding, fishing, archery or a ride in a historic horse-drawn carriage, plus 23 golf courses within one hour’s drive.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with 10,000 guest beds, 172 restaurants and 450 shops, can be reached by German Rail, Deutsche Bahn (Saturdays ICE connection from Hamburg, Berlin and Dortmund-Ruhr Area-Cologne with no train changes). Nearest airports are Munich and Innsbruck. (www.gapa.de)

Kitzbühel and the holiday resorts of Reith, Aurach and Jochberg, Austria, known globally as a winter holiday destination with almost 130 years of skiing tradition, offers a mix of down-to-earthiness and cosmopolitan outlook, of rural charm and urban flair. Its accessibility, long winters, reliable snow conditions, multitude of sports activities and maximum comfort are the hallmarks of this town, also lovingly referred to as “Gamsstadt” (chamois town). It offers a total of 234 km of downhill runs (longest is 8.3 km), including the world-famous “Streif”. Families will delight in the free practice lifts in the valley. Kitzbühel also offers 70 km of cross-country skiing, winter hiking and snowshoeing, tobogganing, ice skating, curling and new trend sports. In summer Kitzbuhel offers 1,000 km hiking trails; four golf courses; 1,200 km road network for road bikes and 800 km for mountain bikers. It is reached by train from the Kitzbuhel station; the nearest airports are Salzburg, Innsbruck and Munich. (www.kitzbuehel.com)

Davos Klosters, one of 10 Best of the Alps destinations, received its first winter guests 150 years ago. Today, it offers 300 km of slopes among six ski areas (photo: Davos Klosters)

Davos, Europe’s highest city and the picturesque alpine village of Klosters are set amid stunning mountain scenery and the granddaddy of winter Alpine tourism. Davos Klosters received its first winter guests 150 years ago. Today, it offers 300 km of slopes among six ski areas: Madrisa and Rinerhorn are the family-friendly ski areas, Jakobshorn is the “fun mountain” for freestylers and après-ski connoisseurs. Parsenn is the classic ski area with wide pistes, Pischa is considered the off-piste paradise and Schatzalp is the “chill” ski area for pleasure skiers. Its 275 km of ski sloopes (longest is 12 km), rise from 1124 to 3146 meters. Among the activities: daily experiences with local guides, an extensive network (100 km) of cross-country tracks, hiking trails (170 km in winter, 700 km in summer), mountain biking routes (700 km) in all the tributary valleys, adventure and theme parks, a lively art and culture scene including the Kirchner Museum.

Davos Klosters, which offers childcare programs, has also been awarded the Family Destination quality seal, which distinguishes holiday resorts that specifically match offerings to children. Families can enjoy learn-to-ski programs, family-friendly ski traiing area; Madrisa – Switzerland’s first child-friendly six-seat chairlift up to Schaffurggli; a Nordic Park; and Schatzalp, a leisurely 2.8 km tobaggon-run that descends to Davos Platz, ice skating, hockey.

Summer activities include an aquatic center; wakeboarding; Sertig waterfall; river rafting; 18-hole and nine-hole golf courses; vintage Rhaetian Railway and cultural offerings. Families will particularly enjoy the Davos Adventure park; GWunderwald; Schatzalp summer tobaggon; kick bikes; Madrisa; Dwarf trail; Foxtrail Davos (solve puzzles to discover the mountains)

Take the train to Davos; the nearest airport is Zurich (www.davos.ch)

Lech Zurs am Arlberg is a cosmopolitan mountain village of just 1,500 inhabitants in a mountain region of five villages which form Austria’s largest ski destination (the fifth largest in the world) – affording 305 km of ski trails (it’s famous for its off-piste territory, which is best explored with a guide). Besides alpine skiing there is also snowshoeing, cross-country, tobaggoning, sledding, ice skating, curling, horsedrawn sleigh rides, art installations, Arlberg can be combined with visits to Vienna or Zurich (by train). Closest airports are Altenrheim, Innsbruck, Zurich, Friedrichshafen (www.lechzuers.com)

St. Anton am Arlberg is a Tyrolian mountain village, where you can enjoy uncrowded outdoors with all the amenities of an international holiday resort. Just 2400 inhabitants host 11,623 guest beds. The destination offers 305 km of ski slopes (longest is 9 km0, accessed by 88 lifts. There is also 40 km of cross-country skiing; 80 km of winter hiking (300 km of summer hiking). It is accessed by train to St. Anton am Arlberg; the nearest airports are Innsbruck, Friedriichshafen, Zurich, Memmingen and Munich (www.stantonamarlberg.com)

Chamonix-Mont Blanc valley is a land of legend full of history and sporting feats, a natural environment and a mecca for skiers, snowboarders and free riders. The astronomical 1000 km of slopes, which rise from1,035-4,809 meters, are served by 44 lifts including the Mont-Blanc tramway and the cable car of the Brévent. “The lift system in the Chamonix Valley enables anyone to reach a unique alpine environment of shaded forests, scintillating glaciers, alpine meadows and dramatic peaks.” The Aiguille du Midi cable gives unforgettable view of the Mont-Blanc range. The Montenvers and mer de glace is an exceptional sightseeing excursion on the nostalgic red cog railway to the “sea of ice “glacier. The resort of 20,000 guest beds, 120 restaurants and 400 shops, also offers 53 km of cross-country skiing.  In summer among the 46 activities include 350 km of hiking, mountaineering, paragliding, golfing. It is reached by train to Chamonix-Mont Black; nearest airport is Geneva. (www.chamonix.com)

Courmayeur, on the other side of Chamonix-Mount Blanc, at the foot of Mont Blanc, is described as “a pure, authentic, elegant, traditional, cosmopolitan, lively and regenerating mountain experience both in summer and in winter. The smallest of the “Best of the Alps” group, it is a “hidden gem.” These are the many facets of the soul of Courmayeur Mont Blanc, a unique location offering visitors a chance to reconnect with their inner self and engage in life at the right pace.” The 33 km of ski slopes go from an altitude of 1224 to a summit at 4810 meters. This is an intimate resort, with just 2798 inhabits and 6715 guest beds, 96 restaurants and 170 shops. The nearest airport is Geneva, nearest train is Pre-Saint Didier or Chamonix-MontBlanc. (www.courmayeurmontblanc.it)

Between Courmayeur and Chamonix is a glacier which can be skied with a guide (you need to be upper intermediate or expert – it is a long trail).

Megeve was a purpose-built ski resort by the Rothschilds (photo: Megeve-Saint Gervais)

Megeve is a small alpine village nested at the foot of Mont Blanc that dates from the 12th century. In the 1920s, a Rothschild who was insulted by the unwelcoming attitude in St. Moritz, decided to create a new resort in France. It is one of the first ski resorts in France, had the first cable car, France’s first ski champion, the first fondue restaurant, and it was here that the French song made famous by Frank Sinatra (“My Way”) was written. It boasts the highest altitude 18-hole golf course. Megeve set the standard as a “place to be” for the jet set. (The Rothschilds still own the resort). It’s still high-end, with 32 hotels of which 10 are five-star; three Michelin star chefs (one three-star chef is rated among the top 10 in the world). It offers 400 km of ski trails (longest is 3.6 km), accessed by 107 lifts, plus 40 km of cross-country, 50 km of winter hiking (150 km in summer). Visitor amenities include 43,000 guest beds,  82 restaurants, 200 shops and galleries, 17 well-being and spa centers, a balneoform and aquatic area, indoor/outdoor skating rink. You can arrange an overnight stay in an igloo. Megeve has its own airport, 15 minutes away, or Geneva Airport, one hour away; or by train to Sallanches. (www.megeve.com)   

Crans-Montana, set on a sunny plateau above the Rhone valley, offers views of the Plaine Morte glacier and summits from Breithorn to Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. It offers 140 km of skiing (longest trail is 12 km), accessed by 25 lifts, plus 25 km of cross-country; 65 km of hiking (320 km in summer) and 180 km of mountainbike trails. Convenient airports are Sion (30 minutes), Geneva, Zurich and Milan; the train station is Siders. (www.crans-montana.ch)

Ski passes like Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass and Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass have given Americans an incentive to explore these legendary international ski destinations, from Europe to Asia to South America.

Ikon Pass, Alterra Mountain Company’s pass program, provides access to 58 destinations including three of the Best of the Alps resorts: Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley in France, Cortina in Italy and Kitzbühel in Austria. (Passholders have access to Ikon Pass Travel, a ski specialist travel planning agency where passholders can have exclusive access to special pricing, promotions and deals.)

Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass includes Arlberg (Lech Zurs, St. Anton) in Austria and Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Those seeking to venture afar can also take advantage of Ski.com, a ski travel specialist that can help you put together all the elements of your trip.

More information at www.bestofthealps.com.

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Destinations, European travel, International Travel

Hyéres: The French Riviera Without the Glitz or the Crowds

Plage de la Madrague, at the end of our hike along the Sentit Litoral © Dave E. Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Laini Miranda & Dave E. Leiberman, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Is it possible to experience the blue waters, amazing seafood, and slow pace of a French Riviera vacation without the glitz and crowds? It is if you visit the port town of Hyères, jutting off the southern coast of the Cote d’Azur between Lavandou and Cassis. We went in late September when the crowds of the high season had vanished and the weather was still warm enough to lay on the beach and enjoy bathtub temperature waters. 

We arrived on a Tuesday and drove straight to the Vieille Ville (Old Town), leaving our car just beyond the pedestrian streets. Colorful pastel walls line the streets, with classic Provençal shops interspersed with boutiques,artist galleries, and medieval buildings, including a 12th century Knights Templar Tower-turned exhibition space. 

Place Massillon in the center of Vieille Ville, complete with cafes, artesan shops, and the 12th-century Tower of Saint-Blaise © Laini Miranda/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The town still recalls its 19th century heyday when artists and writers like Picasso, Dalí, Tolstoy, and F. Scott Fitzgerald used to vacation here. The narrow streets are filled with artisans sharing their work and wares. There is even a “Parcours des Arts”, a route that takes you passed dozens of artist studios and galleries. We loved learning about the history and design of boomerangs at Wallaby Boomerangs with Stéphane Marquerite, a professional boomerang player and maker whose gallery also houses examples from throughout history and from across the world.

Stéphane Marquerite tells us about his collection of handmade boomerangs from around the world at Wallaby Boomerangs, part of the “Parcours des Arts” in the Vieille Ville © Laini Miranda/goingplacesfarandnear.com

There are 5 main sections in Hyères: Old Town, the port, El Capte, Giens, and Toulon. Giens and Toulon are connected to the Port by a long skinny stretch of land with salt flats on the east and the long sandy Place d’Almanarre on the west. Off the coast you will find three islands that make up Les Îsles d’Or (“Islands of Gold”): Porquerolles, Port Cros, and Levant.

The colorful streets of Vielle Ville, the old town of Hyéres © Laini Miranda/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We stayed on the Port, about 20 minutes driving from the old town and 10 minutes to Giens. Here we were closest to the ferries to Port Cros, one of the three main islands. There are also several excellent restaurants, including U Primu, right on the port with eclectic seafood-inspired dishes. 

El Capte is a small neighborhood just below El Port, and seems to have a busier nightlife with more restaurants and bars. L’Almanarre, on the other side of this strip, is a long stretch of golden sand and clear waters famous for kite surfing (don’t miss a chance to see them flying over the water on a windy day!).

Wandering the narrow streets of Vieille Ville, Hyéres © Laini Miranda/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Giens is a beautiful area at the bottom of Hyères with a few streets and a handful of restaurants that make up the center of this small village. Hotel Provençal is a popular hotel with a prized location and balcony overlooking epic views of the sea and islands in the distance. Make reservations in advance for a romantic dinner on their gorgeous balcony (but make sure you stop in if even just to check out the view). At the bottom of Giens you will find the Tour du Fond, where you will catch the ferry to Isle de Porquerolles. Also right near here is Plage Pradeau, a beautiful restaurant above the beach of the same name, serving the freshest fish as well as an extensive menu of inventive dishes. Be sure to book a table in advance. Ask for the table by the water if you want to have an intimate dinner surrounded by lush foliage just a few feet above the sea. 

Hiking the Sentit Litoral © Laini Miranda/goingplacesfarandnear.com

La Madgrague  is on the west side of the peninsula and only has a few restaurants, but what it lacks in establishments it makes up for in its beaches. Here at L’Madrugue is where we picked up the Sentit Litoral, a breathtakingly beautiful hike around the peninsula. The full route is 6 miles, but you can choose to do as much or as little as you want. Our favorite part was the northeastern section with panoramic views of Ponte d’Chevale and some small islands just off the coast. On the day of our hike there were 30 mph winds on the east side of the peninsula, but the northwest was calm and delightful.

While there are many beautiful beaches in Hyères, one you must visit is the Isle de Porquerolles. A 20 minute ferry ride ($25 at the time of writing) brings you to an island with crystal clear waters and world class snorkeling. No cars are allowed, but you can easily explore the island by bike, which you can rent from one of several spots clustered at the edge of town just a few yards from where the ferry lets off.

Plage Notre Dame on the Isle de Porquerolles © Laini Miranda/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The most famous beach on the island is Plage de Notre Dame, a long, narrow stretch of clean sand and clear water. Make sure you bring plenty of water and snacks since here you are several miles from the nearest concessions. Another beach we enjoyed was Plage de l’Arent, with similarly clear waters and a slightly deeper shore than Notre Dame. Unfortunately we got here a little too close to the departing ferry hour to enjoy a meal at the beach bar there, but definitely plan to return for lunch on a future trip. 

In Hyéres you can experience the blue waters, amazing seafood, and slow pace of a French Riviera vacation without the glitz and crowds © Dave E. Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

With seven beaches, many hikes, a contemporary art gallery, and great boutiques and restaurants around a central town square, there is plenty to do here to warrant more than a day trip. There are a few hotels on the island ranging in prices, but we found most rooms to be booked at least two months out (even in low season), so plan in advance. Ferries run between Giens and Isle de Porquerolles every hour from 9am to 6:30pm.

Scouting the water before snorkeling at La Madrague, after our hike along the Sentit Litoral © Laini Miranda/goingplacesfarandnear.com

On a future trip we plan to also check out Port Cros, the “wilder” of the three main islands. Port Cros is an hour ferry ride from Hyères, has 2 small beaches, miles of rocky, steep hikes, and boasts some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world. Both the island itself and its surrounding waters are declared National Parks. Port Cros is also known for its several nude beaches. But if you’re specifically looking for an island to visit au natural, Isle de Levant, the furthest island from Hyères, is known as the nudist island, as clothing is optional from its beaches to much of the town itself. 

In Hyéres you can experience the blue waters, amazing seafood, and slow pace of a French Riviera vacation without the glitz and crowds © Dave E. Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

During our 3 weeks in France, Hyères was one of our favorite stops. We visited multiple towns and beaches of the Cote d’Azur, including Nice, Villefranche sur Mer, Eze, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cassis, and Marseille. We actually found Hyères to have the most beautiful beaches in terms of soft sand and swimmable water. Of course, all of these places have plenty of picturesque shores, hip beach bars, and the posh ambience you think of when you picture the French Riviera. For this trip, however, we preferred the quieter vibe and golden sands of Hyères to the more common rocky shores of the rest of the Riviera and were thrilled to find this hidden gem.

Pro Tip: Download the app Windy to track the mistral winds while you’re visiting Hyères, or anywhere on the Cote D’Azur for that matter. If the wind is blowing from one direction, just go to the other side of the peninsula!

For more planning help, visit Hyères Tourist Office, Rotonde du Park Hôtel 16 avenue de Belgique Centre-ville 83400 Hyères, France,   https://cotedazurfrance.fr/en/offers/hyeres-tourist-office-hyeres-en-2915102/, www.hyeres-tourisme.com

_______________________

© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Cultural travel, European travel, Historic Places, International Travel, Museums and Exhibits, Places of History

Visiting Colmar, France, is Like Stepping into a Storybook

Maison Pfister is a centerpiece of Colmar, France and has become the historic city’s symbol © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Colmar, in France’s Alsace-Lorraine region, is a storybook village – its buildings literally decorated to tell a story. And when you wander around its narrow, twisting streets, you walk through 500 years of history, lose all sense of what century you are in and fall totally under its spell.

Almost miraculously, the city has managed to remain mostly unscathed through centuries of wars. So as you stroll around, you come upon architectural jewels from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. (You can follow a self-guided historic walking tour of silver Statue of Liberty figures in the pavement.)

I became curious about visiting Colmar when I saw a short report about it being the childhood home of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor who created the Statue of Liberty, and the images of how colorful and charming it was. I had to see if for myself.

So I take advantage of the ease of visiting Colmar from Strasbourg, the starting point for a European Waterways canal cruise through the Alsace Lorraine on its luxury hotel barge, Panache. It is just 45 minutes on the train, every half hour, a most enjoyable, comfortable and scenic ride, 28E roundtrip, no need to reserve – and  join the hordes of day-trippers exploring this  fairytale-like place.

It’s a short, pleasant walk from the Colmar train station into Le Petit Venise (Little Venice), the historic district (really similar to Strasbourg’s Le Petit France), and I am immediately enchanted.

Colmar is famous for its half-timbered houses and richly decorated merchants’ mansions. Some date from the Middle Ages, such as the Adolf House, the oldest in Colmar, built in the second half of the 14th century; and the “Huselin zum Swan” on Schongauer Street.

Maison Pfister, built in 1537, manifests exquisite art and design of the Renaissance© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Renaissance is on display in one of Colmar’s most magnificent structures, Maison Pfister with ornate bay windows (oriels), long wooden gallery and exquisitely painted murals, which has become a symbol of the city. Maison Pfister was built in 1537 for Ludwig Scherer, a wealthy hatter from Besancon. The paintings that decorate the façade, attributed to Christian Vacksterffer, represent 16th century Germanic Emperors, Evangelists, Church Fathers, allegorical figures and biblical characters and scenes. It is named for the merchant Francois-Xavier Pfister who acquired the mansion in 1841.

The exquisite paintings that decorate the façade of Maison Pfister © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I come upon a house at 34, rue des Marchands with a plaque dated 1435 and a note that says this was the residence of master painter Caspar Isenmann “(Zum Grienen hus”). Another marvelous structure is “Cour du Weinhof,” at 12-16 rue des Marchands, which is a medieval 14th century granary.

A plaque says this was the residence of master painter Caspar Isenmann “(Zum Grienen hus”), dated 1435 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
A 14th century granary in Colmar © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

So many of the buildings are adorned with beautiful, even playful, whimsical decoration – as if there is a competition for who can have the prettiest or cleverest or most festive, or perhaps a public ordinance that requires everyone to be incredibly festive and clever. I wonder.

The whimsically decorated buildings make Colmar seem like a storybook © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
The whimsically decorated buildings make Colmar seem like a storybook © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
The whimsically decorated buildings make Colmar seem like a storybook © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I go in search of the intriguingly named House of Heads. Built in1609 in German Renaissance style, it has a three-story bay window, and a façade embellished with 111 heads and masks.

The intriguingly named House of Heads, Colmar © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You walk through a fabulous pedestrian zone -a listed “protected sector” – that takes you from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, from “Little Venice” to the Tanners district with its grand white-fronted houses.

Similar to Strasbourg, there are districts, or neighborhoods, built around trades.

Colmar’s Poisonnerie quay where fish caught mainly in the River Ill were stocked and sold, dates from the 14th century © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Poisonnerie quay where fish caught mainly in the River Ill were stocked and sold, dates from the 14th century. Part of this district was damaged in a major fire in 1706 but some houses were rebuilt. The whole area underwent urban revitalization from 1976 to 1981.

Colmar’s Poisonnerie quay where fish caught mainly in the River Ill were stocked and sold, dates from the 14th century © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Tanners Quarter, rounded by the Rue de Montagne Vertne, Rue des Tripiers, Rue des Tanneurs and place de l’Ancienne Douane, is the epicenter of the protected old town center. Its tall, timber-framed houses built during the 17th and 18th centuries, often have a final open-worked level which was used by craftsmen to dry their pelts. The district was restored 1968-1974.

The Tanners Quarter has been restored © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Koifhus (Old Customs house) completed in 1480, is the oldest public building in the city. The ground floor was used as a warehouse, where imported and exported goods were taxed. The floor was used for meetings of the deputies of the Décapole, the federation of the 10 imperial cities of Alsace, formed in 1534 and for the Magistrate. When the Revolution abolished commercial privileges, the building was used for other purposes. Around 1840,  the building was used as a theater and in 1848, the first office of the discount bank. The Koïfhus was occupied by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1870 to 1930 and by a Catholic boy school and an Israelite school in the late 19th century. Today it is used for various public activities.

Colmar’s Covered Market: what is old is new again © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

A marvelous place is The Covered Market, especially to pick up picnic fixings for lunch or snack. Designed in 1865, this building is made of bricks, with a metal frame has had several functions until being returned to its original purpose of market hall. About 20 merchants offer high quality products: fruits and vegetables, butchery, cheese dairy, bakery and pastry, fish and other terroir delights – yet another example of what is old becoming new again. (13 rue des Ecoles, Quartier de la Petite Venise).

I find a sensational patisserie that has the best croissants, which I munch just outside in a tiny park.

Musee Unterlinden

I wander a bit aimlessly, just soaking in the atmosphere, and find myself at one of Colmar’s most important museums, Musee Unterlinden.

Musee Unterlinden is housed in a 13th century convent building  © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Founded in 1906, Musee Unterlinden is housed in a 13th century convent building that was linked to the former municipal baths building  by architects Herzog & de M Meuron, who added a contemporary extension. Within you wander through 7,000 years of history, culture and art from the prehistoric era to 20th century.

The museum is mainly known as a showcase of Rhenish Art, displaying a remarkable collection of paintings and sculptures of the Colmar region of the 15th and 16th centuries, a Golden Age for the Upper Rhine.

Musee Unterlinden’s star attraction is the celebrated altarpiece of Isenheim © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

But its star attraction is the celebrated altarpiece of Isenheim, an exquisite polyptych created between 1512 and 1516 by the artists Niclaus of Haguenau (for the sculpted elements) and Grünewald (for the painted panels). It was created for the Antonite order’s monastic complex at Isenheim, a village about 15 miles south of Colmar, where it decorated the high altar of the monastery hospital’s chapel until the French Revolution.

Musee Unterlinden’s star attraction is the celebrated altarpiece of Isenheim © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Isenheim Altarpiece  is housed in the museum’s Medieval cloister, where you find the art of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with works by Martin Schongauer, Hans Holbein and Lucas Cranach. The former baths building that opened in 1906 is used for special exhibitions, while the works of major 20th century artists including Monet, de Staël, Picasso and Dubuffet have a new showcase in the contemporary wing.

Musee Unterlinden’s star attraction is the celebrated altarpiece of Isenheim © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I wander down to the cellar of the former convent, and am fascinated to see its extensive archaeology section, with artifacts of the Haut-Rhin region dating back thousands of years. The collection has been expanding because of ongoing regional excavations. One section is devoted to prehistory and protohistory, the neighboring rooms to the Roman and Merovingian periods.

Musee Unterlinden’s star attraction is the celebrated altarpiece of Isenheim © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The extensive collection of historical objects and artifacts from domestic life and funerary contexts, mostly from the northern Haut-Rhine, presents an almost complete overview of the different stages of the region’s cultural evolution.

Musee Unterlinden’s collection of historical objects and artifacts presents an almost complete overview of the different stages of the region’s cultural evolution.© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I find it interesting to learn Unterlinden was founded by a man who was convinced of the importance of “making a contribution to forming and developing a sense of taste and beauty” and of “providing the lower classes with an opportunity to benefit from the knowledge and pleasures they are so often denied.” In 1847, Louis Hugot, archivist and the city librarian of Colmar since 1841, was inspired by his love of graphic art to establish the Martin Schoengauer Society with other local scholars. Two years later, the society published its plan to transform the Unterlinden Convent into a museum. 

Musee Unterlinden, Place Untrlinden, https://www.musee-unterlinden.com/en/home/.

Musee Bartholdi

The Musee Bartholdi inner courtyard is  where you see Bartholdi’s inspiring statue, “Grand soutiens du monde” – four women holding up the world © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The climax for my enchanting tour of Colmar comes when I (finally) find my way to the Musee Bartholdi (I seem to have overshot it a couple of times, even though everything is really close, even though there are metal markers in the street leading to the museum). The museum is housed in the childhood home of sculptor Frederick Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), who created the statue we know as the Statue of Liberty, but was actually named “Liberty Enlightening the World,” unveiled in New York in 1886.

Bartholdi’s inspiring statue, “Grand soutiens du monde” – four women holding up the world © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Bartholdi was the son of a councilmember who died in 1836 when he was just two years old. The family residence was built in the 15th century and transformed in the 18th century into an elegant hotel particulier (town mansion).

When Bartholdi died, his widow defied his wishes (he wanted her to create a museum for sculpture) and turned his Colmar family home into a museum as a tribute to him. Opened in 1922, the Bartholdi museum is entirely dedicated to presenting the artist’s work as well as his process, so you see models, drawings, engravings and photographs.  You also see family furniture and personal mementos.

Going through Bartholdi’s childhood home, you feel you get to know him © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You enter through an inner courtyard, where you see Bartholdi’s inspiring statue, “Grand soutiens du monde” – four women holding up the world (bronze 1902).

The collection is presented on three floors of the mansion and walking through the family’s rooms lets you see Bartholdi as a person, how his idealism was manifested in his art, and you realize that his true genius is how his art inspires that same idealism in the viewer.

A portrait of Frederick Auguste Bartholdi in the Bartholdi Museum, Colmar © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

A whole room (surprisingly small, but that makes it more intimate) is dedicated to the Statue of Liberty – you see his inspirations and some early designs, and fantastic historic photos of its production in Paris. It is thrilling to see Bartholdi’s process for the Statue of Liberty, which he titled Liberty Enlightening the World.

Indeed, Bartholdi’s colossal Lady Liberty famously celebrates freedom, and most Americans believe his symbols refer to the American Revolution and independence from tyranny, especially since it was dedicated in New York 1886, a little over a century after the Declaration of Independence. But Bartholdi intended Liberty to commemorate America’s abolition of slavery as a result of the Civil War in 1865 – the idea for the monument originated in 1865 but was pursued only after the Third French Republic was established in 1870. We see a model of the statue that has Lady Liberty’s foot stepping on chains, as if to crush the chains of bondage.

A model of Bartholdi’s “Liberty Enlightening the World”shows Lady Liberty crushing chains of bondage © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Lady Liberty stands 151 feet tall, and the top of her torch brings the statue up to 305 feet – the largest statue that had ever been completed up to that time.

There are also his models for Bartholdi’s monumental statue, Lion of Belfort, which is as precious to France as Lady Liberty is to America. Bartholdi served in the Franco-Prussian War and took part in the defense of Colmar. I read that Bartholdi was distraught over Alsace’s defeat and over the years, constructed monuments celebrating French heroism in its defense against Germany. Lion of Belfort, which he created from 1871-1880, symbolizes the French resistance against Prussia’s assault during the 103-day Siege of Belfort, December 1870 to February 1871.

Bartholdi’s “Le Martyr modern,” reinterprets the tragic myth of Prometheus© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Colmar had always celebrated its native son, Bartholdi, and he had erected statues in the city, including his earliest works. But in the 1890s, German authorities restricted Bartholdi’s residency permit in Alsace, because several of his public monuments demonstrated support for a French Alsace. The sculptor found it increasingly difficult to travel to Colmar. In light of this, the Schoengeuer Society’s decision to set up a Bartholdi Room in the Unterlinden Museum in 1898 was a courageous move.

Bartholdi collaborated with the Schoengauer Society early on – his first major sculpture was created for the Unterlinden Museum when he was just 18 years old – a plaster statue of the founder of the Unterlinden Convent, Agnes de Hergenheim (1852), as well as the monumental fountain in honor of Martin Schongeuer, erected in the cloister of the former convent (1863). Bartholdi donated several works to the society which were transferred to the Bartholdi Museum when it opened in 1922.

Following the re-annexation of Alsace and Moselle by Nazi Germany in June 1940, Colmar was once again under German rule. The museum was shut down. The German forces destroyed Bartholdi’s monuments in the city – the statue of General Rapp was smashed on September 9, 1940; the Bruat fountain was dismantled. Figures of the four continents in red Vosges sandstone were crushed.

Nazis crushed Bartholdi’s Figures of the four Continents  but residents saved the four heads © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

But some Colmar residents managed to get to the site to save the four heads and a part of the foot, which they hid in their cellars. The fragments were returned to the city after the war (they are on view in the museum) and a new version of the fountain was erected in 1958.

The museum reopened in 1979, very likely spurred by preparations for celebrating the Statue of Liberty Centennial.

Metal images of Bartholdi’s Statue of Liberty embedded in Colmar’s walkway lead the way to the Bartholdi Museum © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

(We can see his works in the United States also: Marquis de Lafayette in Union Square, NYC; Bartholdi Fountain in the Botanic Garden, Washington DC.)

There is also a 12-meter high replica of the Statue of Liberty, sculpted to commemorate the 100th anniversary of sculptor Auguste Bartholdi’s death, located at the northern entrance to the town.

“Fontaine Schwendi”, depicting Lazarus von Schendi  (1898), in the Place de L’Ancienne Douane,  is one of Bartholdi’s works that can be found around Colmar © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The museum has a brochure (in French) with a map of where you can find Bartholdi statues and monuments around Colmar: Monument du Général Rapp – 1856 (first shown 1855 in Paris. Bartholdi’s earliest major work); “Fontaine Schongauer” – 1863 (in front of the Unterlinden Museum); “Fontaine de l’Amiral Bruat” – 1864; “Fontaine Roeselmann” – 1888; “Monument Hirn” – 1894; “Fontaine Schwendi”, depicting Lazarus von Schendi – 1898; Les grands soutiens du monde − 1902 (statue in the courtyard of the museum).

(Musee Bartholdi, 30 rue des Marchands, 68000 Colmar, https://www.musee-bartholdi.fr/)

Much of Colmar is a protected district, © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
 

Another site I miss is the Synagogue. Built 1839-1842 on the site of an old farm, the synagogue of Colmar is the seat of the Israelite Consistory and the Grand Rabbinate of the Haut-Rhin.

I learn that the Jewish community was expelled in the 16th century, but returned to Colmar during the Revolution. The Rabbi was transferred from Wintzenheim to Colmar in 1823. The synagogue of Colmar was renovated in 1885 and an annex added in 1936. Used as an arsenal during the German occupation, the synagogue was restored after the war. It is the only synagogue in the region which has a bell tower. (3 rue de la Cigogne,)

Enjoy a boat ride to see Colmar from the river © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear

Unfortunately, I leave Colmar before seeing its Illumination. The town is illuminated from nightfall on Fridays and Saturdays year-round and every evening during major events in Colmar such as the International Festival, Regional Alsace Wine Fair and Christmas in Colmar.

Another reason to look forward to returning.

For more information about Colmar’s museums: https://www.tourisme-colmar.com/en/visit/presentation/museums

For more visitor information, contact Tourist Office of Colmar, Place Unterlinden, +33 (0)3 89 20 68 92, info@tourisme-colmar.com, https://www.tourisme-colmar.com/en. The website is really helpful for planning: https://www.tourisme-colmar.com/en/visit/presentation/discover

See also:

DISCOVERING STRASBOURG FRANCE’S CULTURAL RICHES

TIME-TRAVELING THROUGH STRASBOURG IN FRANCE’S ALSACE-LORRAINE

_______________________

© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Arts & Entertainment, Attractions, Cultural travel, European travel, Historic Places, International Travel, Monuments, Museums and Exhibits, Places of History

Discovering Strasbourg France’s Cultural Riches

Strasbourg, France’s Notre-Dame Cathedral, as seen through the windows of Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

I’ve come to Strasbourg, France, for a European Waterways canal cruise through the Alsace Lorraine on its luxury hotel barge, Panache. It is my practice now when connecting with a cruise or bike tour, to arrive at least a day early, especially when you have the opportunity to overnight in such a charming historic city as Strasbourg. That way I don’t have to worry about flight or weather delays and I can experience the destination in the morning and evening light, in peace and calm without the daytrippers, and have the time to really explore, discover and become immersed in its cultural riches.

The TGV train from Paris to Strasbourg © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The TGV train ride was absolutely gorgeous. (Less than two hours from Paris, you go from Charles de Gaulle Airport into the Gare de Nord, then take an easy 15 minute walk to Gare L’Est – glad I pre-purchased my train ticket and reserved seat on raileurope.com). It is surprising to see how soon out of the bustling metropolis you are in pastoral countryside. We whisk passed solar arrays, wind turbines, cows in pasture, and see traditional villages at the far end of fields. It’s cinematic.

Leaving Paris for Strasbourg by train, you are soon in the pastoral countryside © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

And I still get into Strasbourg in the afternoon with plenty of time to explore.

There is much to experience in Strasbourg and I will actually have part of four days here. We will be picked up in Strasbourg on the first afternoon and taken to Krafft to board  the barge hotel, Panache, and actually cruise back into Strasbourg on its first full day when we will have a walking tour and overnight on the canal. I will have much of a full day again at the end of the cruise, when we are delivered back to Strasbourg from Niderviller, before I take the train to Paris. I do a calculation and decide on my only full day in Strasbourg, after exploring the old city in the early morning, to hop on the train for a 45-minute ride to see Colmar, and still get to enjoy Strasbourg’s beauty at night.

Hotel Hannong is perfectly situated, walking distance to Strasbourg’s historic sites © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I must say I am clever about seeing Strasbourg, beginning with choosing a charming boutique hotel, the Hannong, which I find on hotels.com, right in the historic district and walking distance from the train station, so walking distance to everything I want to see, even walking back late at night. I am able to book a room ideal for a single person (it’s as big as a walk-in closet but has everything I need) for a very attractive rate. The pleasant stay, hospitable staff, and location add immeasurably to the way I experience Strasbourg and make the best of my time. (Hotel Hannong, 15, Rue du 22 Novembre,67000 Strasbourg, +33 03 88 32 16 22, hotel-hannong.com).

Strasbourg’s old city © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

So when I arrive, I  find my way to the Hotel Hannong (I’m disoriented and finally find someone to point me in the right direction (I’ve already downloaded directions but I don’t have internet), I drop my bag and go off to immerse myself in the old city’s charm.

Strasbourg’s picturesque Le Petit France is a UNESCO Heritage Site © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It’s just a couple of blocks to where Le Petit France begins, and I wander the narrow cobblestone streets, over bridges over the River Ill, where every turn reveals a picturesque scene of quaint quays and colorfully timbered structures from the Middle Ages, reflected in the blue water. The River Ill, which divides into five arms, is what spurred the construction of mills and the installation of tanneries centuries ago.

The Tanners district in Strasbourg’s Le Petit France dates from 1572 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

So charming and tranquil today, even with the crowds of tourists in midday, Le Petit France, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in its day would have been the stinkiest, filthiest, poorest part of town, inhabited by tanners, fishermen, and animals, but as you get closer and closer to fabulous Cathedral, the residences become nicer and fancier and is where the wealthiest merchants and officials would have lived.

Strasbourg’s picturesque Le Petit France is a UNESCO Heritage Site © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Strasbourg’s picturesque Le Petit France is a UNESCO Heritage Site © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I come upon Place Gutenberg with a striking monument created by David d’Angers (1788-1856), erected in 1840. It commemorates that the German inventor Johannes Gutenberg developed moveable type that revolutionized access to the Bible, news, information, books, and even the law to the masses, while living in Strasbourg from 1430-1440, spawning an entire printing and publishing industry based in Strasbourg. The bronze statue stands on a granite base with four fascinating bronze relief panels that commemorate that Gutenberg came upon his idea for moveable type inspired by how a wine press worked, and how his invention influenced every corner of the globe.

The statue for Johannes Gutenberg in Strasbourg’s Place Gutenberg © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

One of the reliefs, “Detail of America,” depicts Benjamin Franklin and other signatories to the Declaration of Independence along with other famous liberators including General Lafayette and Simon Bolivar. Another, “Africa,” portrays Wilberforce and other abolitionists bringing freedom and enlightenment to the slaves. The third relief, “The Printing Press in Europe,” portrays important figures of the Enlightenment –  Erasmus, Chaucer, Milton, Molière, Rousseau, Voltaire, Kant and Schiller (the original plaster panel, which gave prominence to Martin Luther, caused an uproar, I learn).  The Asian panel is more weathered, but includes Brahmans exchanging manuscripts for books, and Chinese people reading Confucius

Strasbourg’s Guttenberg Plaza © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In this plaza, there is also an old-timey Carrousel 1900 that is a delight in the day, enchanting at night.

A traditional Punch & Judy show © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

When I get to St. Thomas Church, I come upon an outdoor Punch & Judy puppet show, which traces back to Commedia dell’arte tradition in Italy in the 1660s. (I’m not a fan of the too accurate re-creation of its traditional slapstick humor and the tragicomic misadventures of the characters but the kids love it.) 

Families enjoy the traditional Punch & Judy show © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Notre-Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg

The Notre-Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg dominates the city, in fact the entire region since it can be seen from great distances. Cathedral Square is a vibrant hub of musicians, vendors, and is ringed with some of the most important sites in the city – reminiscent of St. Marks Square in Venice. I will visit multiple times, and in the course of my visit, experience most of the important sites around the Cathedral. The streets that radiate from it are also full of colorful activity.

Chasing bubbles in Cathedral Square © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Construction of the Cathedral started in 1015, but came into its own as a monumental Gothic structure in the 1260s because of Erwin von Steinbach who designed the Cathedral to be the most modern building of its time in the whole of the Holy Roman Empire. It is still one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic architecture in the world. The hundreds of statues that decorate the Cathedral are incredible.

Strasbourg, France’s Notre-Dame Cathedral © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Finally finished in 1439, the Cathedral, built of pink sandstone from the Vosges, features a 142-meter-tall bell tower, making it the tallest medieval building in all of Europe.

Strasbourg, France’s Notre-Dame Cathedral © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It is an imposing structure inside, as well, with 12th and 14th century Romanesque stained glass windows in mesmerizing geometric patterns. You can climb the 332 steps to the top of the bell tower for a spectacular view and explore an 11th century crypt below the main cathedral.

Strasbourg, France’s Notre-Dame Cathedral © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

On Saturday night, after I have rested a bit after coming back from Colmar, I stroll out of the hotel to Cathedral Square for the 10-minute Illuminations de la Cathedrale de Strasbourg, a free laser light show which begins nightly at 10 pm and runs continuously until midnight (in July and August). I find the neon colors jarring, but I love when the white fluttering strobe light gives the Cathedral a ghostly quality.

Strasbourg, France’s Notre-Dame Cathedral during the Illumination © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Strasbourg, France’s Notre-Dame Cathedral during the Illumination © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame

Just across the square from The Cathedral is the Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame, an absolute must-see, where you walk through seven centuries of art in Strasbourg and the Upper Rhine. Its medieval and Renaissance collections show why Strasbourg is considered one of the most important artistic centers of the Germanic Empire from the 13th to 16th centuries.

At the Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame, you see up close the stunning artistry of original statues that decorated the Cathedral © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

During the 13th century, the construction of Strasbourg Cathedral produced some of the most exceptional sculptures of the medieval world. Many of them – such as The Church and the Synagogue statues on the south portal, and the west façade’s Tempter and the Wise and Foolish Virgins, the Virtues Crushing the Vices, and the Prophets – were removed from the edifice in the early 20th century to protect them from bad weather and pollution, and replaced by sandstone replicas. But here you see the original sculptures that decorated the Cathedral. To see them so close, life-sized, so you can really appreciate the artistry in a way you simply can’t by gazing up at the Cathedral, is astounding.

When I visit, the museum is featuring a virtual reality, augmented reality, holograms, videos and touch screens to situate the works where they had originally been set in the Cathedral.

In one grand room, I focus on the two sculptures known as “The Church and The Synagogue,” which I would not have known to look for, just walking about the Cathedral.

So much is embodied in these two statues, and why they were chosen: Positioned on either side of the south transept portal, the statutes of The Church and The Synagogue “each personify a covenant binding God to his people: the New Covenant of the Christian Gospel and the Old Covenant of the Jewish Torah, respectively,” the notes say.

Church Triumphant and The Synagogue Vanquished © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

On the left, the Church Triumphant, “wearing a crown and holding in her hands a chalice and a banner surmounted by the Cross, fixes her self-assured gaze on the Synagogue. The vanquished Synagogue, blindfolded and holding a broken lance, averts her head, expressing her inability to recognize the messiah in the person of Jesus. She appears to let fall the tablets of the Law of Moses, symbolizing the supplanting of the Old Testament. But the extreme humanity and beauty of the young woman’s features suggest an awaited revelation rather than the stigma of blindness” [as if to suggest, Jews will come into Christianity’s fold].

Now that I know where to look, later I go out to see the figures at the Cathedral.

Church Triumphant and The Synagogue Vanquished statues as they are position on the Cathedral’s south portal © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In front of these two statues is a relief representing the biblical episode of “The Sacrifice of Isaac” at the hand of his father Abraham. The notes do not mention that this event for Jews, established the covenant with God and Jews as the “Chosen People”.

A relief depicting Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son, Isaac © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Besides the statuary, there are incredible paintings, triptychs and religious art – some of the most magnificent in the world – as you walk from room to room, floor to floor.

Jewish tombstones on view at the Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame. Jews were expelled from Strasbourg in 1349, during the Black Plague © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I follow an interior staircase all the way down and come to an interior courtyard in which tombstones rescued from a Jewish cemetery are displayed respectfully. The notes say that in 1349, Jews were expelled from Strasbourg because of Black Plague.

I climb the staircase to an attic room, where the innovations in architecture and engineering are explained. You also see some of the original architectural drawings of the Cathedral – the oldest architectural drawings of their type – as well as a video.

La Nativite de la Vierge. At the Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame, you see works that show why Strasbourg is considered one of the most important artistic centers of the Germanic Empire from the 13th to 16th centuries.© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
La Nativite de la Vierge. At the Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame, you see works that show why Strasbourg is considered one of the most important artistic centers of the Germanic Empire from the 13th to 16th centuries.© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The museum is housed within La Maison de L’Oeuvre Notre-Dame, which has been the home of the Foundation of the Oeuvre Notre-Dame (the body responsible for administering work on the Cathedral) since the Middle Ages. It is actually two buildings: a Gothic house with its crow-stepped gable (1347) and a Renaissance wing with a scroll gable (1582). Just walking through the rooms is an experience.

Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame is actually in two buildings: a Gothic house with its crow-stepped gable (1347) and a Renaissance wing with a scroll gable (1582) © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Fondation de l’Oeuvre Notre-Dame (Our Holy Lady Work Foundation) was established in 1224 (!!) to improve the administration of donations and legacies for the construction of Strasbourg Cathedral. Every since construction ended, the Foundation has been in charge of restoration and conservation of the monument, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988.

Plan on spending several hours wandering around this museum (I actually did it twice).

Musee de L’Oeuvre Notre-Dame/Aarts Du Moyen Age, 3 place duChateau, Strasbourg.

From here, I walk across the square to see the Church and Synagogue portal, before walking back through Cathedral Square (which reminds me of St. Marks Square in Venice) to the fabulous Palais Rohan.

Ancient: La Maison Kammerzell, built in 1467, and converted to Renaissance style in 1589, boasts exquisite carvings, with secular and religious themes, After refurbishing, it became a restaurant celebrated for its lavish frescoes painted by Leo Schnug © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

What is so interesting (and fun) about Strasbourg is how the historic city seamlessly integrates – and respects – what is ancient and what is modern: the virtual reality in the Musee de L’Oeuvre Notre Dame, the neon laser lights that bathe The Cathedral for the nightly show, the modern art in Cathedral Square, the really modern art exhibit incorporated into the 18th century Royal Chambers of the Palais Rohan’s Decorative Arts Museum, the light rail that rings the Old City along cobblestone streets.

Modern: Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Strasbourg’s historic district © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

So much to see, experience and appreciate. My exploration continues.

More information at https://www.strasbourg.info and https://www.visitstrasbourg.fr,

Next: Time Traveling Through Strasbourg

See also:

EUROPEAN WATERWAYS’ PANACHE HOTEL BARGE CRUISES FRANCE’S ALSACE-LORRAINE CANALS IN LUXURY

EUROPEAN WATERWAYS ALSACE-LORRAINE CANAL CRUISE: STRASBOURG’S CATHEDRAL, WINE TASTING ON ROUTE DES VINS

EUROPEAN WATERWAYS ALSATIAN CANAL CRUISE: MYSTERY OF THE NECKLACE IN SAVERNE, LALIQUE IN LUTZELBOURG

EUROPEAN WATERWAYS ALSACE-LORRAINE CANAL CRUISE: A BOAT GUILLOTINE, TWO TUNNELS AND A MONUMENTAL CHAGALL

_______________________

© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Cruising, Cultural travel, International Travel, luxury travel, Museums and Exhibits

European Waterways Alsace-Lorraine Canal Cruise: A Boat Guillotine, Two Tunnels and a Monumental Chagall

European Waterways luxury hotel barge, Panache, approaches the “boat guillotine” at the Arzviller boat elevator © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Day 6 Lutzelbourg to Niderviller

On Day 6 our European Waterways luxury hotel barge, Panache, cruises from Lutzelbourg to Niderviller where the cruise ends, during which we experience some of the most dramatic cruising – thrilling even considering how calm and restful the slow cruising on the canal is – of the trip.

I set out on the bike along the towpath but come to a fork and am confused which way to go, so return to the Panache. It’s a good thing I did return to the boat because the bike path would have taken me away from the boat.

Indeed, the canal takes a turn and we get our first view of an astonishing sight: the Arzviller boat elevator that will carry Panache 45 meters up a mountainside in mere minutes.

Captain Brian excites us with the image of a “boat guillotine”. But before we have the experience (we have to wait our turn), we tie up and walk a short distance to Cristal Lehrer (Cristallerie Lehrer) glass-blowing factory where we get to see demonstrations of the craftsmanship involved.

Demonstrating glass making at the Cristal Lehrer glass factory © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In 1920, there would have been 1500 glass workers in this area. One of the workers was Charles Lehrer. Decades later, his son, Bruno Lehrer, founded this glassworks.

Demonstrating glass blowing at the Cristal Lehrer glass factory © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We get to observe from an amphitheater as glassblowers heat the molten glass to 1700 degrees Celsius; use different oxides to create the different colors and shape them into a range of items.

Bruno demonstrates how he cuts glass at the Cristal Lehrer glass factory © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In the cutting and etching room, a craftsman named Bruno shows us how he cuts shapes into a glass, etches images like a swan or a bird, changing the wheel for a different cut and then engraves my name in the glass, which he gives me as a gift. He tells me he has worked in this factory with his father from when he was 14 years old; now 86, the master craftsman is here every day demonstrating his skill. (It occurs to me later whether this is Bruno Lehrer, himself?)

Arzviller Boat Elevator

The extraordinary Arzviller boat elevator © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

An engineering feat when it was installed in 1969, and still the only one of its kind in Europe, before the Arzviller boat elevator was constructed in 1969, it took boats an entire day to navigate the 17 locks over four kilometers to ascend the 146 feet in altitude.  Before the Arzviller boat elevator, only one barge a day could pass through, but today, as many as 39 can make the trip each day.

Panache heads into the “boat guillotine” to enter the Arzviller boat elevator © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Now back on the Panache, it is our turn to go through the “boat guillotine” – really the black door that comes down to seal the carriage, like a bathtub, into which our boat floats, to be carried, like an elevator, up the hill.  Two counterweights, weighing 450 tons each, powered by two winches, lift or lower barges safely up and down the hill at a 22-degree angle. It takes four minutes for us to be lifted to the top, where the door rises and we continue our journey on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin.

The Panache is lifted up the Arzviller boat elevator © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

What an experience, but the drama isn’t over.

Coming out of the boat elevator, we cruise a bit further until we come to an enormous tunnel, just exactly the width of the boat, cut through the Vosges mountains.

Panache enters the first of two tunnels through the mountain © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It is unbelievably exciting to go through – I don’t even go down for lunch, which is served by candlelight – until we get through the tunnel, some 30 minutes later.

But that is not all, because we will soon come to a second tunnel that takes 20 minutes to get through.

Panache navigates the narrow tunnel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In between the tunnels, I go down for lunch which is also an event –fennel and anchovies salad; orange duck with couscous, and selection of cheese. White wine from Alsace, Gewurztramine 2020, a vegan, “vin biologique” wine “Evidence” ( named to reflect “the respect we have for biodiversity in our vineyards as “evidenced” by the return of game birds to our land, which has inspired this label”).

Captain Brian keeps watch as Panache navigates the narrow tunnel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

And yet, there are still more astonishments to unfold on this day, our last full day of the cruise.

We are driven to Sarrebourg, a classic, historic French town.

Lunch served by candlelight as Panache goes through the tunnels © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

A Monumental Chagall

The astonishing highlight in Sarrebourg comes at the Chapelle des Cordeliers. Built in 1265 by Franciscans, the church was used for barracks during the French Revolution; in 1870, during the German Annexation, the church was used for worship for German soldiers. From 1927, the History and Archaeology Society converted the chapel to a museum. But by 1970, the building, near ruin, was demolished, leaving only the choir of the chapel and an open space where a wall should have stood.

Marc Chagall’s monumental stained glass window, La Paix, at the Chapelle des Cordeliers, Sarrebourg, France © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Mayor of Sarrebourg at the time, Pierre Messmer, a former Prime Minister of France, entreated his friend, the world-famous artist Marc Chagall to create stained glass windows that would close the empty space. Chagall agreed to do it as a gift to the town. It took Chagall six months, from December 1973-Febuary 1974, to produce a series of six sketches for what became his largest stained glass window, 12 meters high by 7 ½ meters wide.

Detail from Marc Chagall’s monumental stained glass window, La Paix, at the Chapelle des Cordeliers, Sarrebourg, France © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Messner had asked Marc Chagall for Sarrebourg to be featured. Chagall, who had never been to Sarrebourg, had planned to visit in the summer of 1974, but he was not well enough to travel, so relied on photographs. It took two more years (1974-6) for master glassmaker Charles Marq to create it in the Simon de Reims workshop, where Chagall had all his stained glass projects produced. “There is all the genius of Chagall – the monumental dimension, the light and the transparency of the final realization,” the notes say.

Detail from Marc Chagall’s monumental stained glass window, La Paix, at the Chapelle des Cordeliers, Sarrebourg, France © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Chagall died in 1985 at the age of 98 after creating one more stained glass work, but never saw “The Peace” installed. (https://www.sarrebourg.fr/parcours-chagall/chapelle-des-cordeliers/)

“For me a stained glass window is a transparent partition between my heart and the heart of the world. Stained glass has to be serious and passionate. It is something elevating and exhilarating. It has to live through the perception of light,” Chagall wrote.

Detail from Marc Chagall’s monumental stained glass window, La Paix, at the Chapelle des Cordeliers, Sarrebourg, France © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

La Paix (“The Peace”) puts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden at the center, surrounded by a multitude of Biblical and religious symbols and subjects, as well as secular images that give a nod to the Alsace-Lorraine, our guide, Philippe Zugmeyer, explains, showing us Chagall’s sketches which we can compare to the finished work. “The face of Eve is very bright, white, brightest image. They are smiling, showing love. Look closely and you will see the face of girl from Lorraine – identified by the regional headdress she wears.”

Detail from Marc Chagall’s monumental stained glass window, La Paix, at the Chapelle des Cordeliers, Sarrebourg, France © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

He points us to the Prophet Isaiah in green, an important symbol for Chagall of reconciliation of all creatures. There are the lamb, cow, bear, snake, lion. There is King David with a harp. Jacob’s ladder. Jesus on a donkey heralded by people smiling and cheering.  Jesus giving his Sermon on the Mount. Jesus on the cross. There is a baby to symbolize maternity (not nativity, he notes). Moses with two beams of light emitting from his head.

Marc Chagall’s monumental stained glass window, La Paix, at the Chapelle des Cordeliers, Sarrebourg, France © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“This is not a religious lesson, it is profane [secular],” he tells us. “It is about the region. Peace and reconciliation.” But he adds, “There is a lot we can’t explain – it is up to you to find your own meaning in the Chagall. What is clear is that Chagall intended to bring unity – peace. There are Old Testament and New Testament themes, symbols and imagery.”

Detail from Marc Chagall’s monumental stained glass window, La Paix, at the Chapelle des Cordeliers, Sarrebourg, France © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In addition to “The Peace,” the stained glass windows on the side walls were also designed by Marc Chagall. 

I never expected to see anything like this on this day.

From here we walk a short distance to the affiliated Musée du pays de Sarrebourg (Museum of Sarrebourg and its surroundings). Created in 1905, it was originally only an archaeological museum. Today, it is a modern building that includes a space dedicated to Marc Chagall, tapestries and an exhibition of earthenware and porcelain from the Niderviller manufacture and Roman artifacts.

Yvette Cauquil-Prince’s tapestry based on Marc Chagall painting on view at the Sarrebourg museum © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We see the tapestries created by Yvette Cauquil-Prince (1928 –2005), a Belgian-born weaver and master craftswoman who reproduced the works of renowned 20th century artists including Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Alexander Calder. But she is best known for her association with Chagall, producing over 40 tapestries of his works with meticulous, even impossible detail, several which we see here.

Sarrebourg, France, visited on European Waterways’ Panache Alsace-Lorraine canal cruise © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Gala Captain’s Dinner

This is our last evening aboard The Panache and while each meal has been the ultimate in fine dining, tonight’s Captain’s Dinner when Captain Brian heads the table, has the feeling of a gala with formal table setting – white tablecloth, red cloth napkins, candlelight.

Last night’s Captain’s Dinner aboard Panache is a gala affair © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The meal features peas and wasabi tartlet; Jerusalem artichoke; lobster tail piquillos; chocolate with truffle; cheese selection. The wine is Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots (2018) from Albert Bichot, founded in 1831and still family-owned, and a Pino Noir Grand Cru from Burgundy (2014).

“This wine is like walking in forest after rain- grapes come from plot of soil at bottom of hill in Burgundy,” says Brian, who comes from Burgundy. “Grown in the forest, the grapes are half protected from the morning sun. Less sun, less sugar, less alcohol. The forest brings moisture, humidity – freshness. It’s very fresh – the flavor of rose, forest flavors, then red berries, an oak barrel and voila.

The Panache crew © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Captain Brian, who chose tonight’s cheeses, regales us with the back stories: Comte, a favorite of cow’s milk cheese from Franche-Comte, he says, “is a treasure. This is a tiny piece of huge wheel. To make it, you need the milk from 30 cows’ full day production.

The second cheese, Valencay, a hard goat cheese from the Loire, has a fabulous story:  after his disastrous campaign in Egypt, Napoleon visited the town of Valençay and was treated to this renowned cheese. For Bonaparte, the shape of the cheese – a pyramid – reminded him of his recent defeat so he furiously drew his sword and in one stroke cut off the top.

Third is Roquefort, the best blue cheese, bred where the mold comes to the cheese (instead of injected). “Legend has it that a shepherd boy left his lunch in a cave, but returned some time later to find the moldy cheese. He tried it.– don’t ask me why, he’s very French – and instead of getting sick or being poisoned, found the cheese delicious. That’s how Roquefort was discovered.”  (Interesting anecdote I discover: Before penicillin was discovered, many people in France simply rubbed Penicillium roqueforti on their wounds to prevent bacterial infection.)

In the course of our six-day cruise, I calculate we sampled 36 cheeses –about half of all the controlled French cheeses – and 40 wines.

We see gorgeous scenery, to be sure, but the barge experience is about doing, being present, the camaraderie. And so there are sentimental farewells when we depart – the seven days we have spent together feeling like a long time and as no time at all.

“Travel makes the world feel big and small at the same time.” “Travel is the elixir of youth.”

The next morning, we are driven back to Strasbourg – 45 minutes to cover the distance we have traveled in six days cruising (and biking). I have enough time to continue to explore Strasbourg before I take the TGV train to Paris.

The Panache does this Alsace-Lorraine cruise on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin in both directions, but I was thrilled going the way we went, from Strasbourg to Niderviller because there is a constant build up of excitement, starting with floating through that stunning alee as we sail into Strasbourg, and climaxed by going up the incline (in this direction) and through the two tunnels, with the Marc Chagall on the last day.

European Waterways’ luxury hotel barge Panache cruises the Marne au Rhin canal through France’s Alsace-Lorraine © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The 12-passenger luxury hotel barge Panache cruises the Alsace & Lorraine in summer and autumn; Holland in the Spring, when the flowers are in full bloom, and  Champagne in May & June (Champagne itineraries typically include Brie cheese tastings, a tour of the Cathedral at Reims, Epernay and of course, tastings at renowned champagne houses).

This year, European Waterways celebrates its 50th anniversary of its founding by Derek Banks and John Wood-Dow, who helped pioneer the concept of hotel barging and itineraries that focused on culture, history, fine wine and gourmet cuisine. Among the first to operate on the Canal du Midi, their efforts helped spur a new niche travel industry that proved instrumental in the revitalization of Europe’s intricate network of scenic canals and inland waterways as tourism destinations – giving new life to villages and communities that had depended upon the canals that no longer carried commercial cargo.
  
With a 6-to-20 guest capacity and 1:2 crew ratio, European Waterways is able to provide lavish on-board service and can transport their guests on the narrower, more intimate inland waterways that are inaccessible to larger vessels. This fascinating network of smaller canals allows for flexibility, spontaneity and ample opportunity to hop off and explore by bicycle or on foot, in addition to walking tours of communities and daily, chauffeured excursions “off the beaten path” to experience wine tastings and private visits of stately homes.

One of the largest providers of all-inclusive luxury hotel barging in Europe, European Waterways is launching its newest, ultra deluxe vessel, the eight-passenger Kir Royale. Debuting in France’s Champagne region in May 2024, the vessel features major upgrades that include a more spacious layout with modern furnishings, three sundecks and a spa pool, an upper observation deck with a panoramic view, and four air-conditioned cabins with en suite bathrooms.

Kir Royale will cruise the River Marne and Canal latéral à la Marne, offering six-night all-inclusive sailings with exclusive excursions to some of the region’s legendary Champagne houses such as Moët & Chandon. Guests will also be treated to immersive experiences such as lunch at the boutique Grand Cru Champagne house of Frerejean Frères, and on-board gastronomic meals with wine pairings served by the vessel’s own master chef.
 
Kir Royal will cruise Champagne from May through October. It joins European Waterways’ 12-passenger Panache, which cruises between Château-Thierry and Châlons-en-Champagne from mid-May to late-June. Both vessels provide private transfers from a designated location in central Paris. Reservations are now open, with rates starting at $8,550 per person, based on double occupancy. Whole boat charters are also available.

Contact European Waterways, 877-879-8808,  www.europeanwaterways.com.

See also:

EUROPEAN WATERWAYS’ PANACHE HOTEL BARGE CRUISES FRANCE’S ALSACE-LORRAINE CANALS IN LUXURY

EUROPEAN WATERWAYS ALSACE-LORRAINE CANAL CRUISE: STRASBOURG’S CATHEDRAL, WINE TASTING ON ROUTE DES VINS

EUROPEAN WATERWAYS ALSATIAN CANAL CRUISE: MYSTERY OF THE NECKLACE IN SAVERNE, LALIQUE IN LUTZELBOURG

_______________________

© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Cruising, Cultural travel, International Travel, luxury travel, Museums and Exhibits

European Waterways Alsatian Canal Cruise: Mystery of the Necklace in Saverne, Lalique in Lutzelbourg

European Waterways’ luxury hotel barge, Panache, cruises through the historic city of  Saverne on the Marne au Rhin canal through France’s Alsace-Lorraine © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Day 4 Waltenheim-sur-Zorn to Saverne

On this fourth day of European Waterways’ seven-day cruise cruise on the Marne au Rhin canal through France’s Alsace-Lorraine, the luxury hotel barge Panache cruises to the enchanting town of Saverne, boasting a history that dates back 2,000 years to Gallo-Roman times. We will tie up right in the town at the foot of the Château de Rohan, a palace built for a Cardinal that is so grand, it is known as the “Versailles of Alsace.”

Sue, who hails from Australia, and I are up early enough to go with Captain Brian into the village of Waltenheim-sur-Zorn to the most remarkable patisserie I have ever seen to pick up breads and other delights for our breakfast. The boat departs at 8 am on the dot (I had just stepped off for a photo and got back just in the nick).

Stopping into a patisserie in Waltenheim-sur-Zorn to purchase breads for breakfast aboard the Panache © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Captain Brian tells me that I can bike up to lock 32 and the boat should be there around 2 pm. I do my calculation: Locks 42-41 are 4 km apart; locks 37-36 are 4 km (we will be there around lunchtime) while it will take the boat four hours to get to 37.

The biking on the towpath alongside the canal takes me passed some of the prettiest pastoral scenes on the route (especially between locks 39 to 37, from Lupstein to Dettwiller).  It’s classic.

Gorgeous pastoral scene just outside Saverne along the Marne au Rhin canal © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I think I get in 20 miles riding all the way to Saverne and doubling back to lock 36 to get back on the boat for lunch

Lunch features French beans with aioli; crayfish with risotto – superb. The white wine is Sancerre La Ferriere 2021 (coincidentally, the book I am reading that day mentioned the same wine!) and the red wine-Sancerre La Louisonne (2016), a Pinot Noir from the Loire Valley.

European Waterways’ luxury hotel barge Panache cruises on the Marne au Rhin canal to Saverne © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We continue our onboard discovery of French cheeses with Mimolette (also known as Boule de Lille), a cow’s milk cheese produced in Flanders and Normandy, has a marvelous story: a French version of Edam, it has a distinctive orange color that was developed for King XIV in the 18th C. A further study reveals that it was developed “on the advice of his finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert, that the way forward for the French economy was to export as much as possible and import as little as possible. France was pretty much bankrupt at the time and this strategy was aimed at balancing the budget. Colbert was also a big fan of taxes and micro-management.” (https://brieencounter.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/todays-cheese-is-mimolette/). We also experience Brillat-Savarin, a soft-ripened triple cream cow’s milk cheese with a natural, bloomy rind.

Chef Leo’s crayfish with risotto © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

At 3:30 pm, Captain Brian takes us on a delightful walking tour of Saverne, pointing out exquisite architecture – and here, I really appreciate the difference between wandering around and having someone who can point out the interesting details.

Saverne became really important for its geographical location – set where two major Roman roads converge, where you can access the Rhine and Rhone to go to the Netherlands, or where it joins the Seine to go to southern France. Not surprisingly, Saverne’s authority changed between France and Germany several times in history, and its cultural imprint – architecture, food, language – reflect both.

We come to a statue of the city’s emblem, the Unicorn, just in front of the Chateau Rohan,

Here, Brian attempts to relay in abbreviated form the “Mystery of Necklace,” This was a colossal scandal involving “the most expensive necklace of the Middle Ages, most beautiful, with the biggest diamonds in the world” that in today’s money would have been worth $15 million, helped bring down Marie Antoinette for her perceived excess and lead, ultimately, to her execution in the French Revolution. (I subsequently learn, she actually refused the necklace, because she said her country needed ships the money would buy.) But the connection to Saverne is this Chateau de Rohan, because at the heart of the scandal was Cardinal de Rohan who built the opulent palace. The mystery comes because the necklace was stolen and never found. (The events are even more dramatic than Alexandre Dumas’ “Three Musketeers”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affair_of_the_Diamond_Necklace)

A 14th century cloister in Saverne displays 17th century frescoes © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We walk to a 14th century cloister, a stunning example of Gothic architecture with a garden where medicinal herbs were cultivated; it is ringed by a portico and impressive 17th century frescoes which tell of a trial.

We walk to the Hotel de Ville – the city hall – a stunning historic building that manifests the city’s mix of culture: a Germanic balcony and a French balcony.

Saverne’s historic Town Hall © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It is adjacent to the oldest and most ornate building still standing, Maison Katz. Built in 1605 by Henri Katz, the Receiver General of the Bishopric, its beautiful façade of sculpted timber is a superb example of the German Renaissance style. Today, it is a popular restaurant. (Taverne Katz, 80 Grand’Rue 67700 Saverne, +33 (0)3 88 71 16 56, https://www.tavernekatz.com/en/restaurant).

The stunning decoration of Maison Katz, dating from the 17th century, in Saverne © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Befitting wealthy property, it is also very close to the Church Notre Dame, built in the 12-15th centuries, with Romanesque arch and a Gothic interior. Remarkably, the Chapel has the original 15th century stained glass; the rest has stained glass from the 19th century.

Church Notre-Dame in Saverne dates from the 12th century © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Musée du Château de Rohan

We walk next to the Château de Rohan, overlooking the Marne-Rhine Canal that we have been cruising. Historically the residence of the bishops of Strasbourg, it was rebuilt by Cardinal de Rohan in 1779 in neoclassical style with magnificent gardens and a 140-meter-long façade made of Vosges sandstone (like the Notre-Dame of Strasbourg).

Chateau de Rohan has been called the “Versailles of Alsace,” and today is Saverne’s city museum © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The palace today houses the city museum. Founded in 1858, the museum exhibits art from the churches and castle of Saverne, a large archeological collection of Roman and Celtic artifacts from the excavation of the Marne-Rhine Canal, the collection of 20th century and ethnological art donated by feminist journalist and politician Louise Weiss, and a fascinating exhibit about her life and times.

Weiss trained as a teacher (against her family’s wishes), and throughout World War I worked as a war nurse and founded a hospital; from 1918-1934, she published a magazine, L’Europe nouvelle. In the 1920s, she left France to see the world “to discover true meaning,” spending time in Communist Russia, meeting Lenin and Trotsky. From 1935 to the beginning of World War II she committed herself to women’s suffrage and ran for Parliament in 1936. She was active in the French Resistance during the war and was the chief editor of a secret magazine. After World War II, she said she knew nothing of Asian people, and again set off to travel the world. In 1979 she became a member of the European Parliament. She died in 1983.She said her only regret in life was not being a candidate for president. She reminds me of a French Eleanor Roosevelt. (I learn later there is a statue of Louise Weiss at the fountain in the square.)

I walk back to the boat just before 6 pm, arriving as a trio comes on board, to regale us with French (“C’est si bon”) and gypsy jazz. Fabulous.

A French Jazz trio entertains us aboard the Panache © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The joy from the music carries over into dinner: trout with a tomato crumble; cod with tapioca and black garlic; a scrumptious dessert of strawberry with elderflower (that Chef Leo picked from his own garden that day). Every dish is so imaginative, distinctive, and magnificently presented.

Chef Leo, who typically introduces the main course, explains that the cod is cooked slowly at low temperature, the black garlic sauce made with burnt shallots. It gives a wonderful, unexpected flavor. “I love experimenting with different flavors,” he tells us.

One of Chef Leo’s delectable dessert creations © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The white wine is Grand Cru Alsatian Reisling, House of August; the red a Grand Vin d’Alsace, Pino Noir (2012).

The cheeses this evening include a creamy, buttery cow’s milk cheese, cousin to Brie; Abondance, a semi-firm cow’s milk cheese from Haute-Savoie, aged for three months on spruce blocks that has a delightful walnut taste; and Bleu de Gex, a creamy, semi-soft blue cheese made from unpasteurized milk in the Jura region).

Day 5 Saverne to Lutzelbourg

Going through the highest lock on the Marne au Rhin canal, in Saverne © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Leaving Saverne, we go through the most dramatic and highest lock of all – it must be 30 feet high. I watch this feat, then hop off with the bike to ride the route to Lutzelbourg.

European Waterways’ luxury hotel barge Panache cruises on the Marne au Rhin canal from Saverne © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I return to the boat, just in time to see Chef Leo give us a cooking demonstration of the passionfruit crème brulee he is making in response to Sue’s request. It is so much fun to watch his preparation – Captain Brian pitches in, too.

We take note of a (tongue-in-cheek) “firing board” in which Captain Brian keeps tabs on who is in the running to get fired – whoever has the least checkmarks at the end of the quarter gets a prize.

Chef Leo gives the Panache guests a cooking demonstration of his passionfruit crème brulee © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Lunch features asparagus and cream; beef with cheesy mash potatoes (vegetarian option salmon) and the passionfruit crème brulee (parfait!). The wines are an Alsatian Riesling, Lieu Dit Burg, and an Alsace Pinot Noir (2018), Famille Hugel.

Chef Leo’s passionfruit crème brulee © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

After lunch, we are driven to the Lalique Museum.

Lalique Museum

Situated in the picturesque village of Wingen-sur-Moder, Lalique Museum celebrates the work of the jewelry designer and glassmaker, Rene Lalique.

Lalique founded his workshop here in 1921. Throughout his lifetime, Lalique crafted jewelry, medals, perfume bottles, vases, chandeliers and glass, and we swoon seeing the collection of more than 650 of Lalique’s most stunning creations, which incorporate enamel, precious stones, and glass, gloriously displayed, with fascinating video projections and huge photographs to tell the story of the Lalique dynasty.

Stunning examples of Renee Lalique’s creations are on view at the Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The hallmark of Rene Lalique’s jewelry design was its exquisite precision and tiny detail in the insects, fauna, flowers– you can see the wind fluttering the flower petals, every feather on a bird, a hair comb in the Japanese style has a rising sun.

“All were his ideas, his designs. He designed every piece and could name to whom sold. Renee Lalique was a control freak – he never slept more than 3 hours.”

He was on the forefront of the Art Nouveau movement but was regarded as too modern, too eccentric for Catholic sensibility, she tells us. “Too modern for Cartier. But this became the fashion.”

Rene Lalique drew his inspiration from Egypt, from Japan, from the Middle Ages, but gave these inspirations a totally new expression, his own stamp.

He became famous after winning a gold medal at the 1900 Exposition, a celebration of modernism in which electricity in Paris and the first subway were unveiled, attended by some 50 million visitors.

Rene was as brilliant a businessman as he was an artist, inventor and entrepreneur, pioneering branding, marketing, merchandising techniques. “Every perfumer demanded a new bottle, a special stopper.”  

Stunning examples of Renee Lalique’s creations are on view at the Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

He created a joint advertising/marketing campaign (perhaps the first) with the perfumer, Molinar. “He created demand for the next collection, for perfume, then for toilet water.”

For the 1925 Exposition, he created a17-meter high glass fountain that looked like stone during the day but was lighted at night. “People then didn’t have electricity at home – it was too modern for Paris.” At the exposition’s end, he sold the statues as a limited edition.

Stunning examples of Renee Lalique’s creations are on view at the Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We learn how Renee Lalique, who lived from 1860-1945, innovated new techniques and modern mass-production processes. Though Rene knew the process to turn regular glass into crystal (by adding lead), it was his son, Marc, who took over upon his death in 1945, that steered the company into crystal glass production.

There has been a glass factory in Alsace since the 15th century and they still find pieces. Lalique, who had been producing glass in Paris, came here in 1921 and built a modern factory to produce flat glass (it was cheaper here than Paris and the French government, which had regained control of Alsace after the war, provided funding to build the factory.)

Stunning examples of Renee Lalique’s creations are on view at the Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The museum, which was conceived in 2000 and opened in 2011, is housed in an old glass factory that dates from 1750, producing flat glass for windows, that closed in 1868. The Lalique factory that is still in use – the only Lalique factory in the world – no longer has any members of the Lalique family involved.

After three generations of Lalique had led the company, with no heirs to inherit, Rene’s granddaughter, Marie-Claude Lalique, sold the company in 1994 to the Pochet Group; it was acquired in 2008 by Arts et Fragrance, a Swiss group owned by Silvio Denz. (Marie-Claude Lalique died in 2003.)

Stunning examples of Renee Lalique’s creations are on view at the Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Because the Swiss bought the factory and exclusive rights to the Lalique name, our guide tells us, it was difficult to create a museum with Lalique name, but the museum, funded by the state, the Alsace region and the village, ultimately won.

Everything is produced here in the factory (which we don’t see) – “a timeless collection,” our guide says.

The delightful tour finishes with a marvelous video showing production in today’s factory. There is also a wonderful shop.

Musee Lalique, 40 rue du Hochberg, Wingen-sur-Moder, phone +33 3 88 89 08 14, https://www.musee-lalique.com/en/

La Petite Pierre

The 15th century castle at Le Petite Pierre © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

From here, we drive to the hilltop town of La Petite Pierre where there is a 15th century castle. It is late in the afternoon (the setting sun makes for gorgeous colors), and the village looks absolutely vacant, abandoned – almost like a movie set. We walk the ramparts of the castle.

La Petite Pierre seems like a movie set © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Our drive back to Lutzelbourg takes us passed Wingen-sur-Moder, the World War II battleground where American infantry fought with distinction.

The ruins of Château du Lutzelbourg © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

But our adventure is not over – we drive up to the top of a rocky promontory, 322 meters high, that overlooks the Zorn valley, the town of Lutzelbourg, the canal and the Panache to walk among the ruins of the Château du Lutzelbourg. Built by Pierre de Lutzelbourg in the 11th century, the castle was destroyed in 1523; in 1840, the ruins of the castle were to be sold to build the railway but saved from demolition by Adolf Germain, a notary in Phalsbourg. In 1900, the owner at the time, Eugene Koeberle, excavated the ruins. The ruins we visit are more interesting that the intact structures – especially in the late afternoon light. And what a view!

The ruins of Château du Lutzelbourg © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

People can hike up a trail (and down) from the town, and I am itching to hike back down to the Panache, but am discouraged because it is too late in the evening.

The view from Château du Lutzelbourg © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We are greeted back on board with “French 75,” a cocktail of gin, champagne, lemon juice and sugar syrup (delicious).

Dinner starts with John Dory served like cerviche, with mint and horseradish in a “veil” gelatin with black lemon, Chef Leo shows us the dried black lemon he uses – it comes from Iran where it is dried for month and presents a smokey, lemon flavor. It is sensational.

Chef Leo’s John Dory served with mint and horseradish in a “veil” gelatin with black lemon © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The entrée is a perfectly prepared lamb with truffle and cauliflower with amazing, rich flavors that burst (monkfish is the option for vegetarians)

Chef Leo’s dinner entree of lamb with truffle has amazing, rich flavors that burst © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The wines are a Beaune Premier Cru Basion, 2017 Domaine Chanson Chardonnay, and Gasies Margaux 2014 Bordeaux. The cheeses tonight include Tomme de Brebis, a Basque-style cheese half cow, half sheep milk; a Munster from Alsace and Bleu d’Auvergne. The dessert is a phenomenal blueberry tart with white chocolate mousse.

Chef Leo’s blueberry tart with white chocolate mousse © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Chef Leo sits down to chat with us after the meal. The 28-year old is spending his first season on the barge hotel. Born in central France, he knew since he was just four years old that the only job he wanted was to be a chef. “My grandma cooked. I loved eating.” He moved when he was 14 to attend catering school. He spent 7 years in Alsace and 2 years in London learning pastry.

“I’ve been in many places, many helpful places.” He likes the freedom of having his own kitchen, doing his own shopping, creating his own recipes. “When I fail, it’s my fault. If I could, I would be 24 hours in the kitchen.”

Chef Leo, aboard European Waterways’ Panache, says he loves to experiment with flavors © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
 

He says he feeds the crew what the guests eat. “They don’t deserve it,” he jokes. “We have a budget for the crew but I pilfer to feed them the same so they understand what I am serving you.”

His dream (of course) is to have his own restaurant, near Colmar in Alsace.

I tell him his plating is gorgeous. He says his friend is a gallerist. “She helped me with art – color, textures, shapes. Presentation is half of the dish.”

I ask his flavor philosophy. “Really clear and simple – not more than 3-4 items on plate. Popping flavor. I’m always trying new stuff. On the barge, I am free to try. Every week I have new ‘guinea pigs.’ I always try to improve myself in the kitchen. It’s best to learn on my own.”

I think we really lucked out on this European Waterways barge hotel canal cruise.

The Panache in Lutzelbourg as morning fog lifts © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The next morning, we wake to an atmospheric fog, and as the Panache cruises and I cycle away enroute to Niderviller where the cruise will end, we get a last view of the tops of the ruins of Chateau de Lutzelbourg.

European Waterways, 1-877-879-8808, www.europeanwaterways.com.

See also:

EUROPEAN WATERWAYS’ PANACHE HOTEL BARGE CRUISES FRANCE’S ALSACE-LORRAINE CANALS IN LUXURY

EUROPEAN WATERWAYS ALSACE-LORRAINE CANAL CRUISE: STRASBOURG’S CATHEDRAL, WINE TASTING ON ROUTE DES VINS

Next: A Boat Guillotine, Two Tunnels and a Chagall

_______________________

© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures