May 28, 2024
To Hattonchâtel
The destination today was Château de Hattonchâtel, perched high above the Woüvre Valley about halfway between the Moselle and Meuse Rivers. Originally built as a fortress in 859, the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the last three centuries, with the final restoration completed in 1928. It is now a hotel, restaurant and venue for special events.
Janos and Suzanne decided to drive over to Hattonchâtel, so our group of four was reduced to two cyclists – a dynamic duo if I say so myself. Kathleen and I set off along the Moselle cycle path toward Nancy, traveling light as most of our gear was accompanying Janos and Suzanne. For the first ten miles, the route zig-zagged between the narrow strips of land and waterways on a well-marked tree-lined trail. We crossed to the west side of the Moselle just above Novéant-sur-Moselle where we stopped at a nice little boulangerie seeking a sweet treat for our elevenses break. The bakery had sold out of croissants, but the spunky shopkeeper convinced us that the flan was superb. We added pork turnovers to the order and found a spot in the sun to refuel ourselves before turning west toward the Meuse River.
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The ride changed dramatically once we left the Moselle, bidding farewell to the tree-lined cycle path and welcoming the big sky and open landscape of the Lorraine countryside. As Kathleen exclaimed – “this is what I came to France for!”. We began a gentle climb through the Parc Naturel Region de Lorraine, cycling along the La Gorzia River to Gorze, one of the few towns along the route. The route steepened a bit past Gorze, a gradual uphill that reached its high point as we crossed into the Meurthe-et-Moselle Department just east of Chambley-Bussières. We turned north and enjoyed a long undulating downhill on wonderful cycling roads, soaking up the sunshine and stopping often for pictures.
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As we passed through the small town of Puxieux I pulled off into the church courtyard for our lunch break - it was a perfect spot with a bench in the sun. Kathleen had stopped to photograph a weathered building and I stood in the street waving to get her attention, much to the amusement of two town residents working in their yard. She eventually joined me and as we sat finishing our bakery turnovers one of the men crossed the street to ask if we'd like a bottle of water. Mais oui! He returned moments later with a large bottle of spring water, a tradition for passing cyclists, he explained. Michel then went on to tell us of all the avid cyclists in the town, himself included. It was all in very rapid French, but I clung to what I understood and over the next twenty minutes we engaged in a delightful conversation on topics ranging from the current population and life of Puxieux’s 300 residents, to the town's history during the two World Wars, to the current state of US-European relationships. We finally tore ourselves away, very thankful for this chance encounter that enriched us all.
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It began to cloud up as the day wore on and a light wind blew in from the northwest. We stopped in Saint-Maurice-sous-les-Côtes for a short rest before the big climb up to Hattonchâtel – 1.3 miles averaging almost 7%. It was a steady climb that seemed tamer in real life than on paper, and after topping out there was a nice gentle downhill to the town and the château. We stowed our bikes in the garage and retreated to our well-appointed rooms where I got ready for my online French class.
Dinner was at the Chateau was in the “grand dining room named La Salle de Burgraves.” It was a set menu, three or four courses with a couple of options for each course. I mistakenly ate Kathleen’s starter, leaving her with “mushy root vegetables” that she usually shuns. Janos deemed the wine excellent and we all agreed that the meal generally good - though it may not have lived up to the chef’s ambitions it was a memorable dining experience. A special meal to end to a glorious day.
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Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 1,139 miles (1,833 km)
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5 months ago