Let's start with a small tour of the Abbaye des Prémontrés, where our hotel is located. Classified as a historical monument in 1919, the Abbey was built between 1705 and 1735 by two Premonstratensian architects, and is a beautiful example of baroque monastic architecture.
The Premonstratensian community of Sainte-Marie-aux-Bois arrived in Pont-à-Mousson around 1608 and built the majestic abbey a century later. In the 19th century, the abbey was used by a minor diocesan seminary before serving as a civilian and military hospital beginning in 1912. The building was heavily damaged in 1944. In 1964, after considerable reconstruction, the abbey became a cultural centre for diverse activities.
The refrectory, now breakfast room for the hotel's guests, is prepared to serve large groups.
1I have many more pictures, too many for here, and we didn't even see half of what there was to see. A self-guided audio tour was available, but it was time to get on the road for our last day of cycling.
Janos drove the car to Metz, it wasn't going to get there by itself, and decided not to cycle to meet us today since it would entail cycling the city's streets on the way out and back, not so much fun. I met Susan and Kathleen on the bike path at 10:30 and we were off. Today was again grey and chilly, we had some short spells of rain, enough to make it worth while to put on the rain jackets but not enough to get soaked. Not bad considering we thought the whole tour might get rained out!
Waiting for my pals, the wall outside of their lodgings
The path is paved, flat and pleasant. It would certainly be most interesting early spring when there is no foliage to block the views to the network of waterways we are riding through.
When we rolled in, Janos was downstairs in front of the hotel waiting for us. Easy to time since he could follow me using the live tracking feature on Komoot.
The Cycleblazer Moselle Quartett - thumbs up and more smiles for our successful adventure!
Today Kathleen was staying at a hotel near the train station to facilitate an easier get-away, Susan, Janos and I are at the hotel where we stayed at the beginning of our tour. We all retired to our respective rooms for rest and clean up before we met for our last meal together, today at a good Italian restaurant about halfway between Kathleen's and our hotel. Too bad I didn't get any pictures of the memorable occasion. After dinner we took a little walk through town and then it was time to say farewell. That wasn't easy, we had been such a good team and we knew we were going to miss each other. But who knows when and where we will meet again. Big thanks to Kathleen and Susan for their wonderful companionship, and of course to Janos for his tremendous contributions to our trip.
This isn't quite the end. I still have the ride home to report on so stay tuned.
