Sat 28 Jun 2014 Cumulative distance 2684km
The rain started soon after we left Orschwiller and we re-acquainted ourselves with our rain gear. Our B&B hosts had told us that they had not had any rain in the valley for more than two months and everyone there was hoping for a serious downpour. The intensity fluctuated, at times heavy, at others barely a mist. The views into the Vosges mountains and across the valley to the Black Forest over the border in Germany were beautiful, with leaden skies and rows of ridges in graduated tones of grey.
Along the way we passed a field with several storks collecting food for their young. We have seen many storks in the last few days, mostly nesting high on roofs in prepared 'baskets' set there by the building owners, as it is considered good luck to have a stork on the roof. The large nests are currently crowded as the young storks, born in spring, have grown to be almost as large as their parents and are just about ready to fly. We have seen nests with as many as five storks - two adults and three young - quite a squeeze!
The rain eased in the late morning and we stopped in Colmar for morning coffee/tea. Colmar is yet another delightful old town with interesting streets, squares and buildings. An area that is crossed by canals of the river Lauch is now called "little Venice" (la Petite Venise). It is a popular tourist stop and there were two tourist trains circulating past the town's most notable attractions.
Departing Colmar and finding the 'Wine Route' bike path towards Mulhouse proved a little challenging (at one stage we found ourselves on the Autoroute on-ramp) but eventually we navigated across country and got back on track. The bike routes are scenic but typically take a less direct path than the roads and so by 1600, having covered more than 70km, we decided to seek accommodation and not continue on to Mulhouse. In Battenheim we found a pleasant old hotel, with a good restaurant, and soon had rooms for the night. Not long after the skies darkened again and a strong thunderstorm with lightning and heavy rain rolled through. Hope the farmers are happy!
Storks, storks, storks
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Colmar
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Orschwiller
Fri 27 Jun 2014 Cumulative distance 2612km
The ride up to Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg involved a steady 500m climb over about 8km (gradient 6-7%), a challenge even on unloaded bikes. Denis powered ahead while the rest adopted a more leisurely pace, arriving at the top about 7 minutes behind him. After a celebratory icecream we locked the bikes and spent an hour or more visiting the castle - a truly impressive construction with a long and interesting history.
The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic location on a rocky spur overlooking the Alsatian plain; as a result it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was restored under the direction of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist attraction, located on the Alsace wine route. (Wikipedia)
The ride down from the castle was exhilarating - long descents through the forest with many curves and occasional hairpins. The road surface was good, the traffic light and so we could really zoom along. We stopped for lunch in a small restaurant midway down and then continued on to Ribeauville to admire the superbly restored and maintained old village. Storks were in residence on various rooftops - considered to be a sign of good luck. The trip back to our B&B in Orschwiller took only another half hour and we settled down for a lazy afternoon, well pleased with our day's efforts.
Haut-Koenigsbourg
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Ribeauville
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