Tour de Grand Est -Stage 2 continues rain or shine

We couldn't find a cobblestone-free route out of Kaysersberg, so we just went with it, and found the best Boulangerie in the village. 

The village is so quaint, quiet and floral. 

Back out into the vineyards and towards the canal. 

We could see castles along the Vosges foothills. 

(there is a castle on the hill, on the left).

At this little town we had to go under the train tracks - stairs for the people and a ramp for the bikes. The locals came to cheer us on, and were very excited to see our Cdn flags. 

Quite steep! But we made it. Down and up. 

Before we reached the canal we found some shade on the steps of a church. Morning snack is why we ride. 

And then. The canal. 

We had 80 KMS to do today, so we were not unhappy that we were headed down the canal. The air was cool, the wind was mostly at our backs and their were very few cyclists. 

Canals can be boring but this one was like a bird sanctuary. So many birds singing, finch swooping and crows sounding bossy and magpies complaining. There were swans with babies and cranes and ducks.  So I was entertained. 

And then the black clouds that had been following us, caught up. Big time. 

We found shelter under a bridge. With a German couple, who did not seem to be very happy with the rain, or each other, or us, whatever it was, they were not friendly.  We just enjoyed our lunch. We don't melt in the rain. 

More canal, more rain, another bridge stop. We had the place to ourselves this time. 

We passed this cool machine. He was sweeping the bottom / dredging / cutting the weeds. It was pretty cool.  A canal lawn mower. 

As we got closer to Strasbourg the canal got more and more beautiful. Tree lined. For many kilometers. Just gorgeous trees on both sides. It was so beautiful.  

We saw a few canal boats too, mostly used for housing now, I don't think it is a very active canal. 

Bridges were definitely our friends today, and underpasses and other shelter. When the rain came down it really came down hard, and the wind whipped up, and the lightning and thunder were impressive.  We had to take shelter a half dozen times. 

But we eventually got to Strausborg, and we have a lovely loft air BNB.  Just right here, where the little red car is parked. We are on the top floor. And yes there is an elevator, but no it doesn't work 😳. 

After 81 kms, and several mms of rain, we were so happy to have a warm place to shelter, and even some comfort food to warm us up. 

Everything we brought has been washed and now has all day tomorrow to dry.  

Speaking of comfort food, we found a Creperie for dinner. Happy memories of Brittany (and similar weather ☔)

Our evening walk took us to the Cathedral. It is honestly, breathtaking. I was speechless at the site of it. 

Strasbourg Cathedral is over one thousand years old. Construction of the original, on the exact site of a Roman temple, was initiated in 1015 but later destroyed by a fire. The second wave of construction started in the 12th century, when the Gothic style of architecture had started to develop. Just to give an idea of the scale of the undertaking, it took the entire 13th century to build the nave, and the delicate spire was completed in 1439.

The sheer size of the structure is overwhelming, and the incredible number of and details in each carved piece is astounding. 

Hard to capture, but also hard to stop taking photos. 

We will see more tomorrow as we give our bikes a day off, we plan to explore Strausborg on foot. 

Good night from Strausborg.  

Tour de Grand Est - Stage 2 - Colmar & Kaysersberg

The cycle out of Mulhouse was pretty. Paths along the river and plenty of safe bike lanes. 

We went straight to Decathalon, one of our favourite places 🤣. And this was a full Decathalon Village complete with Boulangerie and outside shaded tables. We made a new friend, Noemie, who helped us get our extra tube, rim tape and sunscreen. She had so many suggestions of where we should go, and she was so enthusiastic that she took our email address to send us more ideas. She loves cycle touring. All set. 

 

We headed to Colmar. The Vosges on our left and on our right, the Rhine valley and Germany in the distance. 

 

Very interesting industry along the way. What the heck is that? 

Yesterday I was so excited to see a Stork. Today we must have seen 20. They were flying over us, in nests above us and even standing on the bike path at one point. 

I did some reading to find out that Storks return to the same nest each year, when they migrate from Africa to spend the warmer months in Europe.  They are considered a good omen, more storks means a better farming year, and farmers encourage nests on their property for good fortune. No wonder there are so many. 

Always another beautiful church to admire. 

Our lunch stop was a quiet little town, with big trees and a little stream. 

This little bus stop was so cute. It houses a library and a mail box. What more could you ask for?

 

It was a perfect day for cycling. About 23 degrees and the wind at our backs. We stopped at a pick your own strawberry farm and enjoyed some samples. 

We found ourselves on the Wine Route. Cycling along through vineyards. The vines all look super healthy and green and lush. No sign of grapes yet, but I am sure they won't be long now. The strawberry farmer told us the asparagus crop has already been harvested, and the strawberries were ripe and sweet. 

We are still in France. But we are also on the German border. And well, ya, they have a lot of letters in their place names here. Good for scrabble! 

Colmar was our first "tourist" destination. "It is such a cute little town" we heard. It was not just us with the idea. There were SO many people on the little cobblestoned roads. It was overwhelming. Seriously congested.  Picturesque for sure. 

This is the description. 

Colmar is a town in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, near the border with Germany. Its old town has cobblestone streets lined with half-timbered medieval and early Renaissance buildings. The Gothic 13th-century, Eglise Saint-Martin church stands on central Place de la Cathédrale. The city is on the Alsace Wine Route, and local vineyards specialize in Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines.

We stopped and enjoyed some Alsace cuisine on a shaded patio, and we watched the tourists go by (and by and by and by). Marc had the meat, I had the asparagus. 

We don't usually stop for lunch. It was fun. We had good service and good food, but it was really hard to get going again. We had another 10 KMS to go to camping so off we went (shut up legs).  

More vineyards and now castles!

From research:

Former city of empire, Kaysersberg has its imperial castle. Built around 1200 in order to block the roads coming from Lorraine, the village is an important strategic place in the war between the Empire and the Dukes of Lorraine. An enormous cylindrical keep, one of the oldest round keeps in Alsace, whose walls are more than 4 m thick, is a curiosity in itself.

The castle looks quite beautiful as you approach the little town. And the town was just as cute as Colmar and much less busy. 

After more cobblestones than our arms and legs wanted, we found our campground waiting. 

A walk around here and, as Marc says, it is like going to the Outdoor Show. Every kind of camper and camper van and table and chair and sunshade set up you can imagine. And everyone has a dog. We enjoy our walks around, and as people pass our little set up we definitely get a few comments (usually in a language I don't know, but I smile and wave 😀🤚). 

No table or chairs for us tonight, but our Tyvek sheet serves us well, both as a table and a tablecloth 😂 and we have shade. 

Another 70 km completed. 

Tomorrow we end in Strasbourg.

And will have a day off our pedals to explore. 

Good night, thanks for coming along.