We didn't rush this morning. No need to rush. We just had to load the bikes and point them towards Mulhouse. We barely had to pedal, but we did, to keep from being bored.
Down to the Rhine we go.
Very pretty scenery with forested foothills surrounding us.
Today is Sunday. Dimache. Not much is open in France on Dimanche. So we had to be careful not to miss the turn off to Saint Armarin. We knew there was a bakery open until noon, we were pleasantly surprised to find a market there too, with a "queue right down the street".
Note the middle photo. The town square with the market. And families sitting eating and drinking wine. At 10:20 am. 🥂
Apparently Saint Armarin will be a location for part of the Tour de France this year (also part of our Tour de France 😉). And they are very excited to host.
Another successful Boulangerie stop and back to our scenic tour.
At this rest stop we watched as a young boy had his training wheels removed by Grand papa and he had his first try at cycling without them. He was very shy, so I didn't film it. But we all watched.
The route took us through many small towns. We found ourselves in a village called Thann and suddenly came upon this massive Cathedral.
From internet research:
Situated in the centre of the old town, the church known as the Collégiale is good example of the style of Gothic architecture that flourished in the Rhine valley in the late Middle Ages. The Cathedrals of Strasbourg and Freiburg in Germany are also built in a similar style.
The building owes its name "La collégiale" to the college of monks who moved to Thann from the nearby town of Saint-Amarin in 1442. Construction of the collégiale took more than 200 years, from the end of the 13th Century through the 15th Century, and was completed in 1516 with the 78m tall spire.
It was quite astonishing to happen upon in this little town. The streets were all decorated too.
Back to the beautiful countryside we followed the Thur river on a bike somewhat busy bike path "Hello Bonjour Hello Bonjour". We passed a few climbing walls as well.
At one point it sounded like a woodpecker was very close by. We stopped and looked up to find a Stork, in this massive nest, right in the bike path. And she was clapping her beak open and closed. It was quite a sound and quite a sight!
We finished our "glide ride" in Mulhouse. (It sounds very different when the French say it, more like mullhooze.)
It is a big campground and checking in we were told we could simply choose where ever we wanted to stay. We asked for a recommendation and Chalet 56 was suggested. There are many little chalets here and this one is not rented, and has a big covered front porch. We pitched the tent as the rain started. And we have spent the evening hours on our little porch (complete with table and chairs and drying rack) as we watched and listened to another round of dramatic thunderstorms pass through.
There are dozens of clever little cottages here to rent. There is also a pool and a bike storage house, and a communal room with kitchen, comfy seats and electrical outlets.
It is a nice place to start our Alsace Adventure.
Stay tuned!
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