Day 11, 1 6 2013, Strasbourg to Dambach La Ville

We delayed leaving Strasbourg this morning as it was pouring rain.  This was forecast to stop later in the day, but it did not look promising.  So we went and ate pastries for breakfast at a local pattissirie and reluctantly rode out in our full wet weather gear at check out time.

Within 5Km the rain had stopped.  Within 10Km I had to stop to take off my wet weather gear as I was too hot, and there was no more rain for the day.

We have never found shoe covers for bicycle riding that actually work.  It doesn’t seem like rocket science, but there we are.  The photo shows Roz’ solution.  I just put up with wet feet, but not today.

The canal took us to Molshiem at the base of the Vognes mountain range and we followed the Alsace wine route.  The country looked a bit drab in the heavy overcast, but would be fantastic in sunshine.

We rode out on another canal and noticed, as we have over the last few days, that the cottages set up for the people who control the locks on the canal have fallen into serious disrepair, but are now being renovated.  They are often in very picturesque places.

The villages are the most extraordinary feature of today’s ride.  They are nestled in the foothills of the ranges, and are only a few kilometers apart.  They have retained many of their medieval half-timbered buildings, and look stunning.   These buildings are quirky and give each town an individual character.  They look more German than French, which is hardly surprising.  German or a dialect of it, seems to be the main language in this area of Alsace.

We stopped a bit after 4.00pm, as today is the first Saturday of summer, and I thought this might put pressure on accommodation.  We found a hotel easily in this village, and the proprietor told us that normally she would expect to be booked out, but had a lot of cancellations due to the weather.

We have ridden around 350Km since leaving Luxembourg, the vast majority of it on dedicated bike paths or bike routes through country lanes.  You have to do a very careful internet search using exactly the right terms, or come here and find out from the locals to find any of these routes.

62Km of easy and pleasant riding for the day.

Roz says:

Viva le plastic bags for dry shoes.

Difficult to leave warm dry hotel room this morning, it was pouring but had to escape the divine patisseries like eclairs etc before I exploded.

Rewarded with clear weather, low traffic and available bed.