Biking in France: the Wine Road 10/08/10

Alsace is my favorite region in France for a lot of reasons; it’s going to be a bit difficult for me to focus this post on our two-wheeled adventures without first enthusing just a leeeetle bit about this under-explored region. To set the scene: here’s Dottie and me in Strasbourg, along the canal overlooking La Petite France. A bit worse for the wear after our 7-hour plane ride and 2.5-hour train ride, but definitely happy to be there.

The entire city center of Strasbourg is a UNESCO heritage site and is full of beautiful timbered houses. Since it is home to a large university, there is a large number of cyclists.

The next two photos were taken with my camera by Dottie, and I just noticed that I am in the background of the first one.

The countryside looks like this.

Exploring it by bike on a beautiful fall day was an amazing way to spend a lazy afternoon. I had big plans for renting bikes in Colmar and embarking on a 40km ride through several villages. Between the advice of the bike rental guy and the condition of the bikes we were renting, it seemed prudent to change our itinerary, and instead we took an easy, 18km ride to the village of Eguisheim. Less time on the bike, but more time to wander, eat and taste wines like this one.

and eat tarte flambée (this one came from Dottie’s camera)

and take pictures like this one (yup, Dottie taking a picture of me, taking a picture of her — we’re cool like that)

and this one (of one of our rental bikes in Wittelsheim, taken by Dottie with her Polaroid SX-70 and expired 600 film.)

Here are some snaps of us along the way!

Eguisheim

By the time we rolled back into Colmar, it was late afternoon.

Just enough time before our train for un apéro.

beer goggles?

All in all, a good day’s adventure.