Castles, Vineyards and Villages: Mittelburgheim to Riquewihr
Today we had a great ride through the vineyards and small villages of Alsace gradually heading for Colmar. Flowers are everywhere in the villages which are rated 1 - 4 stars based on their respective displays in some kind of a competition. We sampled a few grapes along the way. The vineyards are busy with the harvest of grapes now underway. We decided this morning to slow down and really enjoy this area. The actual bike riding is so much fun it is hard not to keep going but there is so much to see in each little village we really need to take our time.
We are spending the evening in the town of Riquewihr in the foothills of the Volges. The fortified town is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France. The old town dates back to the 15th century. We strolled through the village which was busy with tourists who were mostly the retirement crowd. As our neighbour Rosemary says, in September the seniors get moving. Riquewihr really is beautiful and deserves its reputation, but when we think back to teeny Mittelburgheim yesterday which is not so touristy and yet in our minds just as beautiful, we are not sure which we enjoy more. There is something magical about having a town to yourself. One of the great things about bike touring is finding hidden gems that you might blow through in a car. Bergheim, where we had coffee was beautiful. One of the towns we rode through today, Itterswiller, was particularly beautiful and was another spot we could have stayed. Ditto for Ribeauville where one of the ponies was voting to stay. We will leave you guessing which one.
We are now into some hills after the first dozen days cycling on level terrain. No drama today ...just a scenic pleasant ride in the sunshine through the foothills of the Vosges. It actually got hot today, 28 C. We had a glass of wine in the village in short sleeve shirts and shorts and watched the world go by in the early evening. Then we did another vineyard hike. The views were amazing.
The camera battery died early in the morning and we used Keith's iphone for pictures, and on a beautiful sunny day, many of them are dark...he will be cleaning the lens immediately. They are all we have though!
The little dot down the highway is the GTW ... Well out of range! Doesn't look like it but this a hill!
Mimi, the chienne of the day. She was too busy being friendly to pose, so had to be picked up. Every chien/chienne/hund we have met this trip has had the most lovely people attached (except Oscar the shy one whose human wasn't around) and we have had many great conversations as a result.
