Vines, vines and fine wines: St. Martin to Klingenmunster

September 1, 2016

What a day! The weather has been unbelievable and we are soaking it up. Each day begins with a thorough slathering of SPF 60 sunscreen everywhere that will be exposed. I put my windbreaker on this morning, but removed it in the first 100 meters. It is warm.

Our bikes, which spent the night copied up to each other in the winery store room.

Ready to go in the courtyard. Jacket removed before we got moving.

We passed these people on the way out of town. This should last them a week or two.

It was a beautiful ride. Once more very up and down, which ruins daily distances but is very rewarding in terms of views. We loved all the little villages, which are winery after winery and narrow streets. They are often at the top of a hill so you climb in and coast out. The views are stunning.

Interior of a cathedral in one of the villages.

Now, all was going smoothly. I was perfectly happy. We were vineyard riding, my favourite, the weather was amazing and we had just stopped at a lovely spot for a cold drink and a snack. Here are the views.

Not just vines. This was along the bike path.

Here is a typical bike path through the vineyards.

The chief navigator had plotted a route which included Landau, and over my objections we headed in that direction. Getting into Landau was beautiful, but getting out proved to be difficult. We started, stopped, turned around more times than I can count. When we finally got on the right route there was the dreaded umleitung and the bridge we needed was closed. The chief navigator told me I was very patient. Hah! I have ridden some streets in Landau more often than the residents. All this took a tremendous amount of time.

The ride through the forest was cool and a nice change, although I think my body language in this picture shows my reluctance!

This guy was a bit surprised to find two Canadians next to his pasture.

And then we were dazed and confused...or the CN was anyway. I just kept gamely following him. Here is the temperature at the time.

Then we saw nirvana at the top of a hill. We rode up...a few more stars than we usually go for, but an infinity pool, views, a Michelin starred restaurant so we figured time for a splurge. Fully booked. Yes they were. We even asked about a single room with a cot, but they were truly fully booked. Down the hill we went.

The good news is we carried on just a little further to Klingenmunster and are in a lovely hotel. It has been altogether a fabulous day.

It was a swoop down into the valley, a big climb back up and then a final swoop down into the village. So I suspect that means a climb out in the morning!

Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 224 km (139 miles)

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