Saverne to Obernai - From Munich to Spain to France - CycleBlaze

June 27, 2024

Saverne to Obernai

Into the Alsatian wine region

Heart 0 Comment 0

We opted for a late breakfast at 9:30 which was a positive change of pace because for once it wasn't a buffet.  We had three choices but opted for the “healthy choice” which turned out to be a well-presented small plate of salmon, avocado, greens, cheese, bread (of course), a poached egg and tomato water.  I loved the last one - it's  like tomato juice but has no pulp  - and I drank a whole bunch of it in anticipation of a hot day.

Before setting off on our planned cycle route we rode up a few km to Chateau du Haut-Barr just to get our heart rates going. Komoot wanted us to come up this route but we declined and took the paved road instead 😎

This trail drops off precipitously around the corner.
Heart 0 Comment 0

This is a ruined castle constructed in the 1100s on a sandstone rock that is now a tourist attraction. There are 4 ruined chateaus in the same vicinity each dating from roughly the same time period. Stringing them together is a popular hiking route.   There were great views as you can see.

Heart 0 Comment 0
All roads lead to . . .
Heart 0 Comment 0
The approach to the first castle.
Heart 2 Comment 0
A nice looking restaurant is now part of the site.
Heart 1 Comment 0
Heart 2 Comment 0
Another of the ruins plus the view back down to the valley.
Heart 0 Comment 0

All this makes us feel the Saverne region would be an appealing place to spend a  week - on or off the bike.

Afterwards we headed south for 44 km to Obernai and there was a significant amount of the ride that was on a cycle trail. It suddenly felt very recreational, as we passed a campground and there were many cyclists doing day rides. We also started seeing way more vineyards rather than crop production of wheat, corn, beans, etc.

Heart 2 Comment 0
Heart 3 Comment 0
Suddenly the land was covered in vineyards.
Heart 1 Comment 0
Riesling grapes starting to appear on the vines.
Heart 2 Comment 0

In Molsheim we stopped for lunch. As usual we struggled with the typical French closures at 2pm and wound up eating at a sit down bakery.  We met 4 Americans from Nevada, who had ridden their rental bikes from Strasbourg - a common excursion.

The Nevadan cyclists.
Heart 2 Comment 1
Karen PoretHello from Lake Tahoe! ( if you live on “that” side of the lake..;)
Reply to this comment
5 months ago


Molsheim was charming, which we subsequently learned was typical of the Alsatian towns in this region. I’ll be saying that a lot. Sorry for the repetition: I need to come up with some synonyms for “charming” and “lovely” for the rest of these charming and lovely towns in the Alsace!

We had a nice downhill swing into Obernai at about 3 pm to the Hotel Due Diligence. It was a relief to walk into the lobby and feel the ac going as it was a very hot day. We had booked a “medium”room (which cost a little more than the “ cozy” room) and honestly the medium room was so small that I can’t imagine the size of the cozy room. Nonetheless, the room was modern and pleasant and the coolness was a relief.

Heart 1 Comment 0

The hotel had reported in advance how important it was to book dinner reservations so I had picked a place that took a reservation online, not exactly the most food-forward way to pick a restaurant, but in France it’s hard to get a bad meal so we don’t worry about it too much. Despite being self-described foodies, we can’t spend endless energy finding cool restaurants, nor can we eat large amazing meals every night. In any event, the restaurant I had selected called Les Chignole,  turned out to be a hole-in-the-wall French steak place (not our usual pick).  We walked in early - if you eat at 7 pm you will be the first people in the restaurant and sit in an empty restaurant for an hour. Sometimes that works out really well because we tend to be a little more clueless than the average European diner and may need a little more attention, sadly enough.

It turned out to be a really fun night. There were two people working - Lara at the front of the house and a chef in the tiny kitchen. The menu was tiny and all meat -mostly steak - and the only vegetarian menu item was one starter. Lara had just been on a holiday and had spoken a lot of English there so she was pretty brushed up on her English. 

We chose a couple of unusual starters; sardines which had been diced and mixed with oil and herbs, and “gougeres” which were a puff pastry stuffed with bits of chorizo and cheese. We split a steak and green salad along with a side of ratatouille. At home that steak would have lasted 4 meals but we felt virtuous splitting it for one meal! The fun part was learning that this was a family restaurant. The mother of our charming waitress, Lara, sauntered in (a typically  gorgeous French woman) with Dolly, a very cute dog, and of course we dug Dolly. Then, Lara’s “man” came in - Joe - and it was just a fun scene. Getting the pic below was very engaging. A good evening.

Lara, her man, mom & pup.
Heart 2 Comment 0

Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 2,054 km (1,276 miles)

Rate this entry's writing Heart 9
Comment on this entry Comment 1
Steve Miller/GrampiesCharming ='s quaint, lovely, delightful, typical, atmospheric, and so on. It does get hard to come up with new descriptors when every town is even better than the ones that came before.
Reply to this comment
5 months ago