To Colmar.

July 27, 2024

A rolling day along the Alsace.

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As we sit in our room at at the end of today's ride at the lovely Hotel Turenne here in Colmar, I'm finding it difficult to write about the happenings of today because it's all a sensory blur, really. What I can tell you, though, is that it's raining outside, and we're both well fed and really enjoying sitting on the bed and watching the Olympics at the end of a long day of riding. After nine days of riding, we're due for a break; and this might explain my brain fog recollecting the day's events. So, today's post is going to be a short one.

For the most part of today's ride we followed the infamous Route des Vins, which also shares the route with the Eurovelo 5, and leads you along small rolling rural farming lanes nestled amongst vast swaths of vineyards. It was not uncommon for us today to have to pull over and make way for a tractor, hay bale maker or grape vine trimmer. And, we also shared our route today with countless cycle tourers, and we were surprised to see how popular touring on e-bikes has become over the last few years.

As we approached Barr, it was time for a break and we headed into town just as the market was setting up. If you've never been to France and have experienced the market culture, it's something to behold. Markets are usually set up for only a few hours a day in the morning. Imagine a town square overrun with vendors of all sorts, and the ones with meat and cheeses have their own transportable refrigerated stalls. Think of your local deli, except that it's on wheels. Some markets are larger than others, but you'll always find the bread vendor, cheese vendor, meat vendor, olive vendor, fruits and veggies, clothes, and if you're lucky, the rotisserie chicken vendor; along with various other artisan bric-a-brac. The quality of food puts us North Americans to shame, and the French seem to have an abundance of incredible quality food. I wish I had taken more photos, but stumbling on a market is always a highlight when we're in Europe.

Along the way to Colmar we made our way through Itterswiller, Dambach-la-Ville and Selestat before reaching Colmar. These towns are all stunning in their own right.

At one point we got off route, but Sue battled through the gravel path between the vineyards to make it back to tarmac.

Itterswiller bike shot with the Vosges backdrop.

The Route des Vins. We're heading to Selestat.

So, we're looking forward to a day off the bikes tomorrow. I have tentative plans for a ride up into the Vosges mountains, but I'm deferring this decision until tomorrow until I see how motivated I am.

For know, I'll leave it at that. I'll let the images and captions tell some of the story of today's ride. Another great day.

Today's ride: 66 km (41 miles)
Total: 664 km (412 miles)

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