Thursday afternoon's rainy day ride terminated in the village of Obernai, a picture-postcard town typical of the best that the Alsace has to offer. Houses painted in beautiful hues of color, with matching shutters, and impressive timber/stucco construction.
Friday was the last day of our VBT bike tour, and while we were gratified to have completed the entire ride schedule, we began to feel sad about the prospect of parting company with our fellow riders. In such a short time we have developed friendships with some of the most interesting people you could hope to meet, perhaps through shared suffering on some of the longer days!
The ride length was 33.6 miles for Friday, but it was almost entirely on flat terrain, following a canal towpath in many places. It was a good way to finish the ride schedule, as many of us were getting a bit sore from the daily grind.
Our hotel in Obernai was first class, and also had spa facilities (which we didn't have a chance to use), and was a short walking distance from the center of town. At night we had a final group dinner with our riding companions, where we toasted our ride leaders Sophie and Cedric, sang songs, and recognized Chris's 60th birthday, and three other birthdays that occurred during the week!
For a brief video clip of us riding through the vineyard with a few VBT pals, click on the link below:
The smiles of accomplishment, as we arrived after our final ride of the tour:
Our hotel in Obernai, France. Magical.
Final group dinner:
With Jody and Steve Perry on our first "Little Train" ride:
Jody, Chris and Flavia:
You did it!
ReplyDeleteI loved reliving our bike trip through this blog. Steve and I enjoyed meeting you and can't wait to see you again.
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