Wednesday July 13th- The Colmar Loop

Today's ride was rather light (only 17 miles, but quite hilly at times), in order to allow for some extensive sightseeing in Colmar for the afternoon.  Plus, we had to work in a group wine tasting in the incredibly beautiful village of Equisheim- voted one of the top 10 most beautiful villages in France.

A fabulous flower pot in the middle of the street:

Our group at the wine tasting:

The Canterbury Kids at lunch in Eguisheim:

The village of Eguisheim:

Statue and fountain in Eguisheim village square:

The stork has a mythic and revered status in Alsace, plus it delivers babies!

Real live storks nesting above the catholic church in Eguisheim:

Closeup of a stork pair:

A typical "half timbered" home in Eguisheim:

One of the "older" buildings in Eguisheim:

The afternoon was spent sightseeing in Colmar, and preparing for the evening gathering.  We took a group boat ride on one of the canals, and planned to stay up late for the Bastille Day fireworks display.  However, in this part of France it does not get dark until 10:30, so the fireworks did not start until 11:00PM.  :(  By this time, we were too tired, and we decided to go to bed and rest up for the long ride to come.

A canal at Little Venice:

Colmar old town:

Corbeled buildings in Colmar:

Le boat ride:

Our friend Don having a plate of frog's legs for dinner:

Tuesday July 12th- Badenweiler, Germany to Colmar, France

The chilly day's ride began with another thrilling descent down the mountainside from Badenweiler, and across the Rhine River to the village of Neuf-Brisach, a UNESCO heritage site. This village is an incredible citadel built by the famous architect Vauban.

Here's the crew leaving Badenweiler:

Alan and Chris crossing over the Rhine River from Germany into France.  Strangely there were no passport control or border guards!

A beautiful field of sun flowers below:

After lunching in Neuf-Brisach we cycled the remainder of our 37 mile day to the jewel of the Alsace, Colmar, France.   This medieval city was spared from bombing during WWII, and remains one of the best examples of half-timbered (Hansel and Gretel) buildings. Plus, the city is crisscrossed by canals, which is the reason Colmar is know as the "Little Venice."   Colmar was the site of the World War II battle of the "Colmar Pocket."

Below is the view from our "Best Western Hotel" room in Colmar:

This is the Colmar train station lit up at night:

Monday- July 11th, Black Forest, Germany

30 mile Day.

After our 8:30AM pre-ride briefing we all took off on a hot, humid morning on a decent out of Badenweiler that was exhilarating (for some) and frightening for others!  The downhill was mainly cobblestone and rough pavement, requiring constant breaking and navigating tight corners.

At the bottom of the mountain we entered the vineyards on the German side of the Rhine River valley, and rode a combination of bike paths and vineyard roads that are exclusive to farmers and cyclists.  Vineyards are noteworthy for Pinot Noir and Reisling grapes.

We entered the German village of Staufen, a traditional Black Forest town just in time for a delicious lunch, with time for some sightseeing in the town square and down the quaint side streets.  This town was a center of wine commerce, and had historic wine presses and also was severely damaged during World War II.

Chris and Alan in the square of Staufen, Germany:

Alan, Steve, and Jody in Staufen:

  

The afternoon ride coming back to Badenweiler was excruciatingly hilly and hot the entire way. When we finally arrived up in Badenweiler we were completely exhausted.  But it was  great experience, even though we actually got lost on the way!  We both agreed that even though it was a painful ride, (causing Chris to walk the last half mile with her bike)- we would do it again in a heart beat.

Sunday- Warm Up Ride In France

Sunday we packed up out gear, met our tour guides and departed Basel for a short bus ride into the French countryside, where we were fitted for our bikes, had safety instruction, and went on a 12 mile warm up ride through the vineyards.

Chris's ride was almost over before it began.  Just after mounting her new bike, and taking it down the lane for a spin, she had a mishap on some gravel and hurt her knee and broke the mirror off of the bike!  She refused to be sidelined however, and proceeded with the training ride like a trooper.

We finished our ride in the small village of Ottmarsheim, at an 11th century octagonal church.  The church had a special visitor perched on the top of the roof- an actual live stork- the famous and mythical Alsatian bird of legend. This large bird resembles a white egret, and prefers to make nests atop tall buildings.

After successfully completing our first day ride, we boarded a bus, and were shuttled 20 minutes back across the Rhine River to the Black Forest town of Badenweiler, Germany.  This town is renowned for its thermal spas and old world hotels.  Badenweiler sits on a high hill on the edge of the Black Forest, and looks out over the plain of the Rhine.  Our Hotel zur Sonne featured an old fashioned key system, and no air conditioning. We barely slept a wink!

Saturday- "Today we dance, for tomorrow we ride!"

I think the title for today comes from an old cowboy movie, but I can't be sure. Regardless, Saturday was another glorious day in Basel. The sky was a perfect blue, and the temps were warm, almost a little oppressive- but enough shade and breeze to make things comfortable on the whole.

Our first goal of the day was to have no tight schedule, and so we decided to take a leisurely walk across the Rhine to the section of the city where the Roche Tower is located. (headquarters of Alan's company) This is the view of the tower (also the tallest building in Basel) from the side of the river where our hotel sits:

This is what the tower is like up close. Interesting juxtaposition of stone age boulders and ultra modern white decor in the building's exterior and lobby spaces.

        

To cross the Rhine River at Basel you have many choices of different bridges or 5 different ferry boats that operate by cable, and use the power of the river to push the boats across. No motors!

This morning, we chose the ferry to take us, for the paltry sum of 1.60 Swiss Francs. This was the least expensive thing that we have paid for.  Food seems to cost about double what it does at home!

We actually spent most of the day just enjoying the Rhine River and all that happens there. It is the hub of fun on weekends, where there seems to be no public safety yet everyone is free to make the most of the city respectively on their own. The wildflowers are similar to what we see at home, but we appreciated the water fountains (dragon with the wings of a bat, tail of a snake ) along the River Walk.  A swim facility is even built right into the swiftly moving Rhine-so unique-see picture

 

Lastly, we spent our final night in Basel relaxing at the outdoor hotel bar and meeting our fellow bike tour participants. Twenty people in total.  The couples we met are from all over the U.S. and have done multiple VBT bike tours. So, we have lots of mentors!  For example, there are some from Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado, South Carolina, and California. Plus there's even another couple named Alan and Chris. How weird is that?! They all tell us we will love this and be back for more trips, as this is the only way they vacation now. We are anxious for tomorrow to get here-excited and nervous, but READY!

Arrived in Basel Switzerland

Well, our journey across the ocean went smoothly.  Whew!  More importantly all of our luggage arrived too!  VBT -our biking tour group had a representative waiting for us--some confusion--he was on the French side of the airport exit and we were on the Swiss side--but we did connect and after a short ride we settled in to our hotel Der Teufelhof Basel for the next three nights.  Modest, clean, and a perfect location for exploring Basel and the surrounding cities.  Below is the view from our hotel room window, located in the back of the hotel. Very charming window boxes.

Our first evening in Basel was an exploration of the city near our hotel, in search of dinner. We stumbled upon a lively scene down on the banks of the Rhine River, where all the movers and shakers were gathered to revel in the beautiful weather, and enjoy the cooling, fast moving waters of the powerful river.  The Rhine is one of those rare rivers that flows South to North.  Swimmers must always be on alert for monstrous barges that plow through the waters with reckless abandon!

Here we are with our toes dipped in the Rhine, along with our friends Brenda and Don Waardenburg:

Friday we decided to be adventurous and figure out how to use the Basel Tram system to get us to the Bahnhof (train station), with the goal of taking a train one hour away to Lucerne. This is a gem of a city along Lake Lucerne with the Alps in the backdrop.  What a day! We almost missed the tram-didn't know we had to press a button on the outside to get in and as it pulled away from where we were standing with our faces dumbfounded, Don Waardenburg more or less waved his arms and the conductor halted the tram.  The other riders quickly provided us with a lesson, riding the Tram 101! 

After a beautiful train ride through the countryside (just 20 miles from the Wirt ancestral homelands) we arrived in the bustling city of Lucerne, and quickly booked our excursion to the top of Mount Pilatus, a snow capped mountain with incredible views of the Alps and low lake country.  The trip to the top of the mountain was via a cog train (steepest in the World), and the return to Lucerne was by way of a 30 minute gondola ride- all of which was spectacular!

48 Hours Till Departure

     Okay, now it's time to pack the suitcases, and figure out how to get one month's worth of clothing into a single suitcase.  Eee Gads. Plus, I'm a bit nervous about all of the logistics around a trip of this magnitude.  And when I get nervous- I EAT. So this is not cool.  -
      As you can see, Chris and I have two contrasting ways of packing.  My suitcase is the top photo-folded clothes, minimal--and you will also see that Chris is already sneaking some of her things into my suitcase-such as a Vera Bradley soft suitcase as well as a few clothing items I found hidden under my clothes.  The bottom-SIGH- is Chris' version of packing.  No order, things abandoned. thrown in, loose bottles.  HELP!  And so the adventure begins.