Veloroute du Vignoble - France again - this time Alsace - CycleBlaze

August 7, 2022

Veloroute du Vignoble

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It's feeling cooler today when we go down to breakfast. We  wondered if we shouldn't take advantage of the morning while the streets are not yet thronged with tourists to take a photo walk. We decided the cool morning air was even more conducive to a bike ride. That was a good decision. The morning air was lovely and we were home by one before it got really hot.

First thing was to cycle back to the car, about 1 .5 km, where Janos had left his second bike battery. The Colmar train station, where we parked for our stay here, has several large parking areas and it took some time for us to finally find where we had left the car. The labyrinth we had driven getting there had left us disoriented. We found the car after careening around a while and from there we threaded our way back to our planned route.

Today we had a glorious ride through vineyards and wine villages on the VV111: Veloroute du Vignoble. The paths, actually small roads with next to no traffic, were lined with vines to either side and the views from the hills were to a vast sea of vineyards. It wasn't flat and there were a few stiff climbs, but never long and always rewarding. This was probably the best cycling day in Alsace so far.

Our first stop is in Kientzheim, a wine village
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Lovely doorways
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Grapes
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Window details
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About to leave the larger road for the bicycle route through the vineyards
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Views to a sea of vineyards
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Castles on the tops of rocky pinnacles - how did they manage to build there?
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Cresting another short but steep climb
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Charmaine RuppoltI can see that it looks QUITE steep behind your husband! Thank goodness for electric bikes! :)
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1 year ago
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Scott AndersonDoesn’t look so different than I remember from 1996. We’ve always meant to return some day.
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1 year ago

The flat route back ran parallel to our ride through the vineyard hills, giving us a picture of where we had been.

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We now have our little routine established for the hot days. Out as early as we can make it, home around noon and then shopping for a light picnic lunch. In our present hotel there is a little shaded patio with tables and chairs on the first/second floor where we can eat. Even nicer than an air-conditioned room. 

I had a small panic attack later in the afternoon when I thought I had lost my little hand bag with my cell phone in it. I remembered leaving it on the ground next to my chair when we ate. Later in the room I couldn't find it and thought I must have left it on the patio. But it wasn't there and nobody had turned it in at the reception. Again I searched our room, and there it was, under the bed. Bad bag, don't do that again!

 

Today's ride: 43 km (27 miles)
Total: 388 km (241 miles)

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Rachael AndersonIt sure is nice having a base so you can get out early!
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1 year ago
Charmaine RuppoltWow, what a relief to find your cell phone!!!
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1 year ago
Karen PoretTo Charmaine RuppoltYes! This same thing happened to one of our cabin mates; only difference ( BIG ONE) is hers was under her bed…in the USA!
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10 months ago
Suzanne GibsonTo Karen PoretHaha!A big difference!
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10 months ago