June 9, 2008
From Kilstett to Saverne: Alsace in technicolor
A beautiful day, warm and sunny, and the wind is right, from the east. Nevertheless, we don't make much progress riding through these Alsacian villages. I can't resist stopping for pictures every time I see another one of those houses painted in brilliant, bold colors.
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From Krautviller we can follow the paved tow path along the Rhine-Marne-Canal. The path along the canal is lovely, almost too lovely: flat, straight, no traffic, perfectly signposted and - well, just a teeny bit boring. But this is one day of many, the whole trip isn't a ride on the Rhine-Marne-Canal, and one day is fine. Or after a few mountains, maybe many days will be fine.
We not only see the usual signs for the tow path along the canal, we begin to see small blue signs, looking bran-new, reading "vers la mer: Strasbourg/Paris/le Havre". We have no idea who has posted them but they crop up all the way to Paris, reassuring us that we must be on the right path. Later when we were back home, I read in the Internet that Joel Henry had created the signs. He is the French founder of the Laboratory of Experimental Tourism (Latourex)and had started cycling in Strasbourg, just a few days ahead of us the whole time. He is also the author of the new Lonely Planet Guide to Experimental Travel.
We get to Saverne with 50 km on the odometer and could easily do more. After looking at the main street with some ornate timbered facades, we check out the hotels here and beyond. Here it is cheaper than in the towns down the road and somehow camping has slipped my mind altogether. We check in at the aging Hotel National and have a large room for 45€.
Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 493 km (306 miles)
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