Bike: 25 miles, 500 feet of climb
Accommodation: Agréable chambre au premier étage d'une maison (Airbnb); host Dominique. private room with private bath in house, wifi, washer/dryer, shared kitchen. At 200 meters you will find a bakery, tea room, caterer. It is 500 meters to a small supermarket.
Lunch: La Halle Aux Bles in Obernai, typical Alsace food; we had potato cakes, salads, and pork stew. The outside patio was large and nice, service was good, food was medium quality and price.
Dinner: Yogurt, fresh fruit, and cold drinks on the terrace.
We took our time reading, packing, and eating breakfast in the morning, leaving Strasbourg about 10:30. The bike ride mostly followed the Canal de la Bruche, which originally connected Strasbourg to Soultz-les-Bains. We are on the Alsace wine route, and in a cattle-growing area; we went through vineyards and stockyards, and fields of corn and wheat. The whole day was a very gentle climb toward the alps, which we could see in the distance. (In just a few weeks, we will be riding up into the alps--at least along some of the valleys and lower passes.)
While we ate a late lunch in the main square of the Old Town, workers set up a band shell and lights for a concert. It was Saturday, and the towns along the wine route often host festivals to draw crowds on the weekends.
Our host, Dominique, and her two dogs met us at the door of her house, helped us store our bikes in the garage, and showed us to our room. After showering and making ourselves pretty, we walked to a nearby grocery store and bought supplies for a light dinner. We contemplated going to the concert, but for some reason, we were tired and just looking forward to an early night with our ebooks and maybe some videos.
