Strasbourg to Basel
My brother Alex spent a couple of months riding his bike around Europe this year. He started in Rotterdam in May, and in early June Tanya and I caught the train to Strasbourg to ride with him on a small segment of his trip.
Dusk clouds in Strasbourg.
In Strasbourg we braved storm clouds to go for tartes flambées, and gee they were amazing. Fuelled by the cream and ham tartes, the next day we started riding on the Eurovelo 5 bike route, which weaves through gorgeous vineyards to Colmar.
Strasbourg in the morning.
From the top of the Strasbourg cathedral.
My excellent steed.
Alex enjoying EuroVelo 5.
Along the way we saw storks — they are giant — nesting in improbable places. Every turn of the path brought more amazing views, including back over the plains to Strasbourg where we could, even late in the day, still see the imposing Strasbourg cathedral standing out. We arrived in Colmar with time to walk around and enjoy the old town.
Stork nest over the gate of a town.
Canals in Colmar.
Colmar's "Petite Venise".
The next day we headed early into the vines and continued wending our way across the countryside towards Basel.
French wildflowers.
During this warm day Alex developed a particularly strong craving for a coke, and started to look for one in every little town we passed through. But all the shops were shut because it was Sunday in France. Eventually we saw a lone vending machine baking in the sun on the side of the road. Alex screeched to a halt, and the machine promptly ate several of his previous euro coins without delivering anything in return.
Somewhere around Mulhouse we stopped following the vineyard route and switched to riding along the Rhine, where the path is flat and fast. In the early evening we arrived in Basel and crossed the bridge past the triple junction where Switzerland, Germany, and France all meet. The sun set on our trip while we rode through Basel to the train station, where we rushed onto the train to Bern.
Tanya in Mulhouse.
Next to the Rhine.
Switzerland on the left, France on the right, Germany behind and left.
Basel at sunset.