Day 11: Into the Rhine valley

As warm as it has been the past few days, today was maybe the coldest we’ve been on his whole trip. Day 2 was quite cool also, but our internal thermostats had not yet been set to summer mode, so we dressed for the weather and carried on. This morning, the brisk 13 degrees as we set of from Saverne had me putting on my jacket quite quickly and even regretting my full length tights at the very bottom of my panniers.

The market that had greeted us as we stepped off the train two days ago was now in the main square right outside our apartment, and greatly expanded. Sadly we were in want of nothing, so we just pushed our bikes past the merchants, through the throngs of shoppers, and down to the Canal de la Marne au Rhin and its bike path, which would take us right into Strasbourg.

If the weather was cool and overcast, at least we were heading more or less downhill and down wind, so we made quite good time. After just 45 minutes of pedalling, we had covered 13 km, and I noted that there was a highly rated bakery just off the trail, so we checked it out and were rewarded with some very nice pastries and a warm cup of coffee. Then it was back in the saddle for another hour or so until it was time for lunch. We picnicked rather quickly outside the town hall of a canal-side community, because the temperature had not really risen much and there was even the odd spit of rain. Sonia even decided at one point that it was worth it to dig her gloves out of the panniers.

A photograph cannot do justice to the beauty of a field of poppies in bloom

We eventually rolled into Strasbourg at about 2; unfortunately, the Airbnb would not be ready until 4, so we decided to see what we could see of the city on our way. This included the lovely Parc de l’Orangerie, which entertained us with blooming rose bushes, beak-clapping storks, and absurdly picturesque fountains. There was even a clean public toilet!

Roses at the Parc de l’Orangerie

After wandering around the park for an hour or so, we decided to make our way slowly to the apartment to check out the vicinity. Unfortunately, just then it started to drizzle in earnest, which made our wandering less pleasant and somewhat cooler than we had hoped. Eventually, our host showed up and let us into the flat, which is very nice and amazingly well situated right in the town centre, not 100 metres from the Hermès store, the Apple store, and even a grocery store.

After a rest and some supper, we emerged to explore this beautiful city for a few hours, since the weather had miraculously cleared up. Lots of photo ops in the gorgeous evening sunshine.

Strasbourg cathedral. Like the one in Cologne, it’s too big for a mere iPhone camera