Straight to La Vancelle where we made our base to spend a couple of weeks with Susie and Burnsie. We wasted no time getting the shopping done and beginning the two weeks of food and wine overindulgence.
Day 1 was spent wine tasting and learning about the local varieties which we then paired with delicious home cooked food all week. On day 2 I was up for a sunrise run in the forest above the town, stopping at the Château du Frankenbourg ruins and then continuing up to the antenna on the peak above. Further running along the crest saw me wind down the next valley. I rounded out the morning with a total of 17km and the chasing of some wild pigs.
A few days later we hired bikes in Ribeauvillé and rode through little towns and along roads between the vineyards to see the surrounding countryside. The main events of the day were stork spotting in Hunawihr (where the tale of storks delivering babies originates) and walking the old quaint town of Riquewihr. Also stopping roadside to pick blackberries and sample some grapes (all the while pontificating about the possible types of grape and their subsequent wine varietals).
Kientzheim and Colmar were another day of exploration, enjoying their historic towns and La Petite Venise. On Thursday the 21/08/17 we met up with some friends of Megan’s parents and they took us for a hike in Ottrott, up to Mont Sainte-Odile. We then went back to their house for a delicious french bbq dinner, complete with a variety of cheeses to finish off (including comté and munster). After dinner we all went into Strasbourg to watch the light show that is projected onto the outside of the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg.
More mountain hiking, this time south from La Vancelle, lots of it off trail as I stalked across mountains through the forest and raced the setting sun back home. The last few days together were packed with activities. We hired bikes from Rhinau and rode along the Rhine River, crossing over to Germany and back to France along the way. Multiple stops to pick wild (and sometimes not so wild) blackberries, raspberries, plums and more. We also hired kayaks and paddled down some of the channels for a few hours.
We finally made it over to Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, one of the most visited places in France outside of Paris. We toured the medieval castle, walking through the numerous rooms and walkways, learning the fascinating history of the castle and area.
Lastly we took a day in Strasbourg before Jarrah departed back to Paris and Megan and I headed south to catch a flight to Dubrovnik the next day.
