European Cycling Adventures
Alsace 2008
September 13th – 19th

 

Fill out the registration form and mail it in

 

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to let everyone know that this year, Bike Rides For Ordinary People’s European Adventure will be to Alsace.  Never heard of it?  Alsace is in the eastern corner of France and borders on Germany to the north and Switzerland to the South.  And while this may conger up images of tall mountains, the surprising thing is that it is part of a 30 mile wide valley along the Rhine River.  The result is lots of rolling hills to ride through, filled with vineyards, quaint villages, filled with half-timbered houses, and mountain vistas everywhere.

The food is varied and combines the best of French and German cuisine.  And the wines are world renowned.

The tour will be from Saturday - Friday, Sep 13th  –19th,  6 nights and 7 days (6 days riding).  Read below and look at some of the links for more details from this sample itinerary and let me know if you might be interested. 

I’ll be having a get together soon for people who are interested in finding out more.

 

Regards

   Bruce- Bruce_Lederer@BikeRidesFOP.org.  - 617 710-1832

 

 

http://www.alsace.worldweb.com/

Alsace at a Glance

France's northeastern region of Alsace is a blend of French and German cultures, the result of years of bitter border brawls. Strasbourg, its cosmopolitan capital city, has been exchanged between the two four times in the last 300 years. Here, chic French cafes are juxtaposed with Bavarian-styled, half-timber houses adorned with brightly colored flowers. Strasbourg hosts part of the European Parliament, which may be toured when arranged in advance. Its Gothic Cathedrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg trumpets the highest spire in France, and its superbly-crafted astronomical clock puts on a daily parade of apostles before Christ while a rooster spreads its wings to sing.

The highly revered wines of Alsace can be sampled along the Wine Route (La Route du Vin), which stretches 170 km (106 mi) from Strasbourg to Mulhouse, passing through 100 towns and villages on the way. Worth traipsing to are the often-visited Castle of the High Koenigsbourg in lower Alsace and the enchanting village of Riquewihr in upper Alsace has retained its original 16th century atmosphere.

 

Day 1 : Strasbourg
Visit of the old town and its picturesque quarters, as "The petite France". Visit of the cathedral and the Europe palais.

http://www.strasbourg.com/strasbourg/us/decouvrir/villesetvillages/90.html

As the intellectual, cultural and economic capital of Alsace, Strasbourg has the scale, the atmosphere and attraction of a big city without overwhelming its citizens. A town to which everyone likes to return because it has always something new and important to say.

Seat of the Council of Europe and of the European Parliament, Strasbourg is the ideal city in which to plan an international congress or seminar. Culturally well endowed, Strasbourg proposes challenging collections in its museums, a lyrical excellence in its Opera house and an ambitious variety of theatrical programs that is world renown.

This ancient city of Strasbourg offers a wealth of gracious architecture of which highlights are the Cathedral and the Petite France area. Strasbourg is also famous for its gastronomy : Foie Gras, wines of Alsace, chocolates, Eaux de vie are appreciated by gourmets from all nationalities.

Visit Strasbourg in any season. Strasbourg is also a city worth the visit by night

How to get here ? It's easy ! By plane, train or car, the town is located right in the middle of all major Europeans travel routes...

Day 2 : Strasbourg – Osthouse ou Sand ~33 mi
Nice ride along the canal du Rhône/Rhin, through the countryside.

 

Day 3 : Osthouse ou Sand–Horbourg-Wihr (Colmar) 36 mi       

 Worth seeing the magnificent Baroque church of Ebersmunster.  After the visit of the Medieval village of Sélestat you will arrive to Colmar (city of Art).

http://www.strasbourg.com/strasbourg/us/decouvrir/villesetvillages/45.html

Imagine that you have travelled up and down Alsace but have not included Colmar and its wine-growing industry in your visit...You will have missed an essential element of our region. Conversely, if you are only familiar with Colmar at the exclusion of the rest of Alsace, your knowledge of the region is insufficient.

Microcosmically, Colmar has assembled within its boundaries a large share of Alsatian history, artistic wealth and the wine-growing industry. The city is an important key to unlocking the realities of Alsace today.

Colmar is often compared to a historical museum. The presence of the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar is largely responsible for this comparison. This museum is home to several imperishable masterpieces from the Rhine renaissance. Colmar's past was defined by communial freedom, a proud bourgeoisie and busy corporate activity. Colmar is not simply beautiful to the eye but also to the mind as home to some important schools of thought.

The harmonious aspect of Colmar has been slowly and progressively developed over the centuries.
This large city has over 100,000 inhabitants and is the site for the prefecture of the department of the Haut-Rhin as well as an appeals court. The Alsatian wine-growing industry and many important vineyards revolve around Colmar.

The inevitable consequences of being an important city in today's world is that Colmar's outskirts do not have the same cachet as the historic center of the city.

Thus, it is unfortunate when the tourist's first impression of Colmar is formed by the initial outskirts which resemble many other cities and do not offer any particular charm.

It is when the tourist arrives in the center of the city that Colmar reveals its charm: the colors and atmosphere of streets and alley-ways have been well-preserved since the Middle Ages and their ancient houses are reflected in the water which passes through the city.

Churches, cloisters, half-timbered houses, balconies, facades with ornate wood sculptures, paintings, gables, and edifices from the Renaissance all add to this very special city center.

The leather maker's district has recently been restored to create one of the most picturesque areas, "Little Venice." Colmar is a jewel to which the different centuries have added their particular facets.
Day 4 : Horbourg-Wihr – Murbach 28 mi
The bike path will take you into the middle of the vineyards. Worth stopping for a tasting!

http://www.tourisme-alsace.com/medias/img-alsace-pratique/photos/coquelicot-alsace.jpg

North-west of Guebwiller is the famous Romanesque Benedictine abbey of Murbach, which in the eighth and ninth centuries was the cultural center of Upper Alsace and one of its most powerful lordships. All that survives is the towers, transept and choir of the abbey church, which ranks with Marmoutier and Rosheim as one of the oldest and most important monuments of Romanesque architecture in Alsace.

 


Day 5 : Murbach – Riquewihr~ 27 mi
Biking today among the most renowned vineyards of Alsace. Amazing views of the Vosges mountains!

http://www.strasbourg.com/strasbourg/us/decouvrir/villesetvillages/58.html

Riquewihr is certainly the object of an enchantment which lasts for centuries. Its layout and structure have not changed since the Middle Age.

Look at these old houses built in the XVI ème and XVIIéme siècles, their courtyards, their galleries, the old wells, the fountains.

Every piece of architecture is miraculously preserved. If today's Riquewihr resembles so much the Middle Age town it is because the people have not changed much either. For they have the same lifestyle and their existence revolves around the industry of wine making.

It is the aroma of this particular wine that you smell in every "Winstub" of the main street. Wine is everywhere and everything in Riquewihr and maybe the cause of the enchantment.

Day 6 : Riquewihr – Obernai~ 27 mi
La "Route des Vins", through picturesque villages such as Hunawhir, Ribeauvillé, Bergheim, and Itterswiller Andlau and its Roman abbey, Barr...

http://www.strasbourg.com/strasbourg/us/decouvrir/villesetvillages/56.html

Nowhere in Alsace can one find a more Alsatian town than Obernai. Take a stroll around the ramparts, look out upon the monochrome sea of the most beautiful roofs in the world and pause for a moment in front of the Convent School (l'Ecole des Soeurs).

There once stood the castle of Frédéric le Borgne, father of Emperor Barbarossa.

You can be sure that in this city a learned and loquacious guide could stop in front of each and every structure and deliver a lecture embellished with interpretations, souvenirs and anecdotes.

During folk festivals, when visitors see figures dressed in medieval costumes strolling through the streets and bustling about, they really feel that they're seeing the town's authentic inhabitants.

Visitors may feel merely like movie extras in their plain twentieth century garb.

In the streets and squares of Obernai, history can be seen from many perspectives, dreams have something to feed on and the inhabitants have peremptory reasons for ardently maintaining a town which has been able to keep alive all of the fairies of the Middle Ages as well as those even more sumptuously dressed of the Renaissance.



Day 7 : Obernai – Strasbourg~ 45 Km
Nice ride back to the European capital.

 

PASSION TOUR - 7 nights

$1,800 (This is the likely price, but I am still negotiating a few thing-The US dollar is pretty weak right now)

Payment schedule:

·         A total of $1,100 is due by June 1st

·         Any remaining balance is due on Aug 1st

·         Refund are available until August 1st

 

What's Included:.
6 nights in charming ***  hotels
All breakfasts,  and 4 dinners.
Fully equipped hybrid bike.
Daily routes on detailed maps.
Route notes and regional advice.
Luggage transfers.
Emergency phone call support 7 days a week