The main reason I do this blog is to help us remember where we went and what we saw. This is especially important on hiking or biking trips and even more so on the latter. It can all run together and I end up recollecting nothing much about our bike routes when I get home if I don’t take some photos along the way. So while some of these photos don’t look too exciting, they help us remember.

Breakfast this morning was photo worthy. First we have the table of fruits and cereals.

Then there is the meat and cheese selection.

And the breads. Another table holds the hot foods which almost always includes scrambled eggs, sausages, and undercooked bacon. Sometimes really, really undercooked. The one thing I was anticipating and sorely missed on this trip was a plethora of varieties of pickles. In fact, there were few pickles of any kind. I thought being in Germany, past and present, that pickles would be ubiquitous. But, disappointingly, not so.

After breakfast, it’s route review at 9 am today. Later start because projected shorter riding time. Only 33 miles and fairly flat today.

Our route today is around Obernai with some interesting side attractions. In Molshiem is the one and only Bugatti factory. Our guide said you have to be on their “list” in order to buy one and have to already own one to be on the list. Hmmm. Then there is the potential to see the stork nursery. This is actually a refuge for injured storks, but there also happens to be a nest with babies nearby. We were told that 15 years ago there were only 15 or 16 stork couples left in the area and now that has increased substantially. We are also going to ride by the Canal de la Bruche designed by Vauban, our architect friend of Louis XIV, in the early 1700s. This canal was still in commercial use, shipping goods to Strasbourg, until 1957.

So, off we go. We ride out from the hotel onto cobblestone city streets and have a run at the one hill of the day before we finally get to a smoother bike path.

One obstacle along the way is this low overpass and our GPS instructions warn us to duck and not just your head, but your whole upper body.

Then we stop at the stork nursery to check out the baby storks which are pretty big but still cute.

A section of wide open bike trail.

Looking across the field.

We would often have to circumnavigate these barriers on the paths that were for bicycles only.

Now we have reached the section along the Canal de la Bruche.

More of the ubiquitous Iris.

The trail was fairly busy along the canal. Near a locks, we saw a group of riders who had panniers on their bikes and looked to be on a camping trip. We also had a group of recumbent bicyclists behind us for awhile. Another stretch of the canal along a less residential area.

After nineteen miles we reach a small park in Entzheim and have a picnic lunch prepared by our guides.

Our first stop after lunch was to check out graves in this church cemetery. Ross said there were many Mennonite names here.

There were seven of us riding together and we take a partial group photo before riding on.

This section of road was a bit rougher.

Another nice open section of trail.

Field of white asparagus.

At some point before this photo we stopped to strip off a layer. It was just after going through Barr, about five miles from Obernai.

Passing a field of rhubarb and we have seen several desserts consisting of rhubarb on restaurant menus here.

Riding by some cypress trees.

Growing hops here.

Had to have a photo of Ross struggling with his water bottle. It had to be hooked on behind the bike bag and it was always a pain to turn around to get it and then have to fasten it back. Obernai in the distance.

Tonight was our final group dinner and this is Ross with our two guides, Emma and Paul.

Sharing photos over dinner.

My dessert choice tonight was something chocolate.

After dinner we pack up because tomorrow we leave our guides and head to Strasbourg on our own.