1000 mile trip odometer

I passed 1000 miles for the trip today. I wasn't trying to set any distance or speed records, so this took a while on the road, but I'm glad I got there. I haven't ever hit 100 in a day, but since I did 90+ on a loaded bike for 2 consecutive days, I'll have to formally pass that milestone on a weekend ride back at home sometime soon.

Strasbourg to Barr 7/1

It was a rainy day, so not too many pictures as I didn't want to deal with the camera. We followed a canal path and then back roads most of the way, finally heading up some long and low hills into wine country. We rode for a total of about 30 miles, at a relaxed pace. With more people, we are riding less and eating out more. Plusses and minuses I guess, but I was antsy to ride more today, especially with yesterday off the bike in Strasbourg- I guess out of habit. Everything was closed today (Sunday), so we didn't get to stop and try any wine, and it was hard to find restaurants and impossible to buy groceries. We even had to sit around our hotel lobby for about 30 minutes this afternoon waiting for an employee to wander by and check us in. France is weird- you'd think someone would be happy to sell us things. Pictures: Alsace farms in rain. Alan Liby and Dad eating lunch in Obernai. In front of Le Manoir hotel in Barr. Vineyards from hotel balcony.

Alsatian food 6/30-7/1

2% alcohol sweet cider with salmon baguette and roast beef baguette from a deli. Pile of meat on sauerkraut (choucroute aged cinq viandes)- an Alsacienne specialty I that is tastier than it looks, but really way more meat than I care for. Salad with chèvre and sesame toasts. Tarte italienne (open faced tomato and mozz sandwich) at a cafe in Obernai. Pie/Tarte things- fromage blanc, red berries, and rhubarb- that's hard meringue in puffs on top. This picture does not do justice to the chicken fricasee with Riesling cream sauce and side of spaetzel I had for dinner.

Strasbourg 6/30

Our campsite in Strasbourg was cheap, and they also took bakery orders for fresh bread to be delivered in the morning. We got a baguette and a pain chocolate, keeping our order light so we didn't spoil ourselves for cafes in the city. Strasbourg is the seat of the EU parliament, but it is also a very medieval city with an old cathedral and lots of pointy roofs. I don't know why they had pointy roofs (some as many as four stories tall), but it seems to be a theme. The city is built around a network of rivers and bridges, all lined with old and ornate buildings. At the center of the city, on the grand isle, is a huge and airy cathedral that was constructed mostly in the 13th century. I'm impressed mostly by how much open space there was around all of the lacy frilly bits of stone , and how such slender structures stayed together. I couldn't really capture the open space in the walls in photos, but from some angles you could see all the way through the walls and spires to the other side, like it was a hollow shell.

Karlsruhe 6/28

The Schloss in Karlsruhe, at the center of concentric ring roads. We hung out at a cafe in a student area for a while, before catching the view of the palace at sunset. Not shown in the 1st pic, but highlighted in the second, is that the building is undergoing renovations. However, they brought some personality to the fabric surrounding the scaffolding. We had to get close to be sure this wasn't painted on the building itself. Random Platz in Karlsruhe, showing off street cars and bikes and architecture. Karlsruhe had tons of bike infrastructure. We rode along a number of small highways where the on and off ramps are clearly marked with signs and pavement paint to yield for bikes, and the drivers did. We watched Germany lose 1-2 to Italy in the Euro cup at this cafe serving drinks only. We brought in a picnic dinner and drank beer from the cafe. The small TV was fine, but anyone doing this in the US would have had a giant screen- funny that it wasn't necessary even with maybe 40 people watching.

Karlsruhe to Strasbourg 6/29

68.25 miles today, very flat but very hot and humid. Today i feel like I bad more energy riding than my dad. It's funny since the opposite was true the day before, and we're riding the same routes. We crossed into France by taking a tiny, free municipal ferry to Seltz. This France sign marks the most substantial border crossing I have had since Iceland. There was nothing there but the sign. We rode through some Monet streams and Van Gogh fields, this one full of sunflowers. Tree-lined path just a couple of miles from Strasbourg. We were too tired after cooling down and setting up camp and eating dinner to trek downtown, so Strasbourg pictures later.

Höfen to Karlsruhe 6/28

Today was a tough day of riding for me. I don't know if it was heat or my stomach bothering me or if I was tired from yesterday's hills or what, but the wheels weren't turning easily. We rode 53 km, according to Dad, since my computer faded mid day. It felt like more, and was the first day of this trip I wished I wasn't riding. Still, we saw some cool towns along the way. Pictures are: Neuenbërg skyline. Breakfast pastry and ice cream coffee float in Neuenbërg. Platz in Ettinger where we hung out in the shade, dodging some of the heat and eating lunch. Weisswurst with pretzel, bratwurst with mashed potatoes, and schwarzbier and Franziskaner hefeweizen.