Tuesday 23 May 2017
| Distance (km) | 12 kms | |||
| Distance (time) | 7 hrs | |||
| Climb / Descent | 0m / 0m | |||
| Hard / Soft surface | 20% / 80% | |||
| Landscape |
|
|||
| Weather |
 29° 2 Bft
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
After 2 nights at the camping site of Ribeauvillé it's time to move already. The next days there are no camping sites and very limited public transport and so we'll put the car at the end point of this week: Thann. Which is in fact quite a drive along the motorway to Colmar and Mulhouse around the Vosges and then over the busy N66 back into the Vosges again. When we enter the village of Vieux-Thann traffic is pretty much stuck and since we have only 20 minutes left before our train leaves we're getting worried. So we find ourselves a minor road around the village and head back to the railway station, that we accidentally pass. So we have to turn at the next traffic lights and go back. By now it's seriously getting late and our last hope is to find a parking spot at the station. And it's our lucky day: there is one spot left where we park the car. We grab our stuff and go buy a ticket. A bit of a discussion follows with the lady at the counter, but we make it to the platform when the train (sorry, the TramTrain) arrives. It is only a few stops to Mulhouse Dornach were we have to wait over 20 minutes for our connecting slow train to Colmar. And at the station in Colmar we have to change again to the bus to Ribeauvillé, that we can't find. We only have 8 minutes and there are bus stops left and right of the station and even directly in front of the station but no idea where bus 109 stops. Finally we find tucked away in a corner of the station hall a map indicating the bus stops. Our bus leaves in 2 minutes so we run to the platform where we find bus 106 instead of 109. But bus 106 goes to St.Hippolyte passing Ribeauvillé, so fine with us. After going around all villages 3 times we finally arrive at 12:45 in Ribeauvillé and our first priority is lunch. We pass the small town but since it is lunch time all eating places are either full or closed. At the very end of the town we pass a bakery that has good looking guiche lorraine and so we sit down. Nice and quiet and indeed a very good guiche. This should do it and so we can start walking. It's half past one by now, I don't think we have ever started walking this late before. And from the town it goes straight up. We kind of knew that, but it's a bit discouraging nonetheless. And it just keeps going up. At Col de Seelacker we need a break but the only bench there is occupied by three French that don't seem to have the intention to move so we walk on a bit more. Narrow tracks, wide tracks, but all climbing. Lunch is wearing off and our stomaches are making noises. But we should be almost at the summit at Koenigsstuhl, right? Well, no, and so the last few 100 meters the bonk strikes and we slowly make it to the summit. And actually we're a bit disappointed. The forest is gorgeous, the rock is kind of ok as well but we somehow hoped for a great view or so. But we're just standing next to a moss covered rock in the forest. Hmmm. And now descending! Lupita switches on the hiking turbo and in 40 minutes we walk the remaining 3 kms to Aubure where we arranged accomodation in Les Sorbiers, next to the church. The owner is very welcoming and it seems we're the only guests. We drag ourselves up the stairs to the second floor where our room is, but a hot shower and a great meal make up for it. |
 |
|||
|
|
||||