Day 22: to Strasbourg (78k; 1245 total)

The convent was really a remarkable place to stay. I think it had contained monks (I think in French, like Spanish, the words convent and monastery don't necessarily refer to the sex of the inhabitants). Anyway, it was built on a large Roman site, recently excavated but fenced off at present. And it had a very sweet graveyard containing some padres and frères, as well as a dozen German soldiers buried there in one week in 1944. The graves were being recycled, with the most recent burials (2012) on top of the older ones (1912). It was a gorgeous sunny evening yesterday and I wandered around the gardens and woodland tracks and thought the landscape probably hadn't changed a great deal since the Romans did the same.

When I checked out this morning I was given a Mozart CD. Apparently the convent's current incarnation is as a centre for the promotion of music.

I left in a great mood on the most glorious morning, sunny and breezy. Had a quick cafe and croissant in Sarrebourg and then set off across country, past an enormous war cemetery. Google maps cycle routes (**in beta, use caution**) sent me down some cracking dirt tracks so the first 10k was quite slow. Horace handles them fine but I can't help fretting that it ups the wear and tear on him, the panniers, racks etc.

Finally I hit a beautiful paved path along a canal. There's a headwind but it's really beautiful, almost like a gorge with the canal half way up and a road way down below me. I see absolutely no-one for a while and am thinking 'this is the life'. Then I see the eight foot metal gate barring my path. Oh bugger.

Some 'gentlemen' on the other side of it just give me a Gallic shrug and suggest I turn around. Instead I find a tiny set of steps leading down to the road below. Well, most of the way down... I unpack Horace and in several trips we make it the fifty or so feet down without incident. Phew.

After that the day passes quite peacefully, with the exception of a bump-induced flying-off of my handlebar bag- this happens fairly often, but this time my iphone went for a dramatic tumble - and survived!

In total I did 60 or so k straight along the canal which crosses from Lorraine to Alsace and eventually loops into the top of Strasbourg. Part of Eurovelo 5 (London to Rome) it was all extremely pleasant, loads of cyclists, and one guy in a pedal-powered white rocket who stopped to ask me the way. As usual, whenever anyone hears my halting French they start talking to me in rapid German!

I had no expectations of Strasbourg but it's actually lovely. I guess I thought it would be all modern but the centre is old and beautiful and the cathedral just blew me away. I think I have a new favourite cathedral - a hotly contended category this year!

It also has a genuine camping shop that sold me some more gas. This has been a massive saga: we thought we had found some about a week ago but it turned out to be the wrong top and have failed in about twenty shops since.

Early evening I found myself outside a cinema that helpfully had English films showing, so I popped into the first one that was on. Enjoyable but very strange story about a woman who agrees to drive three insane women home across the prairie from Dakota to Iowa. Apart from anything else the heroine kills herself part way through. Put me in quite an odd mood for a Saturday night!

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The perfect canal - before blockage...

Plan B: you can just see the road shining at the bottom 

Today looked pretty French...

The strangest cycle-machine yet

Strasbourg touristing, including watching a 'celebration of European Celts' -- ever more bagpipes!

Day 23: to Neuf-Brisach (82k;1327 total)

The first day of summer has brought out the pilgrims, lizards, and dragonflies.

Well maybe just 'cos it's a hot and sunny Sunday, rather than because it's the first of June.

The way out of Strasbourg was, you guessed it, a canal - this one I think the canal du Rhine au Rhone (or vice versa). It got progressively smaller and more verdant until it was considerably less navigable than the river Cam. As a result it was also rather lacking in refreshment stops. After 40k, in desperation, I headed off the river and into the very definitely closed town of Sundhouse. Luckily there was one Sunday-opening restaurant and it was excellent, rustling me up an Orangina and a delicious French ploughmans equivalent while the slightly inbred-looking locals tried not to gawp at me. Apparently there was a festival this weekend, it was Zumba party night tonight. Hmm...

Post lunch I thought: sod this canal, and headed across country into Germany for a little more time with the Rhine. It too looks rather more peaceful (and narrow) here, in part because some of its might is taken off by hydro schemes on the grand canal de Alsace, which runs in between the dinky canal and the Rhine proper.

I spent a rather hot afternoon dodging lounging lizards on the path and dragonflies, and trying to keep my mouth shut and my hat brim down against the frequent swarms of tiny flies. They're not biters, just swarmers, but my tendency to open-mouthed gawping and/or heavy breathing while cycling is a problem! It definitely looks drier and hotter now I am finally heading due south, and I'm glad to say I'm back in stork country once more.

Early in the day I was caught up by a nice mid-40s lady on a bike who cycled and chatted alongside me for a while. She was cycling to her boyfriend's house up the canal, and told me that she'd run Edinburgh half marathon with her previous boyfriend and another race in Connemara with the boyfriend before that. (..and she wanted to know why I didn't have a boyfriend with me!).

In the afternoon I overtook three middle aged German gents carrying shells and heading for Santiago. They hadn't been going very long and looked slightly shocked to be randomly hailed by me. I can't help thinking they've got a tough road ahead as they will be walking into ever-hotter weather. I can't really compute how far it could be from here to Santiago but it has to be 3 or 4 months... It cheered me to see them (and started me singing a dreadful Evici song which was our camino theme tune). Coincidentally a guy at the next table from me at breakfast this morning was wearing a camino t-shirt. He was one of the EuroCelts that I saw parading yesterday.

I eventually made it into Brisach, which is underlined on my map, indicating it as a 'picturesque town'. I guess I should have learnt by now not to approach such places on sunny Sundays! It was teeming, possibly with a festival but maybe just regular tourist-density. I eventually made it through the hordes and back over the river crossing to France. Amusingly the no-mans land just before the border contained - as well as the standard petrol station - a McDs, a strip joint, a bakery, and a casino. Not sure why Germans feel they need to stock up on those particular things before hitting France; it strikes me they're things France has an abundance of!

Back in cycle-friendly but cycle-path-casual France I headed for Neuf-Brisach, the 'newer' cousin. It's actually a 17th century fortified town built in an octagon surrounded by enormous star-shaped ramparts (a UNESCO site of course). So I am continuing my sleeping-in-heritage-sites tour by camping at a lovely site that I think may be just inside the ramparts. For 7 euros including free showers and a friendly owner, what a bargain.

I was planning on going out exploring this evening but instead have (FINALLY!) done washing, eaten noodles, and am now considering lazing around watching the world go by instead. Perhaps the ramparts can keep till after my fresh croissant tomorrow.

Day 21: to Haute Clocher (France; 55k; 1167k total)

The last supper with Katy and Ed was comic: turning the wrong way out of the campsite we trudged along an endless road past a closed supermarket and ended up at a ring road McDonalds. Katy is an ethical eater and a vegetarian - McDs in France doesn't even sell a veggie burger. But it does sell beer and after a couple of those her dinner of salad, chips and ice cream seemed bearable. (Ed and I eat almost anything, of course). The experience was enlivened by a) more free wifi, and b) a pair of drug dealers getting discretely arrested.

Breakfast this morning - our final final meal together- was a lot more exciting. The reopened supermarket had a great bakery and we scoffed shocking amounts of fresh croissants and pain au chocolat etc. When in France...

Then we went our separate ways. Today for me was a lovely 35k along scenic peaceful canals, bookended by 10k hilly slogs on slightly too busy roads. This resulted in a rather shorter than expected day, due to a very effective shortcut, but I find myself pretty tired despite all, so am happy to have one.

The canals were amazing, much of it was nature reserve of various kinds and I saw just a handful of cyclists, a handful of fishermen and a handful of boaters all day. About twenty locks though, it must be a very effortful stretch to go through by boat. Where there wasn't wetland there was very old beech forest, with villages from the Middle Ages (says the tourist info signs).

One kilometre from my hotel, a funny sight: 25 Norwegians in a field!

My hotel is another convent - not apparently functioning as one but peaceful and with a super garden. A bed and an en suite feel very luxurious after a whole week of camping!

Day 20: to Roth, France (64k; 1112 total).

Yet another lovely day with good weather, good cycling, and good company.

Today was Ascension Day, a public holiday in both Germany and France. As a result the cycle paths were humming with cyclists (+/- children and dogs in trailers), runners, walkers, in-line skaters, people in wheelchairs and all other imaginable forms of human-powered transport, including a guy speeding along on a thing that looked like a bike but was operated by a sort of step machine.

Mid-morning we found ourselves in the most apocalyptic scene, with huge derelict machine works all around, half grown over with lush vegetation. We stopped for a coke at the new 'weirdest stop' spot - in the middle of this disaster zone an Italian restaurant with a plant-filled conservatory and immaculately tended garden. And a bunch of middle age German cyclists who solemnly lit up and ordered beers. 

We pushed on for lunch in Saarbrucken, a large city at the end of this stretch of industrial wasteland. Ed and Katy bought tomorrow's train tickets and we cycled straight through the completely closed (for the holiday) shopping centre. We ended up at random in the most fantastic pizza and pasta place, with wifi (almost unheard of here) and where you could watch the pasta being made. 

Post lunch was a short ride but felt a bit hard, we were perhaps all in a bit of a carb-daze, but the scenery improved dramatically as we headed out of town, with beer gardens, parks and pretty canals. At some unmarked point we crossed into France and celebrated with wine/beer/Orangina in Sarreguemines which was pretty, at least along the riverside.

Our location tonight is a very large and completely deserted camping park in Roth, which is apparently famous for hosting a triathlon. I asked if we could swim in the lake and got a long and complex explanation which I'm going to interpret as 'I'll pretend you didn't ask me that'. Despite that it's a relief to be speaking French, where I can hardly remember any words but at least have a reasonable idea of what's going on.

Day 19: to Siersburg (63k; 1048 total).

A very satisfying day all round, and in which I broke through the 1000km mark.

Today we left the Moselle river and picked up the Saar, a much smaller river heading southeast towards France. Still lots of cyclists but mostly of the retired-on-holiday-and-electric-bikes variety.

The cycling today was quite different and on occasions absolutely perfect, with a bit of a Scottish loch feel. (I am reminded of Ewan McGregor in The Long Way Round, who whenever he is somewhere beautiful immediately says 'oh it reminds me of Scotland!'). There was a bit of up and down, mostly up as the river climbed, leading to some large locks. There was also a fair bit of nice off-road along gritty tracks. I am requested to note that we saw a red squirrel. And a lot of giant orange slugs.

Had a nice lunch stop in a pizza restaurant in Metlach, a quiet town where every shop was the factory outlet of a homeware store. I ordered vegetable soufflé and got a delicious pasta bake. Another triumph for the translation app! Also had mildly stressful ice cream stop in Merzig which was a dump of a town, and where we went round the same roundabout repeatedly. We did establish that Kaufland (a very large supermarket) really does not sell either of the two types of gas cannister I can use. We are in fact now out of gas, sadly, and currently have no plan for getting more.

Not that this matters as tonight we have found a beautiful peaceful campsite with a good looking restaurant and only friendly Dutch campers for company. The sun is shining, we have a bottle of chilled Reisling, and all is very well in my world.

Day 18: to Luxembourg and back! (85k) (985 total).

Despite being squeezed between a main road, a railway line and a river, we all slept well. Given this, and the considerable attractions of a) not having to pack up and b) cycling without panniers, we decided to leave our tents where they are, and take a little side trip to Luxembourg. 

Luxembourg is in fact only 5k away, where the Moselle starts to form the border between it and Germany. We rode down the Luxembourg side, which was rather disappointing in that it was mostly cycle path immediately adjacent to busy road. We lunched in the 'picturesque town' of Remich which was also rather underwhelming. Katy felt she got the full French experience by getting a ham omelette when she ordered cheese (Katy is veggie). 

After lunch we cycled on down the river to Schengen which is tiny and famous for the agreement but also, fittingly, is the three-way border between France, Germany and Luxembourg. Then we crossed the river back into Germany and cycled home down lovely off-road tracks.

The day was notable for two things. One, Horace heroically saved me from a too-fast Luxembourgian driver (he clipped Horace's bar end with his wing mirror, which had no effect on me, and he did stop to apologise). Second, delicious black forest gateau in the weirdest cake stop yet, a darkened tearoom reminiscent of 1898, when the establishment was in fact established. 

Day 17: to Konz (85k; 900 total)

When I woke at dawn after a lovely sleep there was neither a helicopter nor any rain to be heard. When I woke again at 7 there were both. Oh well. Watching the helicopter as we breakfasted on coffee and croissants was fascinating. Spraying the vineyards with fungicide every ten days seems like a never-ending job: the hillsides are enormous and steep and the helicopter gets in very close - and then has to land frequently to take on more spray. Rather him than me.

Back on the road, we had quite a long day, in part because we got caught in an absolute monsoon-like downpour in the middle of a vineyard just after lunch. By the time we reached shelter (ie a bus shelter) the roads were streams and it was raining so hard each drop splashed back up. The mud was very red as well so the water running down the roads was an impressive colour. Luckily all our waterproof stuff seems to be doing the job just fine. And Horace is obviously a wet-weather soul: immediately after today's drenching the clunking stopped and, miraculously, the cycle computer started working again. What a contrary bike he is.

Notably fewer cyclists around on a showery weekday, and far fewer with dogs. Taking your dog for a cycle seems a common Sunday pursuit around here - yesterday we saw everything from small dogs in baskets to a labrador in one of those kids trailers with his head sticking out the top!

Second to last stop of the day was in Trier which is a large historic (Roman etc) town. We needed tourist info and some food but such a large town is a bit overwhelming late in the day. In tourist info we managed to buy the next cycle map but they could tell us nothing useful about the next town (10k away!). However we did successfully find more camping gas earlier today so on the whole we're ahead.

We had planned to stay at a site a little way out of Konz but, in trying to find a supermarket, found a perfectly decent one right by the town itself. While it has a busier road nearby it won on sheer convenience. 

Tomorrow we either leave the Moselle for the Saar (a river heading directly south) or, excitingly, may head into Luxembourg for a day. To be debated once we are all showered and fed and onto a second bottle of wine, perhaps!