Eguisheim marked the end of our journey along the spring-like Wine Route in southern Alsace. Here too, we were once again greeted by the familiar sight of Alsace: winding alleys, window boxes overflowing with flowers, intricately adorned half-timbered houses on facades that glowed in colourful or warm earthy tones – just like in Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Colmar or Kaysersberg. And yet, Eguisheim was different. Read more
From my base in Riquewihr, I was able to take short and long bike tours through the vineyards along the Southern Wine Route in Alsace. A rather short tour took me to Kaysersberg, another Alsatian wine village with a long, eventful history and an old town full of well-preserved historic buildings – despite the bitter battles against the German Wehrmacht in the winter of 1944/45. Read more
Before we concluded the final leg of our journey along the Alsace Wine Route in Eguisheim, we drove from Riquewihr to nearby Colmar, which always seems to stand in Strasbourg’s shadow.
In the mornings, when the sunlight glides over the brightly painted facades and reflects in the glassy eyes of the shop windows, Colmar begins to glow. Not a hectic awakening, but a gentle opening of the senses – everything in this city is steeped in colour and history. Colmar’s old town is an architectural picture book, its pages told in half-timbering, sandstone, and cobblestones. Amidst canals, church spires, and winding alleys, a backdrop unfolds that appears both medievally rooted and picturesquely staged. Yet Colmar is no mere historical backdrop; history is the foundation of its present and future. Read more
The second leg of our journey along the Southern Wine Route in Alsace took us from Ribeauvillé to the nearby Riquewihr (Reichenweiher), just a few kilometres away. I had already covered the route the day before on a bike tour through the vineyards and taken a first stroll through the old town to look for photo opportunities. Read more
We drove the last few kilometres through lush green hills full of vineyards, until finally the colourful half-timbered houses of Ribeauvillé announced the destination of our first stage of this journey along the Southern Wine Route in Alsace. My home is the Northern Black Forest, so many decades ago we often visited Northern Alsace for hiking, cycling, or simply to eat Flammkuchen. We had never made it to Southern Alsace, to the area around Colmar, and had thus missed out on places worth seeing like Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Colmar, Kaysersberg and Eguisheim – but that was about to change. Read more
After Prats-de-Mollo, Vernet-les-Bains was our second secluded destination at the foot of the imposing Canigou Massif in the French Pyrenees. Known as a health resort with a mild microclimate and thermal springs, it’s a perfect place for relaxation, culture, and outdoor adventures. The days when the town was fully booked with spa guests and summer visitors escaping the hot lowlands and coast are long gone. In the old town, rural depopulation is evident with many empty buildings. Nevertheless, Vernet-les-Bains combines charming atmosphere, historical sites, and spectacular nature, seclusion and tranquillity. This was exactly the mix we had hoped for. Read more
From Céret, we followed the Tech valley further into the Pyrenees. In Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste, we found a cosy campsite run by the local council. French municipal campsites are often simply equipped but clean and, above all, authentic: when we arrived, the operators were playing boules with their guests and welcomed us in a very relaxed manner – first, settle in and choose a pitch, the formalities can be sorted out later. Read more
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