Canal Riding in France

---

Hi guys
Back again. Currently in Strasbourg but we admit to cheating a bit as we were supposed to ride to here but ended up catching a train. unfortunately Ross has been sick (the fact that he struggled to drink one beer one night is indicative of how bad he felt). He is now back on track and has increased the alcohol intake to normal levels.
We have ended up doing far more riding along canals than we had expected. They now have quite extensive bike paths and are building one from Nante to Budapest, apparently around 4000kms. However some lessons learnt:
the path isnt completely finished and quite often just disappeared leaving us quite bewildered. Luckily we had maps
Directions from the locals werent always accurate and we ended up in strange places
Bikepath signs disappear and sometimes the signs pointed in both directions along the canal for the same town_ confusing to say the least
Doesnt matter which direction we ride in we have a nasty cold headwind to contend with (since we started the trip in fact-apparently this is not normal for autumn)
however we have ridden through some beautiful countryside, finally seen deers in the wild although they were shy about having their photos taken, seen some interesting fishing techniques and some very expensive barges.
Since our last entry in Dijon we have made our way east as far as Basel in Switzerland, very nice and they make great beers and pretzels. We have now turned north and left the canals for the time being as we make our way through Alsace. The tourist season here is in full swing and full of German and French tourists sampling the local produce. Strasbourg is very hectic. Colmar was very beautiful. As Ross was sick i ended up doing a half day tour and went and visited some beautiful villages, a great castle and did some wine tasting.
The food continues to be a highlight and we are celebrating Ross return to health by having a gourmet lunch today to make up for missed meals. A highlight of Strasbourg was the pilgrimage to the Kronenburg Brewery for a guided tour in French of which we understood very little but understood the tasting 100%
Before leaving Alsace we are going to throw the bikes on the train sans luggage and ride in some of the areas we missed.
So on Tuesday we are going to Paris to start our tour through the Loire and Bordeaux areas. Hopefully it will be a little warmer although we would settle for no headwind.
Update on Ross riding. Charlie we follow safety, safety, safety - same, same, same and have successfully covered over 1300kms without incident. It works in Europe too
Be back in touch soon. Some photos attached
Sharee and Roscoe

---

Photos

At the Kronenburg Brewery
Ross was like a dog in a butchers shop!

Colmar-Petite Venise
Very beautiful town undamaged by wars

Out and about in Alsace
Just beautiful

Chien
Not all chiens are vicious!

Comments

[Brett Holland]

Unfair
What a trip, the views are amazing, terrain spectacular and most of all I am glad the headwind is strong. This makes me feal a little better about the fact that you're over there and I am stuck here in the middle of a financial meltdown. Keep up the blog I am living my dreams through them. Hey Ross, was the photo of the dog taken before or after you bought it a drink?