Just before winter solstice, I found myself in Alsace, not far from Strasbourg, wondering why I would hike on such a gray day. The short answer is that Strasbourg has one of the most impressive Christmas Markets in France, and Molsheim, near some of Alsace’s grand cru vineyards, is not far from it. So after an evening visiting the market, I headed for the hills to the west the next morning.
They were still cloaked in fog when I arrived. Alsace can have some decent, but changeable, weather. It can also have a fair amount of rain, which is what made everything so green beneath its gray shroud. Being on the edge of the Rhine valley, in the foothills of the Vosges mountains, I realized the weather could go either way: either the fog burns off, or it becomes damper, heavier, and the atmosphere more sodden as the day wears on. This kind of weather makes it darker than usual on a December day at these latitudes. Therefore, I needed a short trail for a short day, one I could finish before dark. The Circuit of Trotele (a little press, in Alsatian) fit that need perfectly.
Beginning in the fog in the town of Molsheim, the hike began with a gentle incline, then a gentle decline to reach Avolsheim. This small village is famous for its ancient Saint Ulrich chapel. Possibly named after Saint Ulrich, bishop of Augsburg, who was born less than 20 miles from the Rhine in Switzerland in the duchy of Alamannia, members of his clan ruled this area. Built in the 900s in the Romanesque style, it is doubly unusual for its fantastic frescos. A couple of these show people in water, which is perhaps why it is informally known as the baptistry.
It is sited by the swift flowing Bruche River (a convenient source of water for a baptistry…?). The trail follows the Bruche to where it meets the Mossig. It was a pleasant segment along water courses filled with ducks, geese and a couple of swans, ultimately leading to the chapel of Saint Denis (a patron saint of France), on the edge of the village of Wolxheim. If legends are to be believed, this chapel has older origins than the Saint Ulrich chapel, being built over a Roman temple dedicated to Bacchus. This I can almost believe, as it is situated in the midst of vineyards. Not just any vineyards either, for the trail soon lead me through the Grand Cru Altenberg of Wolxheim.
From here the trail began a series of ascents and descents skirting Dahlenheim, before beginning its return to Molsheim. Along the way it re-crossed the Mossig, to pass through Soultz-les-Bains, a small town with a couple of highly esteemed restaurants and a seriously good patisserie. As the name implies (les Bains means the baths), the town has a centuries’ long reputation for its thermal mineral waters. While the idea of a gourmet lunch appealed, this was one of the shortest days of the year, and I pressed ahead to finish before darkness descended. And while the idea of an hour or two in the soothing, warm waters of the spa also appealed, I forego that pleasure as well because, luckily, the fog was beginning to burn off! So, one more climb, and one more descent, in glorious sunlight now, to enjoy the beauty that is Alsace, before heading off to buy a bottle of local Alsatian Grand Cru wine to commemorate the hike along this great trail.
