Along the Mossig
Wolxheim: Cemetery and Old Chapel
Winter Vineyards
Paddling on the Bruche
Upper Sasbachwalden
Gaishoelle Water
Hills of Sasbachwalden
Gallery January 2018
Tag Archives: France/Alsace
On the Trotele
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.
Wine Notes: Bas Rhin, Alsace
What I Learned
The Alsatian wine region is famous throughout France, and the world. It is a great place to try excellent French wines, at very reasonable prices. Politically, Alsace is divided into two districts, or departments. The Haut Rhin is the southern-most. Above it is the Bash Rhin, stretching north to the border with Germany. The Rhine river marks the eastern border of both, and the Vosges mountains lie on the western side of each.
Trotele Circuit: Trail in a Nutshell
Trail Name: Circuit de Trotele (One of the “Circuits de Bacchus” local circuit trails)
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; varied surfaces, from paved to meadow grasses, well maintained, with the route itself specifically marked in most, but not all, places.
Length: Total: 13.8 kilometers/ 8.4 miles
Convenient to: Strasbourg, France
Marking: Hollow blue circle, in places; yellow lines elsewhere
Gallery March 2017
Casorzo
Monferrato: Hilltop Village
The Pfalz: Forest, Vines and Castles
Wachenheim and Wachtenburg
Monferrato: Vineyards and Villages
Window on the Pfalz
Wine on the Way
Wine is a great European tradition. The Way of Saint James (“The Way”), a pilgrimage route to the far northwestern corner of Spain, is another. The two combine magnificently on this short hike.
Around the year 1000 A.D., people across northern Europe began to undertake pilgrimages to the shrine of Saint James (the Greater). The routes they took to northern Spain tended to converge in France, just in front of the Pyrenees, which they would cross in groups, before continuing the long trek across northern Spain. Of course, for northern Europeans, there was no one route, rather a series of waypoints (mostly small towns or large monasteries) that lead to the Pyrenees’ passes. Most of these waypoints were a day or so apart, where those who hiked The Way (and that was most of them), could find food, shelter and safety for the night. The routes today, if not strictly identical to the ones in medieval times, still follow that precept. Hiking in Germany, northern France, even Switzerland, The Way routes are seemingly ubiquitous. It is now popular to hike in stages over the years, culminating finally at Santiago de Compostela.
Wine Notes: Alsace Haut-Rhin Grands Crus
What I Learned
Alsace’s Haut-Rhin (upper Rhine) area’s interesting geological history resulted in some great terroirs. It was initially born of volcanic activity. Once spent, the volcanic mountains collapsed on themselves, and an ancient sea covered the area. Then two roughly parallel mountain chains arose (the Vosges in France, and the Black Forest range in Germany), and the ancient Rhine river poured through the resulting valley. As the river receded to its current banks, it exposed the slopes of the Vosges. The soil here is incredibly complex, thanks to this geological history, and it results in minerally, and complex wines.
Alsatian Way of St. James: Trail in a Nutshell
Trail Name: The Way of Saint James (Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle)
Trail Type: Long distance; much of it paved (in this section), well maintained, and fairly well marked.
Length:
Total – Approximately 2000 kilometers (to reach Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from northern Alsace)
Segment – 7.5 kilometers/ @4.5 miles
Convenient to: Colmar, Alsace, France
Marking:
“Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle” (Stylized cockleshell of yellow rays on a blue background)
Continue reading Alsatian Way of St. James: Trail in a Nutshell
Gallery January 2017
Above Varnhalt, Germany
Vineyards and Forests, Baden-Baden
Black Forest Trees
Varnhalt’s Vineyards and Meadows
Moss and Birdhouse
Forest Scene
Wangen, Alsace
On the Loejele Trail
Small Casks and Other Delights
In a brilliant tour de force, the regional authorities in the department of Bas Rhin, Alsace, have done much to promote wine tourism in this often-overlooked corner of the Alsatian Wine Route. In addition to an up-to-date wine cooperative (and shop with liberal hours), featuring some of its local Grand Cru wines, they have developed a series of wine-themed hiking circuits. There are four circuits, ranging from 17 kilometers to 13.6 kilometers. These circuits all share at least one section. To hike the outside edge of them all results in a hike of 35 kilometers. My kind of tourism. So I selected the circuit that went closest to the cooperative: the Loejele Circuit.
As this is a circuit, it is possible to begin anywhere along it, but I chose Wangen because it was closest to the highway. It is a small village, but one with its medieval walls still partially intact. In fact, my start took me out one of the gates, past the cemetery and into the vineyards in rapid succession.
