Euro-Feejer
Well-known member
I lived 12 years in the SW corner of Germany before moving to England in 2010. I've missed the variety of mountain roads of the Black Forest, French Alsace, and Swiss Alps... all within a few hour reach. A temporary work assignment back in Germany gave me opportunity to bring the FJR over.
The last night in England, I had too much adrenaline and could not sleep... anticipating the adventure. The alarm was set for 4am, but at 2am I decided to hit the road and catch an earlier ferry to the continent. So the first two hours slabbing through the dark to Dover wasn't very photogenic. It was unusually warm (17c/63f), only dropping a few degrees midway then back up again at port. Tried to nap the two hour ferry ride to Dunkirk, but some Eastern Europeans were having animated conversation nearby.
9:30am and sunny as I rode out of the boat in France. Sorry for no photos that day... had 8 more hours in the saddle to go and stuck to the slabs at full speed, with short rest stops about every 90 minutes. I programmed the GPS to avoid tollways, and that took me along the upper part of France, and parts of Belgium. At Namur, it was southward through Luxembourg (a good place to tank up, as it's cheaper than all other nearby countries). The whole day was sunny and just above 20c/70f, except a short spell of rain in Luxembourg (not enough to bother stopping to put rainpants on). Heading further southward, it was back into France through Metz and then Nancy. Hopping over the hills to Colmar was a nice two-laner with light traffic. Another slab to Mulhouse, then two-laners the remaining half hour into Germany and my destination. Here's a map for perspective... nearly 570 miles on the road...
The rest of this RR is focused on a day trip in the Black Forest, with a swing into Basel, Switzerland to tank up (better fuel prices) and check out a new mall with Starbucks. Here's the map...
The morning mist was just clearing and the day brightening as I departed my lodging near midday. It stayed sunny and warm the whole ride, with temps ranging from 16c to 23c (60-73f). Even on the higher hills and through shadowy forest parts, it stayed very pleasant.
Over one hill already, and the village of Hofen is in view...
The Kleines Wiesental is a peaceful valley with hardly any traffic...
Rising above the end of that valley, we have a view of the village of Neuenweg...
Views near Bernau (next two photos)...
Arriving at St Blasien, the furthest goal of this day-ride.
The white interior with colorful ceiling murals in the domed cathedral has a more cheery feel than many of the standard cathedrals I've seen.
One more photo in St Blasien...
Hoped to go back through Wehr, but that road was closed. The alternate route to Shopfheim took me through some peaceful villages in the hills...
Descending to Shopfheim on a typical Black Forest road...
After tanking in Basel (+ a frappuccino for my tank) and getting my souvenir Starbucks mug, it was time to wind up the day. The last village to ride through just before reaching Kandern was one I called home for my 12 years in Germany. Here's a closing photo there...
The last night in England, I had too much adrenaline and could not sleep... anticipating the adventure. The alarm was set for 4am, but at 2am I decided to hit the road and catch an earlier ferry to the continent. So the first two hours slabbing through the dark to Dover wasn't very photogenic. It was unusually warm (17c/63f), only dropping a few degrees midway then back up again at port. Tried to nap the two hour ferry ride to Dunkirk, but some Eastern Europeans were having animated conversation nearby.
9:30am and sunny as I rode out of the boat in France. Sorry for no photos that day... had 8 more hours in the saddle to go and stuck to the slabs at full speed, with short rest stops about every 90 minutes. I programmed the GPS to avoid tollways, and that took me along the upper part of France, and parts of Belgium. At Namur, it was southward through Luxembourg (a good place to tank up, as it's cheaper than all other nearby countries). The whole day was sunny and just above 20c/70f, except a short spell of rain in Luxembourg (not enough to bother stopping to put rainpants on). Heading further southward, it was back into France through Metz and then Nancy. Hopping over the hills to Colmar was a nice two-laner with light traffic. Another slab to Mulhouse, then two-laners the remaining half hour into Germany and my destination. Here's a map for perspective... nearly 570 miles on the road...
The rest of this RR is focused on a day trip in the Black Forest, with a swing into Basel, Switzerland to tank up (better fuel prices) and check out a new mall with Starbucks. Here's the map...
The morning mist was just clearing and the day brightening as I departed my lodging near midday. It stayed sunny and warm the whole ride, with temps ranging from 16c to 23c (60-73f). Even on the higher hills and through shadowy forest parts, it stayed very pleasant.
Over one hill already, and the village of Hofen is in view...
The Kleines Wiesental is a peaceful valley with hardly any traffic...
Rising above the end of that valley, we have a view of the village of Neuenweg...
Views near Bernau (next two photos)...
Arriving at St Blasien, the furthest goal of this day-ride.
The white interior with colorful ceiling murals in the domed cathedral has a more cheery feel than many of the standard cathedrals I've seen.
One more photo in St Blasien...
Hoped to go back through Wehr, but that road was closed. The alternate route to Shopfheim took me through some peaceful villages in the hills...
Descending to Shopfheim on a typical Black Forest road...
After tanking in Basel (+ a frappuccino for my tank) and getting my souvenir Starbucks mug, it was time to wind up the day. The last village to ride through just before reaching Kandern was one I called home for my 12 years in Germany. Here's a closing photo there...
