Overview of the Tour
We did not intentionally plan this trip to be a wine pilgrimage, but as the trip unfolded we found ourselves among vineyards for a sizable portion of the journey. We first became aquainted with the grape growing region along the Vosges Mountains in Alsace. In Franche-Comté we sampled the wine of the Jura appellations in the town of Arbois. We discovered the delightful city of Beaune to be ground zero for Burgundy wine. In spite of ourselves and fondness for German beer, we were becoming somewhat knowledgeable about French wine.
Greg, Bonnie, Gayle, and Marty biked as far as Colmar, France, where they boarded a train back to Frankfurt. Ed and Bob continued the second half of the trip through the remainder of the Alsace, across the province of Franche-Comté, and into Burgundy. The long return train ride from Burgundy was taken in a leisurely two day trip with an overnight stop in Strasbourg.
We've divided this year's journey into six sections; Germany, Strasbourg, Alsace Bas Rhin, Alsace Haut Rhin, Franche-Comté, and Burgundy. At the end of each section a short slide show of highlight photos is presented. Just give a click and let them run. Enjoy!
E-mail us if you have questions or comments.
LINKS
Switzerland Bike Tour - 2000
We planned the itinerary to limit the daily mileage to about 40 miles (64 km). This allowed for lots of sightseeing, photo-taking, and of course sampling of the regional libations and cuisine. We lodged primarily at youth hostels during the first half of the trip and small hotels on the second half. When planning the route for France 2001, we found Rick Steves' travel guides and the Trento Bike Pages to be valuable resources.
(Click here for our daily itinerary, miles, and lodgings)
Choosing an airline can be a no-win situation but we have found USAirways to be very satisfactory. Our roundtrip airfare per person was $458, tax included, from Cleveland, Ohio to Frankfurt, Germany. For the month of August no less! The tickets were obtained from the airline on an Internet sale. Bicycles still fly free on USAirways on international itineraries.
Click here to go to next page - The Rhein Valley of Germany
© 2001 Bob Parry and Ed James
Austria Bike Tour - 1999
France 2001 Tour Map
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