The European Chronicles -2022.2 Almost France and France

July 25, 2022

The European Chronicles -2022.2 Almost France and France

The Palatinate and The Vosges

Leaving Stefan's I head northwest then south into the Palatinate, which is essentially a northern extension of the French Vosges Mountains. My plan is to get right to the French border, then head into France the following day. Because the roads look like this.

I've imported a route from the TomTom database of Tourenfahrer Moto routes, loads in a nanosecond and turns out to be a terrific choice. A short stint on the Autobahn to get to the start. Yup, still the same...drop below 90 mph on any unlimited section and you're passed by everyone, including grandma in her Skoda. 30 miles go by in a flash. And never dis the grandma. 😎

Route looks like this; the grey line below the endpoint is the French border.

Most of these little roads are awesome...that's called pavement by the way. Seems to be a good idea from what I can tell. We should try it out in the states, just for giggles. People might like it.

Brunch break, it is Sunday after all.

Great place with a pretty courtyard.

The Stadtcafe Renata Kotwas-Nati. Got it? In Lambrecht, Germany.

A cappuccino, bottled water and enough bread, meat and cheese for 2 sandwiches, 8.50 euro, about $9. I like civilization.

Then it's off to the the vineyards, and what look to be some pretty cool wineries.

Nothing seems open because it is Sunday, but the area is very picturesque, this town is Hainfeld, Germany.

The road is lined with wineries like this; they all have similar doors.

Wonder how it is...

Let's do some math:

The cheapest gas, the E10 ethanol crap like we have in the US, is (rounding) 1.73 euro/liter; 1 gallon is 3.79 liters, so that's 6.56 euro/gallon, just a bit more in dollars at today's exchange rate. The "good stuff," Super Plus, at 1.84 euro/liter, is 6.97 euro/gallon, so call it $7/gallon. You have to wonder why we complain. Remember, something has to pay for the pavement.

You know, little goat paths through the forest that are way smoother than any of our major roads.

And who doesn't like a classy streetlamp?

Sunday ends here, just north of the French border at Schlosshotel Bergzaberner Hof in Bad Bergzabern, Germany.

The hotel has two fantastic outdoor seating areas for the equally fantastic restaurant.

Great room too, that survived the gear explosion. Even has AC, a rarity.

Fantastic shower, they also have a spa, but didn't get to try that. I know...

All for 89 euro on booking.com. Seriously. What kind of hotel do you get in the states today for $90? And that's including the typical Euro hotel breakfast...a big spread of what we would consider lunch, along with some actual breakfast fare.

City hall is right next door.

Dinner was terrific, and you know the European Chronicles have really started when...

Into The Vosges

Took about 10 minutes to "first border."

This route started out as anything but...

This is the Northern Vosges...

Care for a French county home?

Many towns self-proclaim their flower prowess, with good reason...

I'm sure this was paved...at some point...a frolic and detour gone bad. 😎

That's better.

Clever...this is a Renault dealer that also has a gas station on premises. They've parked their new electric vehicle right next to the pumps and you have to go into the showroom to pay.