Colmar
From Beblenheim we headed southeast to Colmar, the largest town in the center of Alsace, between Strasbourg and Mulhouse. It has a well restored very touristy downtown. We felt a little put off by the bigger city after our cute little villages.
East to Germany
We thought it would be fun to spend some time in Germany since it is so close. We made it the day we left Beblenheim and visited Colmar to Neuf Breisach, right on the border. It was a real fortified town, with star-shaped ramparts. We found a reasonable campground. It was still cool and rainy, though our clothes and bedding stayed dry in our Arkel packs.
border
The border is kind of obvious since it is the Rhein, but actually it is divided up into channels. When we got to this tourist information booth we didn't know if we were in Germany yet or not, but it turned out to be still France. There were good bike paths on the bridges, though, as usual, access onto them was a little difficult to find.
Along the Rhein
We thought it would be pretty to travel right along the Rhein. We knew there was a bike path along the German side. We headed down it, but it turned out to be kind of boring. Mostly through woods with a few glimpses of the river. Lots of swans and some military camps. It seemed to be devoid of habitation - kind of a no-man's-land. Also, the path was sometimes gravel, which I did not favor with our rig.
Villages and paths into Germany