Alsace, Goumois, Burgundy and Honfleur

Saturday 8th September Set off bright and early from Rackham on a lovely morning in the Mazda to catch the Eurotunnel train at 09:50 We decided to get the first part of the journey out of the way fairly quickly and hood up, air con on we sped through the autoroutes of northern France via Bar Le Duc to Gerardmer ~450 miles from Rackham. We assumed that it would be easy to find a hotel in Gerardmer but not the case. Saga louts from all over europe seen to have descended on the town including many on motorbikes, The only room available was a suite at the Grand Hotel at 800 euros for the night which we declined| The trusty Michelin guide was put to good use and we booked at the Mercure in Epinal and drove back there. Excellent dinner at the Cote de Boeuf eating yes Cote de Boeuf and all was back in order. Sunday 9th September Using trip advisor and booking.com we managed to book the Hotel des Bains in Gerardmer for one night and headed off there. We drove around the lake at Gerardmer and enjoyed a swim in the lake on south side - very hot.

Checked in to the hotel but find that all restaurants in the town seem to be fully booked for Sunday lunch (aforementioned Saga louts again). Eventually find one (Les Rives du Lac which will take our booking at we return at 14:00 and still have to wait 20 mins. However the wait was worth it and we enjoyed a very pleasant lunch in glorious weather. After a short rest we walked part of the way around the lake - very hot but very pleasant. Experienced a wonderful sunset over the lake.

Monday 10th September Up about 07:00 for an early morning walk around the lake for 1hour 20 mins ~4 miles which was lovely and after breakfast left for Colmar and a beautiful drive over the Vosges. Colmar is beautiful but again very hot (~29C)and all we can manage is a mineral water at Schwendi amongst the baskets of geraniums.

On to Riquewihr and our hotel Le Schoenenbourg which is in an excellent position just outside the fortified walls of the village. So hot we decide to head for the swimming pool and wait until it cools before exploring the village. About 5pm it has cooled enough so we walk around Riquewihr which is delightful - real picture postcard and immaculately maintained.

Tuesday 11th September We drove along the route des cretes and route du vin taking in the castles and views from the Vosges mountains to Obernai and then back via the wine villages.

The drive throught the mountains was lovely and not too difficult but we were amazed at the villages in the wine area. Obernai was simply stunning and actually all of the villages were. Full of flowers, beautifully maintained houses and quite perfect.

Wednesday 12th September Back into Colmar to walk around the city whilst the temperature was well down on previous days. Very pretty city and the centre is compact and very well preserved. The Litte Venice area is very picturesque but sadly was undergoing renovations so was not at its best. Drove just north of Colmar and spent some time in towns/villages that we had previously just passed through. Ribeauville, Hunawihr and Bergheim were all delightful and probably missed by the tourists trips.

In the evening we had supper at an extraordinary restaurant called L'Ecurie in Riquewihr. L'Ecurie translates as Stables or Barn and the interior was quite bizarre with lots of statues of horses, old paintings of cockerels and generally full of bric a brac of all shapes, sizes and periods. All very strange but good food and very lively.

Thursday 13th September Time to leave Alsace and we were very sorry to do so. We very much enjoyed our visit and will return; highly recommended. Easy drive to Goumois and as we were very early to check in to our hotel we had a drive across the Swiss border and back into France doing a circle around the Doubs river. After the first few miles the Swiss part was disappointing with some fairly heavily industrialised areas. Indeed one large town/city would rival Palmerston North (remember the John Cleese story!) Once we were back into France the scenery was fabulous and some great views across the Doubs from the Corniche.

Checked into our hotel, the Taillard late afternoon. We last stayed here some 25 years ago and in many respects it has hardly changed which in this instance is a good thing. Very friendly owners, great views and a super restaurant so we enjoyed a traditional french dinner including the full cheeseboard. Friday 14th September A very misty and cloudy start to the day but very quickly the sun shone through, the clouds were burnt off and stunning views were revealed from our terrace - lovely undulating hills, half-covered in pine trees.

After a hearty breakfast we headed off for a walk along the Doubs which was recommended by the owner as beautiful and easy. Beautiful it was but certainly not easy as certain sections were completely overgrown. We had no choice at one point to turn back and try to get along the other side of the river. This too proved difficult and a kind local lady allowed us to clamber up through her garden to the road above, which we used to get further along the river where the walk was easier. We very much enjoyed the exercise and ended up for lunch at Hotel du Doubs just on the Swiss side of the bridge over the river at Goumois.

A long steep walk back up to our hotel and we felt ready for a relaxed afternoon reading by the pool with wonderful views of the Doubs valley as our backdrop.

Saturday 15th September Left Goumois fairly early having changed our plans and decided to head for Beaune rather than Sancerre!! Lovely drive via D road until using the motorway for the last section to the Abbey of Citeaux. We were inspired to visit here after recently visiting the runied abbey at Fountains in Yorkshire where John & Sarah (now both volunteers for the National Trust) gave us a guided tour. We had not visited Fountains for some 25 years and were reminded that as a Cistercian Abbey it's mother church was that at Citeaux near Nuits St George. Interesting to see but as a spectacle does not compare to Fountains. On to Beaune via the Route du Vin and having checked into our hotel we headed off to the centre. Imagine our surprise when we saw Cindy Leslie walking towards us! Cindy and Andrew were on a wine tasting tour with a number of friends and we joined then for pre dinner drinks.

Sunday 16th September Woke to a stunning sunny day and headed off to explore the vineyards south of Beaune. Started at Pommard and continued through villages the names of which were just like the most expensive wine list from Meursault to Puligny Montrachet. Here the vendange had just begun. All very lovely but what we had not expected was the stunning drive in the hills. above the vineyards with wonderful views in all directions.

Off to lunch at Le Bistrot du Bord de L'eau at Levernois which is an offshoot of the michelin starred restaurant next door. Absolutely excellent with a stunning setting and really good traditional french food. We enjoyed it! My guest, the Leader of the Opposition, was soon in her element and as you can see holding forth!

Back to the hotel for a quick hour in and by the pool before heading back into the centre for a final look around. Quite busy in Beaune with a very cosmopolitan crowd,

So now very much on the journey home with one further stop in Honfleur one of our long time favourites and it didn't disappoint

We stayed in an extraordinary hotel called L'Ecrin which was very quirky (model elephants outside our door!)but great and very close to the centre. Needless to say I managed a fruits de mer at the Brasserie du Port!

The overnight ferry from Le Havre is no more so we boarded the LV Lines ship at 17:30 and were back at Skinners Cottage by 22:00. A great holiday and we enjoyed every minute of it!