1 Jul 2014

Europe 2014: Day 11 - Ammerschwihr to Eschdorf


It was very sad to say goodbye to Laure but after two relaxing days in the Alsace it was time to make our way towards London.

After breakfast we packed our things and left around 11am towards Luxembourg. The weather was a bit patchy which was slightly concerning as our gear is no long waterproof now that it is riddled with holes. However, the worst we had was about 10 minutes of light rain.

The roads through the Vosges are perfect for motorbiking, one curve after another, up and down hills and through beautiful forests. At one point we hit the clouds and the temperature dropped to 11°C but as we descended it rose again to a perfect 23°C.

With all the dirt roads coming off the main highway, it was too tempting not to explore a few of them—almost all of them seemed to lead to logging areas, a bit of a shame to cut down such beautiful forests.

After we came out of the Vosges the scenery changed to fields.

Zev was a hit with the ladies.

Nice to be off the tarmac for a little while.

More fields—the kind you want to run through with your hands in the air like you just don’t care.

Zev here. I will not be running through the fields today.

I contemplated what it would be like to ride over the stack of logs but decided against it.

Apart from the droopy left handlebar, the R1200GS looks almost in one piece still...

Not long before it’s good as new again.

Zev again. Bored of posing for photos.

Nothing like smiling in front of a pile of logs.

After missing our turn the GPS rerouted us on this amazing single track road.

The bike waiting patiently while Zev explores the plant life.

Dried up brook winding its way through the forest.
We finally entered Luxembourg at 6pm and stopped in a small town to find a place to stop for the day. About 15 minutes away was Hôtel-Restaurant Braas Sàrl in Eschdorf which had reasonably priced rooms still available. Unfortunately the road was closed due to works so we had to go the long way round and progress was slow as I was feeling tired.

We arrived at about 7pm and checked in before making our way to the hotel restaurant for dinner. I’ve not seen 70s-vibe style like this hotel in a long, long time—even the lift doors were painted 70s tan with actual pushbuttons for the floor... amazing!

Zev contemplates life as he waits for his dinner.

The hotel lounge—super-70s style!

At night this little village in the middle of the Ardennes is so quiet you could hear a cat walking across the road—not a sound anywhere, almost eerie.

Great day today, but I’m feeling it now and it’s definitely time for a good night’s sleep.


Europe 2014 quick links


Day 1: London to Sint-Gillis-Waas
Day 2: Sint-Gillis-Waas to Bad Driburg
Day 3: Bad Driburg to Berlin
Day 4: Berlin
Day 5: Berlin to Prague
Day 6: Prague
Day 7: Prague to Wemding
Day 8: Wemding to Ammerschwihr
Day 9: Ammerschwihr
Day 10: Ammerschwihr
Day 11: Ammerschwihr to Eschdorf
Day 12: Eschdorf to London

Wrapping-up