Tuesday 26th September 2023

Eguisheim to Turckeim

We woke up to sunny skies and a 650 metre hill to climb to start our walking odyssey in the Alsace.

There was a slightly smaller mountain to climb before leaving it was the breakfast buffet and 40 ravenous Swiss tourists who lobbed before us.

The fare on offer was typical of France with more sweet than savoury to choose from, plus an added touch of champagne – who doesn’t want to drink at 730 in the morning, if your initials are JW.

As usual the bread is sensational and after 5 days I reckon I am close to a couple of metres or more.

Boots on and off we went wandering through the little village and out into the vines with the three castles an ever present beacon on the hill.

The vineyards were full of workers picking this year crop and trimming the vines. It was interesting that red and white grapes were grown in alternate rows in some fields. The slopes of vineyards made mechanical picking impossible.

It was a long steep climb up the hillside with the guide book and it’s copious instructions testing our navigation skills. Thankfully there was some divine help with several crucifixes on the trail and we only had a couple of backtracks in first hour.

There was a great view in every direction with the mist hanging over the Rhine Valley to our east and a sea of vineyards in every other direction.

Soon we were up into the beautiful forests on a mixture of stony and earthen paths, with plenty of intersecting paths making direction finding a little hazardous. The distances on the notes were a bit confusing and there were plenty of times we stood looking at each other quizzically , shrugging our shoulders and guessing a direction.

It eventually bought us undone at the bottom of the steep climb to the top, where we ended up taking a route that sounded more like a song from the 60’s – a long and winding road. It did eventually get us to a carpark near,but not at the top, which probably added a kilometer or so.

A short sharp sprint to the top and there it was – 3 dilapidated castles with views in all directions. A group of volunteers were working diligently to repair steps to enable you to scramble up to the castles.

The number of hazard signs indicate the level of amateur rebuilding and lack of safety.
Jane managed a drink from the well- not champagne obviously.

In the distance atop another hill was the next castle , the renovated one. Thankfully most of the route across was on beautiful forest paths , making walking in filtered sunlight and a slight breeze very pleasant.

We had read about the abundant fauna that had been reintroduced in recent years, with regular signs explaining about each of them. They included red squirrels, wild boar, lynx and wild deer. Other than a giant carved squirrel Jane cuddled up to, we saw none. Even human life was non existent.

After a good 90 minutes we reached the castle carpark and as usual castles are all perched on a hilltop , so we slogged our way 600 metres along a steep road.

It was worth it, not only were the 360 degree views spectacular , the castle looked great from the outside. Lots of people were outside and a peep at sign on the door explained why – CLOSED FOR LUNCH OPEN 100PM.

It didn’t faze us much, so we plonked ourselves against a tank in the shade and dined on the sumptuous luch our hotel provided.

We paid our dues and spent an hour exploring a well redeveloped building which blended the old with the new. The horde of schoolkids on an excursion ran rampant on the ramparts recreating history and ignoring every KEEP OUT sign – much to the disapproval of teachers and staff.

After our fill of history we were off on a long toe busting trip to the bottom, again having a running battle with instructions. Thankfully, we loaded a non-internet dependent mapping app which got us on the straight and narrow

After a whole lot of twists and turns we could see our destination , Turkheim , and we wandered through vineyards to reach a more austere town, before crossing the river and heading through the gates into another fairyland, albeit not as pretty as Eguisheim. Through another crowded town square we found our 15century hotel.

What a step back in history with huge dining rooms and sitting rooms adorned with artworks and artifacts. Our room was furnished similarly, with the usual navigation issues with low and sloping ceilings.

We did a wander around town taking in its charm before a bit of rehydration and a trip to dinner.

While the crowd was smaller than last night the place was full and you could not jump over the Chicken Cordon Bleu I had. It was definitely a one course dinner. Jane’s veal was not far behind.

We waddled off home only to find I has somehow stolen the table napkin. Will have to go back tomorrow with an apology, as I was too knackered to head back.

Have to say it was a slightly easier first day than last years in Turkey. Tomorrow is a short 4 hours loop walk.