Saar

The day started out with a series of climbs to change from the Moselle valley into that of the Saar. After that, a routine of minimally steep uphill riding along the Saar canal set in. Constructed to serve the steel industry of the first half of the 20th century, the canal doesn't exactly flow through scenic countryside. In fact the lower portion up to and including Saarbruecken is markedly industrial in a way that resembles the Walloon Sillon industriel that I passed through earlier. Saarbruecken is a place to forget. In the city center one shore of the river is allocated to an autobahn ...

Fortunately the situation changed for the better when I passed into France again. Compared to the German part, Sarreguemines can be described as outright idyllic.

Vosges

Not far uphill from Sarreguemines I left the Sarre to climb up into the Vosges. In the unrelenting sunshine this took me up close to an altitude of 500 m twice in a row.

With these late afternoon workouts completed, I rolled down the brisk descent into Bitche. Out of curiosity I rode up to the entrance of the citadel where I was lucky to be able to purchase some postcards -- they seem to be going out of fashion these days to the point that for most of the day, or come to think of it, the last few days I did not spot any place that sold them along my route.

Another final climb then took me into the Zinsel rive valley to Baerenthal where I camp for the night. Although part of the Lorrainian departement of the Moselle this valley belongs to the Alsace region from under cultural and historical aspects. Which means I'm really not that far from hone anymore.

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