Yesterday was a travel day. We decamped in record time, before travelling 270km east to Alsace, stopping off for an hour in Dijon on the way.
Slowly but surely, we left behind the endless vineyards of Burgundy, which were replaced by a landscape of wheat fields as far as the eye could see, until we reached the plains of Alsace reaching out beneath the Vosges mountains.
Today, we set out to explore. We are staying in a place called Neuf-Brisach, just a few miles from the River Rhine, and the border of Germany.
We spent the morning exploring Neuf-Brisach, a surprising fortified town, built in the shape of an octagon with ramparts completing a defensive structure that is a perfect star shape.
The town itself was built using a grid system, common in modern cities but rare in 1700, and has a huge central square with a fountain and church as well as many small bars and restaurants.
It is one of many defensive towns designed by Sébastien Le Prestre, Marquis de Vauban, by order of Louis XIV, at the turn of the 17th century, and despite a succession of wars, it's ramparts, bastioned towers, gates and defensive walls, have all remained completely intact.
We strolled into the village, following the street down to the square and then exited via one of the three gates to walk around the perimeter of the village, in what was probably a moat but is now landscaped, enjoying an unusual exhibition of art that was on display.
The further we walked, the more we marvelled at the scale of the defensive structure - it is not surprising that they were never breached!
After lunch, we took to two wheels and cycled over the border into Brisach in Germany. After a very indulgent ice-cream, we took a path close to the Rhine, enjoying the quiet and stillness, watching a family of swans and admiring the river that is the physical border between France and Germany.
Crossing back into France at Fessenheim, we made our way back through vast fields of crops and pretty villages, very different to the stone and timber properties of Burgundy. This area would have been completely destroyed during the war and only a few original timber structured buildings remain, the rest are mainly pastel-painted bungalows and houses, lining the roads. Even the churches are painted, making for a colourful return journey.
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