Short trip to France: Alsace & Vosges

Short trip to Alsace and the Vosges

A bit delayed, but better late than never. A few weeks ago, I went on a short trip to France for an extended weekend. I went to Osenbach, a small village in the Ballons des Vosges Nature Park (French: Parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges), in the southern part of the Vosges mountains.

At the Osenbach campsite, I stayed in one of the tent cabins ('cabin on stilts') for two nights. The campsite is quiet and located in nature (the cabin was surrounded by trees) and really well done.

Colmar

The goal was actually to hike a lot in the nature park, but unfortunately, the weather decided to pour down with rain. Despite that, I was still motivated and tried to hike to the highest peak in the region, the Grand Ballon. When I reached the top, the visibility was less than 50 meters and within a minute outside the protective car, I was soaked. I refuse to be a fair-weather hiker, but this was beyond my limits - after all, it's still leisure time. So I turned around and made a last-minute change of plans: I went to Colmar.

Colmar is the third largest city in Alsace. The city center is full of picturesque, fairytale half-timbered houses (you're just waiting for a singing Belle from Beauty and the Beast) and small streets - and last but not least, numerous shops for indulging, such as tarte flambée or macarons.

So while the hiking didn't work out, I was able to get to know this enchanting little town.

Hiking around Soultzmatt

The next day was a clear decision: rain or not, I would be hiking today. I used the circular route 'Through the vineyards near Soultzmatt' from outdooractive (published by ADAC hiking guide), which leads directly along the Osenbach campsite - update: the tour can now also be viewed via Pro+. Over 16 km, you initially hike through forests and then towards Soultzmatt. When I arrived there, I was already soaked (or rather my pants - my shoes and jacket kept their promise) - what a pleasure (oh yeah, all shops, hello coffee, were closed...). From Soultzmatt, I climbed up into the vineyards towards Zinnköpfle, and here the view is really beautiful. And the rain had even stopped.

Satisfied, I returned to the village of Osenbach and back to the campsite via Notre Dame du Hubel. The ravioli in the evening was well-deserved :)

A small, lovely short trip, and it's definitely worth coming back in spring/summer to enjoy the wide views.