It's getting hot 🥵 After a few sweaty days in Colmar, we decided to head up to the mountains, the Vosges. Yes, who knew that Alsace has "real" mountains with peaks of over 1500 metres? We didn't, but it was an interesting discovery and a part of the region that is not as well known (read: full of tourists).
The first stop was in the small village of Lautenbach Zell which is normally full of walkers and cyclists but due to the heat we hardly saw a human being. In the middle of the village there is a small campsite and although it was luxurious to have it all to yourself, at the same time it was almost a bit spooky and you almost wondered if there had been a zombie apocalypse without us noticing it.
There were beautiful views in all directions and super fresh facilities so we had a great time. You can read more about the campsite here.
The highlight of the village was the lilac-coloured restaurant, Restaurant à la Truite. We thought it was a bit strange that they had a fish restaurant up in the mountains but it would turn out that it had a twist that we had not seen before. However, it started with a misunderstanding as we understood that they had difficulty finding a table for us in an obviously empty restaurant. We interpreted this to mean that they did not want us as guests for some unclear reason as the large restaurant in the small village could not possibly be fully booked on a weekday. However, it turned out to be just a matter of us being there a little early in the usual Swedish spirit and while we were eating, it was indeed full. We also did not see a single tourist so the whole village must have been there.
We had two excellent starters and, funnily enough, a bottle of grand cru from Domaine Jean-Louis Schoepfer that we wrote about earlier. You can read more about it here. When it was getting close to the main course, we witnessed the restaurant's twist. One of the chefs came trotting with a plastic bucket, hoisted a trout out of a pond and after a few resolute slaps, he had the ingredients for our main course. It was an interesting way to get fresh fish even when you don't have a lake as far as the eye can see... 😉
They cooked the fish gently in broth and served it with butter. There were of course lots of other variations but that was the one I stuck to. In addition to the fish dishes, they also had a charcoal grill, which was perfect as Mrs Rendahl is not particularly fond of fish.
After a very good main course, as we sat discussing whether or not to have dessert, we noticed that the table next to us was talking about us. We didn't understand what they were saying but we assumed it was something about us being strange tourists or not following some obscure tradition. In the middle of the conversation, the whole party burst into a victory roar, BLUEBERRY!
It turned out that the helpful waitress, who didn't speak a word of English, had asked them for help with the name of today's cake in a language we understood, and when they found out, they were pretty excited. 🙂
The next day it was even hotter so all we could do was sit and catch our breath under the awning. However, we dragged ourselves down to the tiny village shop to see if they had anything edible for dinner. The shop had lots of locally produced products from local farmers but not so much staple goods. We had some challenges with the language but took a chance that Le Rumsteck was something that could be grilled. There were also various vegetables as a complement.
When we got back to the campsite, we realised that it meant roast beef, which is perfectly fine to grill, provided you have a decent grill that can maintain a constant temperature. By the way, this is a tip from us, even if it is practical to have a small camping grill, try to squeeze in a real grill. Doing so will open up a world of deliciousness and you can skip the scary hot dogs or frozen burgers in big packs. If you don't know a butcher or have a speciality shop nearby, why not take a trip to the local butcher who can provide meat of a quality that is difficult to find at home.
After dinner we sat and enjoyed a glass of wine and the beautiful sunset behind the mountains. By the way, the wine came from Weingut Schreieck which we visited earlier in the trip. You can read more about it here.
After a few days in the small village it was time to move on. We may not have had much cooling off but it was still nice to visit the cosy place. Now we headed up through the mountains towards Grand Balloon.
It was a varied landscape and as the road was not as narrow as we had expected, there was plenty of time to look at the views and to make various stops where the view just could not be taken in from the car. Most of it was mountains and forest but there were also a number of lakes. However, we suspect that they were not natural but rather built to regulate the amount of water during snowmelt or torrential rain. Below you can see a map of the area.
Up at the top there was a small ski village with lifts and everything, as well as a number of restaurants. You could also see a lot of cows as the area not dedicated to tourists was used as pasture. What a view the cows got!
Next to it you can also see a film summarising our trip over the mountain.
As we started going downhill again, there were more chances for beautiful views but as the road was a bit narrower and busier, it was difficult to stop and take pictures.
However, it was at one point that we almost pulled the handbrake in the middle of the road. Along the mountain there was a very green valley and at both ends there was a small lake. The picture below doesn't really do it justice but it was really beautiful anyway.
When we had driven all the way down, it was time for lunch and what heavenly luck that at the end of the lake that is not visible in the picture there was a beach. The beach was obviously popular but we managed to find a café that was both open and had tables available. Maybe we didn't have high expectations for the food as it was a beachside hangout anyway, but at the time we were happy with anything that would satisfy our hunger.
However, we needn't have worried as, despite its simple appearance and non-existent kitchen, the place still managed to produce food that was both nicely presented and very good. This is really something that is special about France. It doesn't matter if it's a luxury restaurant or a little shack on the beach, you always get excellent and well-prepared food. I'm beginning to wonder if French people can even make bad food, but as there's a long way to go on this trip, maybe I shouldn't tempt fate.
The trip to the Vosges was a bit of a whim but offered an interesting and relaxing experience. It was also good to slow down a bit and to recharge for the next destination on the trip, Champagne, which will certainly be a more intense experience.
