I'm still cycling through Alsace's wine country. I pop over a hill and another little medieval village comes into view.
This village has a French tank from World War ll stationed at its entrance. During the war quite a few of these villages were of strategic importance as many led to roads over the Vosges Mountains. Matter of fact, quite a few were obliterated and were later rebuilt. American soldiers liberated the area and in villages squares I find plaques in French and English detailing the battles.
Main street.
Gated entrance still standing.
Riquewihr (population 1,090) is on the tour bus trail. Most tours use nearby Colmar as their base.
Like in many of the villages, right outside town you'll find local wineries to drop in and have a tasting.
Accessing Riquewihr's main street requires walking right through city hall (Hotel De Ville is French for city hall).
The drop off spot for tour buses is just around the corner. As tourists make their way up the cobblestone main street.
This really ticks me off. See the sign above the water fountain which reads "Eau non potable"? That means you can't drink the water and I can't fill up my water bottle with cold water. It's a racket! How do I know? Just came through a village several miles away and the water from their fountains were drinkable. They put those signs up to force tourists to buy overpriced water from the trinket shops.
I know these medieval villages are dependent on tourists but, it isn't right. See the sign above this fountain "eau non potable"?
This is Dolder Tower.
Like the color combinations here.
This is the entrance to Riquewihr from the other end.
Medieval fortifications.
You can see vineyards up on the hill.
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