Another Long Journey. It was Sunday and the town/village was practically shut except for a small café which was opened for breakfast. We had a light breakfast and were on time for our next journey, which was expected to take 7/8 hours of cycling (85KM). Leaving Neuf-Brisach, we passed through the town’s wall and finally got a second view of the epic fortifications that make Neuf-Brisach unique. Huge walls surround the entire town and serve as a permanent reminder that Neuf-Brisach was built as a border guard town in the early 1700s. The fortifications are well worth a visit. Exiting Neuf-Brisach, the route took us first through some fields and the town of Biesheim before guiding us onto a tow path alongside a canal. Turning North, the canal took us quickly to the town of Kunheim where it joined the larger Canal du Rhône au Rhin (Rhone-Rhine Canal). 

The first 3-4 KM up to Kunheim was through jungle and gravel road. It was so uncomfortable and we were afraid of losing the wifi signal. Baring the uncomfortable ride, the path through the jungle was a lovely and great experience. You need to have a lot of confidence and perseverance to go through this. Once we cleared through Kunheim, the path to Strassbourg was one of the best routes we cycled through. The track was very flat, properly paved road & along the river. At some point we were doing like 20km/hr with our panniers – that’s the fastest we had done besides the downhill from Oberalppass. The river, the cleanliness, the trees, and along other riders made the journey less tiring. We diverted to a small town Marckolsheim to have lunch and to visit the World War II memorial but unfortunately, it was closed.

Maginot Line, the world’s second greatest defensive structure after the Great Wall of China, has a dedicated museum in Marckolsheim. The line, built between 1930 to 1940 to hold back attacks on France from the east, consisted of a series of fortifications, including concrete bunkers, gun posts and tank traps. Along the north-east sector, the line was continuous, with its own electricity generation, telephone and underground railway systems. The southern sectors, including that around Marckolsheim, were less heavily fortified, as the Rhine was seen as the principal barrier to invasion. The line was effective in preventing an attack from the east; however, when invasion came in 1940, the German army simply bypassed these defences, sweeping through Belgium to attack France from the north.

After having lunch, we continued past Sundhouse before joining a wider, navigable canal at Neunkirch. We crossed the canal at Neunkirch lock for a short section and recrossed at Boofzheim lock. We then continued along a towpath lined with mature trees, crossing a wide river (branch of river Ill) at Krafft. The ride was great.

We continued past Eschau and into Strasbourg suburbs at Illkirch-Graffenstaden after which the route leaves towpath temporarily to follow Rue des Lilas parallel with the canal. From here we cycled towards the center of Strasbourg and to our destination for the night. We arrived at about 6 pm.

Strasbourg fought over for centuries and governed alternatively by France (1681–1870, 1919–40 and since 1945) and Germany (1871– 1918, 1940–44), nowadays sees itself as an international city, home to many transnational European institutions. The city center is concentrated around the medieval streets of Grande Île, an island in the Ill river (a tributary of the Rhine), which is dominated by the Gothic sandstone cathedral (completed in 1439) witha spire that was the world’s tallest building when built. The most attractive area of the city is Petite France, with a network of narrow canals bordered by numerous half-timbered houses. Nearby are the Barrage Vauban and Ponts Couverts with four bridge towers. Strasbourg port is the second largest on the Rhine (after Duisburg).