TRAVEL PROGRAM

 

 

Those who would like can participate in the Strasbourg pre-trip, Sept 12 -15, 2024.

Strasbourg is an incredible city, filled with cultural beauty, amazing food and great wine.  We highly recommend that you join us on the 3-day pre-trip adventure before the main program begins.  September 12-15, 2024.  Read all about the pre-trip.

Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region, situated on the River Ill where it flows into the Rhine.  In the 4th century, Strasbourg became the seat of an Archbishopric and in 1439 the city’s great cathedral Notre Dame de Strasbourg was completed.  At 143 meters, the Strasbourg Cathedral became the world’s tallest building in 1625 when the spire of St. Olav Tallinn burned down. 

Today Strasbourg is French but the city also has an important European status. More than one EU institution is located in Strasbourg, a tradition which began in 1920 when the city became the seat of the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine, one of the very first European institutions. In 1949, the city was chosen to be the site of the Council of Europe and since 1979, Strasbourg has been a seat of the European Parliament. 

sunday, SEPT 15
ARRIVALS TO STRASBOURG AND ON TO OBERNAI

 

 

Our rendezvous point will be in front of the centrally located Hôtel de l’Europe, Strasbourg where the pre-trip will be staying.  The bus will depart at 2:30 pm.

From our pick-up point it will be a ½ hour transfer to our lovely Hôtel A La Cour d’Alsace in the center of beautiful Obernai. 

Welcome drink in the garden upon arrival.  Check-in and chance to unpack.  The spa or pool or a stroll into town for a glass of Riesling are all possibilities.   

Hôtel A La Cour d’Alsace
Perfectly located just off the central square of Obernai, we have chosen the beautiful Hôtel A La Cour d’Alsace as our home for the week.  Originally the elegant manor house of the Baron de Gail, the hotel comprises 6 separate medieval buildings secluded at the end of a tiny laneway with its own large garden tucked up against the massive 13th-century rampart wall.  Indoor swimming pool, spa, two restaurants and a fabulous vaulted wine cellar will keep us happy when we’re not working hard in the ultra-modern meeting facilities.

Those who would like to do so can have their bikes fitted, pedals mounted, special seats installed this afternoon.  It is a quick operation but great to get out of the way today.  Then some time to walk into town to explore. 

Our "Home Town" of Obernai
Charming” just doesn’t do it when describing he town of Obernai.  “Adorable” or “Breathtaking” or “Perfect” or even “Damn Cute” would get closer to the truth.  Cafés spill out into the squares and it seems that every building is a half-timbered medieval gem. 

Between the ancient beams the exterior walls are painted bright colors – orange, red, green, blue, pink - and flowers tumble from every balcony and veranda.  Bread shops and pastry makers mix in with wine cellars and beer stübes until your head spins.  And it is not as if this town is the only beautiful spot.  All up and down the region, a short distance from each other, it’s gorgeous town after spectacular village!

This evening we enjoy welcome cocktails followed by a gourmet roving dinner in the garden of our hotel nestled up against the medieval ramparts built in 1240. Great local wines to match our dinner.

Overnight: Hôtel A La Cour d’Alsace, Obernai.    

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
OBERNAI

 

 

Buffet breakfast in the restaurant from 7:00 am.

8:00-11:00 am. Medical meeting in the state-of-the-art Sacha + Maximilian seminar rooms and just outside the window, the remparts of town and lush vineyards stretch into the distance.

For spouses not in the meeting, time for bike fitting if you didn’t do it yesterday.  For those in the meeting not yet fitted, you will be looked after post-meeting.  Bike and safety talk for everyone following the meeting.

While the meeting is in progress, those not taking part in the medical program can enjoy the spa or indoor pool. The shops and cafés of Obernai are literally right on our doorstep. 

Biking and Hiking along the Route des Vins d’Alsace.
“La Route des Vins” runs for 170 km through the Alsatian countryside, crossing the villages and towns that lay claim to the best wines in the region. The road reaches all the way from Marlenheim in the north to Thann in the south, including Obernai on its course. 

We will hike and bike much of it.  Some interesting cultural blending will be noticeable as we travel through the little towns and villages of Alsace. The escarpment of the Vosges is dotted with picturesque castles straight out of a Teutonic fairytale - Haut-Köenigsbourg, Kientzheim, Franckenbourg. The houses with their medieval steeple roofs and half-timbered facades echo German architecture. Women’s costumes recall those of Germany, with the large black bows on their headdresses, laced bodices, and billowing red skirts. A closer look, however, reveals an influence of France.

At midday, every bicycle sports slender, crusty baguettes rather than a stubby German loaf, and the dominant language is French. So it would seem that the conflict that has raged between the French and the Germans to make the little region their own has simply helped Alsace develop into a place that is neither French nor German, but both.  Our biking and hiking will be mostly rolling, mostly through the hillside vineyards, sometimes up into the forested Vosges. 

Today's Ride:
48 km.  A loop north through Molsheim to Marlenheim before turning back south to Obenai.  Much of today is on dedicated bike paths, the rest along the Route des Vins d’Alsace.

Today's Hike:
11 km north-west walking directly from Obernai first to the village of Boersch then on to Rosenwiller and ending in Rosheim.  Part of our walk today is on the Santiago de Compostela path.  En route a stop at the famous marquetry workshop of Spindler.

Rosheim
From the 14th to 17th centuries, Rosheim was an Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire, and founded the Décapole Confederation with nine other Alsatian Imperial Cities in 1354. Take some time to look around the town and visit its major sites- the 12th-century Church Saint-Pierre-et-Paul, the 18th-century Church Saint-Etienne with its belltower from the 12th century, La Maison païenne or the Pagan House from the 12th century.

Lunch at leisure for both bikers and hikers. 

Biking and hiking continues through the early afternoon. Return to our hotel in plenty of time to relax, go for a swim, have a coffee or maybe a little glass of Gewurtztraminer and a Kugelhopf in town.

Kugelhopf is a very rich combination of part bread and part cake. The tall angular shape of the Kugelhopf inspired the American bundt cake. Though it originated in Austria, this sweet raisin-filled yeast bread has become a specialty of Alsace where it is often served for breakfast or brunch.

It is traditionally baked in a tall, decorative tube pan, which gives the cake its characteristic angled and ridged pattern.  You will see these pans all over Obernai, in fact, there are a couple stores that seem to sell nothing but!  Or you might pick one up in the Thursday market.

This evening we split into 2 groups. 

One half the group will get to know Obernai more deeply during a cultural, architectural and gourmet walking tour of the town.  No doubt there will be some stork nest sightings during the visit.

Architecture of Obernai
Initially, you will be struck by the vibrant colors used to decorate the exterior stucco between the crossbeams on many of the buildings along our walk. Since metal oxides are readily available throughout the region, Alsatian houses were generally painted in white, yellow or earth hues until the beginning of the 18th century.

But with the advent of the textile and chemical industries, more vivid shades - specifically blues, reds, mustards and pistachio green - began to be applied. Traveling around town and through the region, you will spot plenty of houses that have been painted in fanciful colors.

One half of the group will transfer 15 minutes to the village of Mittelberheim (rated as one of the most beautiful villages of France) for an in-depth tasting at Domaine Armand Gilg. Following our tasting, we have dinner in the village at a traditional winstůb Le Raisin d’Or.    

In its very simplest form. Alsace wines are made from seven grape varieties: Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Sylvaner, Muscat d'Alsace and Pinot Noir.

These are featured on the labels of the bottles, the wines generally being made 100% from the named single grape variety.  Unlike Burgundy where the wine is named after a certain “terroir” or plot of land or Bordeaux where the wine is normally named after its owner château, the wines of Alsace are simply referred to by the varietal and then sometimes backed up with a “terroir” such as a special grand cru location.  Wines from Alsace stand out visually as they are bottled in distinctive flute shaped bottles. 

Overnight: Hôtel A La Cour d’Alsace, Obernai.     

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
OBERNAI

 

 

Buffet breakfast in the restaurant from 7:00 am.

8:00-11:00 am. Medical meeting in the sate-of-the-art Sacha + Maximilian seminar rooms and just outside the window, the remparts of town and lush vineyards stretch into the distance.

While the meeting is in progress, those not taking part in the medical program can enjoy the spa or indoor pool.  The shops and cafés of Obernai are literally right on our doorstep. 

Today's Ride:
47 km.  Today we head west up into the gradual climbs of the Vosges Hills.  Through the Forests of Rosheim and Bishoffsheim to Schirmeck and then return. 

Today's Hike:
10 km entirely on the Santiago de Compostela path from the beautiful village of Heligenstein up to the Abbey of Mont-Ste-Odile and ending in Ottrot. 

Mont Ste-Odile
To the west of Obernai in the Vosges Mountains stands the peak of Mont Sainte Odile, one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in France. This mountain boasts the name of Alsace’s patron saint who was born in Obernai thus giving the town a major role in Alsatian religion.

Lunch at leisure for both bikers and hikers. 

Biking and hiking continue through the early afternoon but both groups arrive back to the hotel in plenty of time to relax a bit before dinner and get ready for the evening’s activities.   

This evening we again split into 2 groups.  Activity write-ups shown on Monday, September 16.

One half the group will get to know Obernai more deeply during a cultural, architectural and gourmet walking tour of the town. 

Storks have been a part of the Alsatian scenery for many centuries. Once very numerous, they would return every year from Africa to announce the coming of spring in France. However they were becoming a highly endangered species in recent years. Huge efforts were made to help the storks return and establish their nests in the Alsatian trees and chimney stacks, especially in Obernai, and these efforts were rewarded as the storks now have returned more numerous than ever.   They are much loved by the locals as symbols of happiness and faithfulness.

One half of the group will transfer 15 minutes to the village of Mittelberheim (rated as one of the most beautiful villages of France) for an in-depth tasting at Domaine Armand Gilg. Following our tasting, we have dinner in the village at a traditional winstůb Le Raisin d’Or.   

The Most Beautiful Villages of France
During our time in Alsace, we will bike and/or hike through some of the prettiest villages in the world.  Four of them – Bergheim, Mittelbergheim, Riquewihr and Hunawihr – are members of an elite group known as “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” (The Most Beautiful Villages of France).

The story of the Plus Beaux Villages de France began in 1981 as an idea to protect and promote the outstanding heritage of exceptional villages throughout the country and to provide them with an alternative to rural exodus, a problem that is not unique to France.  Today, the association includes 172 villages spread over 21 regions and 69 départements.   This is not a project to turn the villages into soulless museums or tacky theme parks.   Rather it is an attempt to reconcile these villages with the inevitable future while at the same time restoring life around the fountain or in the square shaded by hundred-year-old lime and plane trees.

Overnight: Hôtel A La Cour d’Alsace, Obernai.    

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WEDNESDAY, sept 18
OBERNAI

 

 

Buffet breakfast in the restaurant from 7:00 am.

8:00-11:00 am. Medical meeting in the sate-of-the-art Sacha + Maximilian seminar rooms and just outside the window, the remparts of town and lush vineyards stretch into the distance.

While the meeting is in progress, those not taking part in the medical program can enjoy the spa or indoor pool.  The shops and cafés of Obernai are literally right on our doorstep. 

Today’s Ride
48 km.  South along the beautiful Route des Vins d’Alsace through Barr, Andlau and numerous other stunning villages to the highlight of the day, Dambach-la-Ville.  Then north back to Obernai along the edge of the Vosges.

Today’s Hike:
10 km starting in the village of Bernardvillé in the midst of the Grand Cru vineyards of Eichberg, we walk on tiny paths to Andlau on through Mittelbergheim (one of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”) into Barr. 

Andlau
A small charming flower-covered village with a fine 12th-century church with an extraordinary doorway adorned with the most outstanding Romanesque carvings in Alsace.   Two ruined castles – Haut-Andlau and Spesbourg – loom in the distance. 

Lunch at leisure for both bikers and hikers.

Biking and hiking and visiting continues through the early afternoon but both groups arrive back to the hotel in plenty of time to relax a bit before dinner.  

This evening we again split into 2 groups. 

One half the group will have a gastronomic dinner at the gourmet restaurant of our hotel, Le Caveau de Gail. 

One half the group will have their evening and then dinner at leisure.  There are dozens of choices for dinner from simple bistros to family winstůbs and all the way up to a choice of Michelin-starred gourmet restaurants. 

Winstubs are traditional restaurants where you eat Alsatian dishes with good local wine.  They are a combination of wine bar and bistro where you dine in a simple friendly atmosphere sitting around wooden tables covered with red checkered tablecloths and usually served by family members.  The food is not fancy but it is always good and you’ll be sure to see on the menu such dishes as galettes de pommes de terre, quenelles, baeckeoffe and choucroute.   Trying one of these simple spots would be a good idea for tonight’s dinner at leisure. 

Overnight: Hôtel A La Cour d’Alsace, Obernai.    

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tHURSDAY, sept 19
OBERNAI

 

 

Buffet breakfast in the restaurant from 7:00 am.

8:00-11:00 am. Medical meeting in the sate-of-the-art Sacha + Maximilian seminar rooms and just outside the window, the remparts of town and lush vineyards stretch into the distance.

While the meeting is in progress, those not taking part in the medical program can enjoy the spa or indoor pool.  The shops and cafés of Obernai are literally right on our doorstep. 

Today's Ride:
48 or 55 km.  A choice today between heading east into the flats towards the Rhine River and following the bike path along the Canal du Rhône.  Or heading west up into the Vosges for a challenging ride through the Forest of Barr.

Today's Hike:
12 km through a combination of the Vosges Hills, the Rittersberg Forest and Grand Cru vineyards, we walk from Scherwiller to Dambach-la-Ville.

Lunch at leisure for both bikers and hikers.

Biking and hiking and visiting continues through the early afternoon but both groups arrive back to the hotel in plenty of time to relax a bit before dinner and get ready for the evening’s activities.  

This evening we again split into 2 groups.

One half the group will have a gastronomic dinner at the gourmet restaurant of our hotel, Le Caveau de Gail.

One half the group will have their evening and then dinner at leisure.  There are dozens of choices for dinner from simple bistros to family winstůbs and all the way up to a choice of Michelin-starred gourmet restaurants.  There are also lots of spots to taste before dinner, especially cheese and eau de vie possibilities.    

Munster Cheese or Munster or Munster-géromé is a strong tasting, soft cheese made mainly from unpasteurized cow's milk called crude milk from the Vosges, between the regions of Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté.  The name “munster” may come from the little town of Munster or it may refer to the Latin word for monastery, “monasterium”.  

This cheese originated in an area on the top of the Vosges Mountains and as early as the 14th century, these territories were occupied by a mountain population who paid their debts with cheese.

Eaux de Vie is a clear, colorless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. The fruit flavor is typically very light.  Typically, the fruit is harvested when ripe, crushed, fermented and then distilled. Eaux-de-vie are typically not aged in wooden casks, hence they are clear. The resulting liquid is quickly bottled in order to preserve the freshness and aroma of the parent fruit.

Overnight: Hôtel A La Cour d’Alsace, Obernai.    

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FRIDAY, SEPT 20
OBERNAI

 

 

Buffet breakfast in the restaurant from 7:00 am.

8:00-11:00 am. Medical meeting in the sate-of-the-art Sacha + Maximilian seminar rooms and just outside the window, the remparts of town and lush vineyards stretch into the distance.

While the meeting is in progress, those not taking part in the medical program can enjoy the spa or indoor pool.  The shops and cafés of Obernai are literally right on our doorstep. 

Today's Ride:
45 or 80 km.  Down south along the entire Route des Vins d’Alsace to the most precious gem of the region, the village of Riquewihr.  The bus will be waiting for those who want to stop at 45 km.  But for those who want to ride back, the route is fantastic. 

Today's Hike:
10 km south from Ribeauvillé through two of France’s most scenic villages – Hunawihr and Riquewihr – and on to Kaysersberg.

Riquewihr is without question, one of the jewels of France. It has been spared the wars and battles that have savaged the area and it appears today almost as it did in the 16th century.  It belonged for several centuries to the Dukes of Wurtemberg and their castle completed in 1540 has kept its mullioned windows, its gable decorated with antlers and its stair turret.

Explore the tiny hidden streets since the atmosphere improves the further you get from the usually extremely busy “main street” Rue du Général de Gaulle where it is nonetheless pleasant to sit for a beer or buy a pretzel.

Lunch at leisure for both bikers and hikers.

Biking and hiking continue through the early afternoon but both groups arrive back to the hotel in plenty time to relax a bit and perhaps pack in anticipation of tomorrow’s departure.

For our final evening we walk two minutes to the famous local legend La Dime for a feast of all the specialties and varieties of wine that we have been seeing around us all week.  Tarte Flambée.  Baeckeoffe.  Tarte à l’Oignon.  Quiche Lorraine.  Quenelles de Sandre.  Foie Gras.  Kugelhopf.  And not to forget Grand Cru Riesling, Gerwurtztraminer Vendage Tardive and perhaps a delicious cherry Eau de Vie! 

Overnight: Hôtel A La Cour d’Alsace, Obernai.    

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SATURDAY, SEPT 21
DEPARTURES FROM OBERNAI TO STRASBOURG AND FRANKFURT

 

 

Buffet breakfast in the restaurant from 7:00 am.

Three group transfers will take place this morning.

Please plan your departure flights accordingly if you want to take advantage of the group transfer to the airport.  If your flight leaves too early for you to take one of the below transfers, you will be obliged to take a private transfer to the airport. 

1. Departing the hotel at 5:15 am.  Arriving at the Frankfurt Airport at 7:45 am. In plenty of time to connect with any flight leaving at 9:30 am or later.. 
2. Departing the hotel at 8:45 am.  Arriving at the Frankfurt Airport at 11:15 am. In plenty of time to connect with any flight leaving at 1:00 pm or later.
3. Departing the hotel at 9:30 am.  Arriving at the Strasbourg train station in downtown Strasbourg.  This is a major train hub with trains going to all over France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, and elsewhere.   There are also plenty of taxis to take you to a hotel in the center of Strasbourg if you are staying on for a few days here. 

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