I had the best hiking trip ever yesterday!
I’ve had a bunch of amazing hiking adventures…I always love hiking (and my boyfriend Jack is the best buddy), but hiking in France was different in ways I never thought of. What I loved best was that for a change I still felt comfortable and at home despite recognizing these differences. Nature is perfect for that! Anyway, the first thing I noticed was that there weren’t any ferns in the forest. There was tons of moss all over the rocks, and some long, gangly sprouts grew out of the ground moss. I didn’t recognize some of the birds (black with white on their sides and blue tail feathers). And walking along the vineyards was absolutely incredible. I’d never been so close to orchards like that except on my grandparents’ fruit farm. Plus my allergies were mostly under control! We started at Mont Sainte-Odile, high in the Vosges mountains. The monastery was lively with people enjoying the sunshine and a lunch outside. My fellow Accès members and I ate lunch there too. After lunch we explored the terrace, which had been closed the last time I was there due to winter conditions. There were so many flowers, and the sun was warm. It was a clear day, and I could’ve stared at the mountains in the distance for ages. The hiking trail began right off to the side of the monastery. We all stared out together, but Sama, me, and Bikash (another Accès student) got separated from the group because we stopped to take pictures and soak in the scenery! We were headed towards Barr, France, which is the capital of the Alsatian vineyards! I’m not sure how long exactly the hike was, but it took us about 2 hours. Really it’s the pictures that can do the best describing of how beautiful the path was, better than I can describe. Because Sama was with me, we spoke in French, and it was the least stressful and most relaxed I ever felt speaking French. Every time someone else passed us on the trail, which wasn’t all that often, they said “bonjour!” and of course we said “bonjour!” back. Forests are often a little dark because of all the trees, but that doesn’t bother me. I love when the sun pokes through, and sometimes there are patches with fewer trees where you can really soak it in. In my opinion, the trail wasn’t expertly marked…so, we got lost about 3 times! It wasn’t a big deal—we just back tracked and took a different path. And Bikash INSISTED upon using Google maps. I hate to admit it, but it was a little comforting to have the map! Alex gave us a general map too, but it wasn’t detailed for those of us who are challenged in navigation! There was never a dull moment on the trail. Sometimes the path split and we had to think and confer, sometimes it crossed a road, and other times there was a little structure to explore or a boulder that overlooked the mountains. Sometimes Bikash and Sama broke into song (well, beat boxing and that kind of stuff!), and just a few times we asked someone along the way if we were indeed headed to Barr. Once we got out of the woods, we found a cute little country hotel where people were sitting outside enjoying a coffee or a cold drink. Then we hit the vineyards! You could see the village below, as we were still descending the mountain. The roofs were a burnt orange color. Sama, Bikash, and I were the last ones there, and we found the others waiting for us under a tree next to a church. I think the excursion was a favorite for all of us! Hiking in the Vosges mountains is definitely worth it.
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AuthorHello! I'm Elda, a French/Anthropology major and Applied Language Studies minor studying in Strasbourg for a semester. Archives
May 2019
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