6th August 2013

I had another splendid Gutenbourg hotel breakfast after waking at 0800 again and then I was back on the next leg of my trip. I started my journey south and headed to the Haut Konigsbourg at the top of a small mountain. The day started sunny but storms were forecast, by the time I reached the castle, the storm clouds were brewing in the distance and the sound of thunder could be heard approaching nearer and nearer.  The popularity of the castle meant that I had to park about kilometre away and had to walk up a long but gradual gradient to reach the castle.  The views were delightful but the increasing frequency and loudness of the thunder hurried me to the top.  I decided not to enter the castle itself and just enjoyed the outside before hurrying down back to the car just minutes before the huge balls of water threw themselves on my car windshield like snow balls.   I drove onwards to Riquewihr and parked my car as the rain plunged down ever more violently.  With my faithful umbrella that is always in my boot, I was able to enter the medieval town and find a cosy restaurant called cafe restaurant au dolder.  I ordered the regional speciality tarte flambé but with Munster cheese, in reality a thin and crispy pizza with no tomatoes and a glass of gewürztraminer.  The waiter was quite stressed, presumably because it was raining and he had more guests than he was used to.  Anyway I managed to get myself understood and my food and drink arrived eventually.  As I finished eating, the shards of sunlight entered the restaurant as the clouds and rain moved on.  People started passing the window without umbrellas and in a less hurried manner, a reliable indication that the rain had stopped.  I left the restaurant and had made a quick walking tour of the medieval town before returning to my car and commencing my journey to my next destination at the Gîte En La Marre near Autun.  The drive took me down the A36 to Beaune and then on to the A6 briefly before turning off onto the small roads towards Autun.  En La Marre is in the quite farming region of, a small Gîte complex, with 6 separate Gîtes called en la Marie, run by a lovely couple called Chris and Judith.

I arrived later than expected around 1930 but still in daylight.  My late arrival meant I disturbed Chris and Judith’s dinner but they were very kind not to mind and showed me to my Gîte called Gamay.  Before long I was unloaded and making my way to bed after a long day to rest before the next few days of discovering the new region - Burgundy.