A Vespa Group Ride - featuring French Pizza and German Cake

A small group of Vespa riders came together on a chilly and murky Sunday morning in a tiny no name border town (the border being French...). We had a bit of a drive (roughly 100km) but it was well worth it and we warmed up quickly thanks to good coffee, tea and new friendship.

The original plan, to explore the Alsace region was cut short due to adverse weather conditions, hence the team spontaneously slammed together a new tour.

First stop was at Fort Louis on the French side, close to the Rhine. The 17th century had seen continuous struggle between France and German, hence king Louis XIV ordered to build a square shaped fortress for defense. It was besieged several times, and today little more than some walls exist.

It never ceases to amaze me how extraordinarily bloody and gruesome the past between the two neighbouring countries France and Germany was. I am glad that these days are long over.

Temperatures were nasty at the river Rhine and the cold wind gusts didn't help. We all developed a mutual desire for a warm place and hot food.

Although green is still the prevalent colour of the trees, fall has found a way to show that its time is nigh: in today's weather pattern but also in reddish and yellowish leaves.

Our new friends recommended to try Flammkuchen (tarte flambée, flame pie), an Alsatian specialty traditionally baked in a wood fire stove, which is a very thin layer of rolled out dough similar to an Italian pizza crust, only it's square and way thinner. This is how we ended up at Auberge Du Rhin in Seltz.

My veggie version was topped with onions, veggies and mushrooms, while the original Flammkuchen included lardon and sour cream. It was delicious!

Our lunch gave us the necessary strength for the next stage of our little outing: taking the ferry across river Rhine to get to the German side. 

Naturally we were assigned a prime spot on the boat, and thanks to French socialism the trip across the river was free of charge. In France ferries are considered part of the road network, and hence, paid for by the government (or the tax payer if your like).

Finally we encountered some weather improvement. There were even hints of blue skies while we crossed the Rhine.

 Five Vespas eager to get to the other side.

Our next cultural infusion happened in Rastatt at Castle Favorite, a Baroque summer residence built in the 18th century.

The interior obviously shows a variety of 18th century craftsmanship and hosts the world's largest collection of Asian and European porcelain. But the museum was closed to the public.

We promenaded through the gardens and admired the details of the exterior, which was meticulously decorated with rhine stones.

Once again the crew was craving for something edible. You really gotta like those people because we had a desire for cake and coffee, too.

Again we were in for a treat. The castle cafe had a fantastic selection of pies and cakes, and while I stuck to a soy milk infused double espresso (my energy levels were getting low), Roland was in need for something with more substance: A raspberry mousse au chocolate cake. He was in culinary heaven!

And what had started as a grey and nippy morning ended up being a very nice combination of riding, historic sightseeing and culinary experience. Today we rode a total of 250km, thereof four hours of riding time, and another four hours, chatting, eating and walking around. It was well balanced, I'd say, and for sure won't be our last trip with this likeminded Vespa circle.

For more pics visit the German Vespa Forum, mehr Bilder gibt's im Vespa-Forum-Fred: KLICK

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Französische Pizza und Deutsche Torte
Mann, war das ein useliges Wetter am Sonntag. Trotzdem machten wir uns auf den Weg nach Norden, um uns mit einer kleinen Vespa-Truppe zu treffen, die in der Elsässer / Pfälzer Gegend eine Tour organisiert hatten. Treffpunkt war das No Name in Berg, einem kleinen Grenzdorf mit Frankreich in Spuckweite. Dort konnten wir uns nicht nur an den Getränken erwärmen, sondern auch an den Gesprächen mit unseren neu gewonnenen Freunden. Das Wetter auf der geplanten Route versprach nichts Gutes, und so wurde spontan umgeplant. Die "Kollegen" kannten sich aus und boten uns einen gelungenen Mix aus Spazieren(fahren), historischen Stätten und regionalen Leckereien. 
Zunächst ging es nach Fort Louis zu den gleichnamigen Festungsruinen, danach zum Rhein, aber da war es zugig und kalt, so dass das Bedürfnis nach etwas Heissem zwangsläufig aufkam. Diese bekamen wir dann in Form des Flammkuchens (für mich die vegetarische Variante), einer elsässischen Spezialität, die wir noch nicht kannten. Es war köstlich. So gestärkt überquerten wir bei Seltz den Rhein mit einer kostenfreien Fähre.
Danach fuhren wir durch Rastatt zum Schloss Favourite, einem barocken Kleinod und ehemaligem Jagd- und Sommerschloss. Wir lustwandelten im Garten, genossen die Sonne, die sich inzwischen doch einmal blicken ließ, und entschieden, dass es Zeit für Kaffee und Kuchen sei. Auf der Terrasse im Schloss-Cafe kamen wir dann bestens auf unsere Kosten. 
Danach trennten sich unsere Weg leider wieder in alle Himmelsrichtungen. Diese Kombination von Roller fahren, Kultur und Kulinarischem war ganz in unserem Sinne, und so hoffen wir, dass wir die Truppe in der kommenden Saison mal öfters treffen werden.