Rhodes - Saint-Quirin
Effective distance: 28 km
Extra distance: 2 km
Elevation: 400m up, 350m down
Min altitude 259m, max altitude 383m
Active hours: 8h4m
Steps: 52992

i slept badly. I have an odd spot on my foot that isn't a blister. However much it looks and feels like a blister, apparently trying to puncture it with a needle was a bad idea. The pain kept me awake. This meant I woke up slowly and later than usual. I took it easy this morning, and got back to the route at almost 10.00. At first, it all went quite okay, forest, some roads, but then the path I needed was blocked because of some roadworks (far enough away that they were invisible). I stood there, trying to figure out if I could just pass by the fence and ignore the blocking and see if that got my anywhere, and looking at the map for alternatives, when a couple of helpful locals stopped, and they told me where the actual blockage was and how long the detour was. Sometimes it's really useful to speak French. Detour it was, so asphalt again, yay... The block was a bridge in repair, which shouldn't have been a problem for me, but they thought it necessary to put fences on the path that went underneath. Ah well.
I passed between some lakes, and through a bit of rain, but nothing too bad. After the next village (Gondrexange) I took a lunch break and tried to find out if the detour in my book (due to widening a nearby N-road from 2 lanes to 4) was still necessary. Eventually I found some info somewhere that said the road had been in use again since the end of 2020, so I decided to take the risk, rather than add the 1.3 very unattractive km detour. And it paid off, there was no blocking.
After that, it was again asphalt road though villages, with the occasional nicer path, but those were always short. I thought about how weird it seems to me that people live in those tiny villages in the middle of nowhere, and could not imagine how it would be to live or grow up there; but to them, I must be the weird one. Also, every single French village, no matter how small, has a church. No idea if all of those are still in use, but they are there.
I was getting really fed up with asphalt, but reminded myself that in the last 5 km of today, I would pass into the outskirts of the Vosges mountains, into the forest and the first small climb. Which I did, and liked. I came out of that forest to find a view of the mountains (they may not be high mountains, with their highest peaks around 1400m, but they are definitely mountains) and it felt good to see that and think: yes, that's where I'm going!
Next, there was a descending forest path and walking it I though: yes, this is what I want, this is why I'm doing this!
On a road again I turned a corner and saw hills, forests, a chapel on top of the hill and a village with houses on slopes. YES! This is why I'm doing this! (for the Dutch among you: hier doe ik het voor!)
By now, the sun had finally broken through, so suddenly everything was pretty much how I wanted it. Passing through Saint-Quirin on my way to the campsite I heard what sounded like young birds, and looking up saw a nest with young swallows, their heads peeping out, and one of the parent birds bringing food. That really made me happy.
The campsite turned out to be next to the river and I first just walked in and let my feet cool for a while, while enjoying the view and the sunshine. The latter didn't last very long, but for a while everything was exactly how I wanted it and I enjoyed it greatly.
After putting up my tent and showering I went back to the village, because I had counted on there being a grocery story there but the only tiny shop was closed, so I had to eat out. A very mediocre pizza for dinner and only nuts and raisins left for breakfast ought to teach me not to count on stores in anything smaller than a city.
When I was cleaning my teeth, a bat passed by me at less than 30 cm, which was awesome, and after I could look at an impressive display of lightning storm, somewhat nearby but not close. It may not have been an entirely good day, but apart from the rain the evening is close to perfect.

Geschreven door Jewaontheroad