Thannenkirch

26 June 2015:  As I begin this post, I'm sitting on the terrace of our hotel in Thannenkirch, l'Auberge la Meunière.  The sun will set soon, and the temperature has dropped to 24 degrees.  It is pleasant to relax like this after 6.5 hours of hiking up and down the trails from Dambach-la-Ville, via the Château de Bernstein (up), Chatenois (down), and Haut Koenigsbourg (up), to Thannenkirch (down, with hitchhiking for the last 3 km).  Most of the trail passed through forests.  We appreciated the shade during this hot, sunny day.  And the forest trails were great!

The hotel is full tonight.  Everyone else is here for the mineral and gem exposition in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines.  When I told the waitress at dinner tonight that minerals and gems do not interest me at all, she was not shocked; she seemed, in fact, to agree...

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Forest trails climbing up from Dambach:

Ruins of Château Bernstein:

We recalled camping here (above Chatenois) in 1989:

Approaching Chatenois:

A view of the mountains that we would hike over in the afternoon, including Haut Koenigsbourg (on the right):

During this hike, we've seen many walls made from rocks within a metal cage.  It appears to be a fad!  In Chatenois, we saw two such walls next to each other – one with small rocks; one with larger rocks. 

Departing from Chatenois:

On the trail leading to Haut Koenigsbourg:

A good view of the Alsacian plain from Haut Koenigsbourg:

The castle at Haut Koenigsbourg, a 19th century confection:

L'Auberge le Meunière: