Three Castles of Ribeauvillé

Our family trips are never complete without at least one challenging and memorable hike. When we were researching and planning this one, I wasn't finding anything that really stood out to me... And then Leslie came along and showed me the "Three Castles of Ribeauvillé" hike (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/france/haut-rhin/les-trois-chateaux-de-ribeauville-et-rocher-kahlfels?p=-1&sh=chqwzz). The hike starts in the medieval village of Ribeauvillé, and takes you on a tour of three nearby castles: Girsberg, Saint Ulrich, and Haut-Ribeaupierre. These all date from sometime around the 1100s and 1200s.

The photos and descriptions online looked very compelling, so we added it to the itinerary, weather permitting.  And we've been incredibly fortunate with the weather on this trip since day one; despite recent heat waves in the region it has been no warmer than 21-22 degrees Celsius, and comfortably cool at night. Today was no exception. 

After another breakfast of local fruit, yogurt, and pastries (and of course ample amounts of French press coffee), we headed out for the nearby town of Ribeauvillé to find the trailhead. As is typical of the local villages, the closer we got to the middle of town the narrower the streets became and the more chaotic the driving became, but we eventually found parking and the trail head.

The trail quickly turned into steep, rocky switchbacks that took us upwards through the vineyards that surrounded the village. We quickly broke a sweat, felt the burn in our legs, and stopped to catch our breath a few times. And I didn't fully appreciate how much Rosie enjoys these hikes!  I forget her exact choice of words, but early into the hike she said something along the lines of "this is more like it" and told me she woke up excited today because we were doing a legit hike instead of just strolling through scenic towns. :)  You're my people Rosie. 

The climb continued through the dense trees before eventually opening up on the approach of the castle of Ulrich. This castle is the best preserved of the three, and it is possible to climb to the top of the central tower - which we obviously did.  It provided an incredible panoramic view of the countryside and numerous villages below (many of which we have visited or passed through on our way here), including the Rhine and Germany in the distance. 

A short walk from the Ulrich castle is the Girsberg castle. While much less of it is left standing, it offers the same stunning view of the countryside below, plus a great view of the Ulrich castle. We chose this spot to break for lunch - again baguette sandwiches with meats and cheeses, and some fresh local fruit. The view of the scenic villages stretching off into the distance was spectacular. Given the steep drop-off of the terrain, Zoe and I briefly discussed how far we thought we could throw our apples, but being the good people that we are, we ate them and put the apple cores into our garbage bag in the backpack. #leavenotrace

Next stop: the Girsberg castle

View from the Girsberg castle looking back at the Ulrich castle

After our scenic lunch we resumed our climb to the third castle: Haut-Ribeaupierre. We had caught a glimpse of the very top of it peeking above the tree tops from the Saint Ulrich castle, so we knew we had another decent climb ahead of us. After more sweaty switchbacks and burning legs we emerged at the very peak of our climb. Sadly this castle is in a bad state of disrepair, and judging from the nearby scaffolding they are working on rebuilding elements of the original structure. But the view - being high above both of the other two castles - was incredible. 

Catching our breath at the top of Haut-Ribeaupierre

After the hike we wandered into the village of Ribeauvillé for a cool drink. Leslie and I both had beers from nearby villages, whereas the girls both opted for Limonade - which really doesn't seem to resemble the lemonade we are used to in North America, but they certainly don't seem to mind. 

The charming village of Ribeauvillé

After retreating to our Airbnb to shower and change we headed out for a nice dinner, circling the block a couple of times before finding Les Six Montagnes on the outskirts of the main tourist area. Zoe and Rosie got a little more familiar with French cheeses as we shared a charcuterie dish for an appetizer. For mains Zoe and I had the tartar, Leslie had a steak, and Rosie had the salmon. All dishes were exceptional. 

After dinner we finalized some plans for tomorrow - Strasbourg - and I booked tickets for the catacombs in Paris. It seems crazy that our France/Germany trip is drawing to a close so soon, but it has been amazing after going a few years without any international travel. Here's to many more family trips to come!