We bought a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to Alsace &
Lorraine and I had identified in it some interesting drives in the southern
Vosges. We plotted a route to Masevaux, heading towards the higher mountains
that we had been seeing in the distance. The peaks here are very rounded and
the French call them ‘Ballons’, probably after the French for balloons because
of their shape.
We were now on one of the Michelin driving routes and we stopped at the small
lake of Sewen for lunch and then at the Barrage D’Alfeld, a reservoir just a
short distance above. The level of water in the reservoir was very low as it is
early autumn after a very dry summer. It was here that we saw the first
evidence of the turbulent history of Alsace. The monument at the side of the
reservoir detailed its completion in 1888. The text was all in German, the
result of the transfer of the area between France and Germany over many years
and wars.
Our primary target was the Ballon D’Alsace at a height of 1247m and as we
approached the views opened up. There is an aire at summit and we could have
stayed there but, after a short walk, we moved on. The views were lovely as we
drove to our campsite at Bussang, close to the source of the Moselle river. The
campsite is very posh with the pitches placed on an island between two streams.
Photos: The Barrage D’Alfeld; A view on the way to the
Ballon D’Alsace looking down on the Barrage D’Alfeld and Sewen lake; We weren’t
the only people enjoying the views from the Ballon D’Alsace; Another view from
the Ballon D’Alsace.
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