tonyandjaneontour: Saverne to Obernai

On the road just before 9 to Obernai, a distance of 30 miles and we arrived an hour later. This little town has managed to escape the attentions of two world wars and has retained its ramparts and layouts befitting a 15^th century village. Very popular with tourists, especially the French and Germans, it has an abundance of restaurants. Obernai is quite simply a delightful place with an ambience that suggests people live and work here and do not simply rely on the tourist trade.

We found the Hotel La Diligence overlooking the market square for 81€ and the owner warned us that the evening/night would be noisy as there was a running race taking place and was not likely to finish till about 1.00 a.m. and there would be music and bands in the market square until the race finished. The alternative was a room in the roof space of an annexe 100 metres away. We chose the room overlooking the square.

The market square was already being set up for the concert and around tea time trestle tables and benches were laid out along with stalls selling food/drink. The whole town was soon out and about and consequently finding a place to eat was not easy. Eventually found a restaurant up a side street and had chicken with pepper sauce for Tony and Jane had pork fillet with mushrooms. Both meals OK and eaten to the accompaniment of a 4 piece rock band playing outside.

There were two bands in the main square. The first was an accomplished, if ordinary group, playing run of the mill stuff and the second was a Rolling Stones tribute band which were very good, if a bit noisy.

The runners came through as it started to get dark, most of them wearing LED lights on their heads and we could see them making their way up the hillside opposite. All in all a very pleasant evening. Band still playing at midnight and the square still packed with people.