This weekend I travelled to the Vosges Mountains in the Alsace Region of France. It was an IES Abroad-led tour that went from Saturday evening until Sunday night. It was only located about two hours from Freiburg, and we could actually see part of the city when we were on top of the mountains. It’s odd to be standing in France and have the ability to see where you’re living in Germany.
The trip was a lot of fun and it was nice to be able to hike with everyone. Overall, we walked about 20 miles between the two days, although it didn’t feel like we had hiked that long. We walked around the mountain ridges and down to two glacial lakes. We saw a lot of alpine cattle and sheep grazing, as well as some wild goats. The Alsace Mountains are on the border of where French and German armies fought during World War I. There are still bunkers scattered throughout the mountains, and we got to go inside of one. It was neat but I can’t imagine being forced to stay there for months.
We stayed at a backpacker’s lodge where they served us more food than imaginable. Being outside at night on top of the mountain was a perfect way to see the stars. It was hard to capture the sunset we saw in pictures.
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Sarah Chadwick
<p>My name is Sarah and I am studying environmental studies and journalism. Although born and raised in upstate New York, I now go to college in Washington, DC. My perfect day involves eating lots of good food and getting lost on a hike.</p>
