Alsace Region

I was a bit down and out last night and today, suffering from stomach problems that I’m pretty sure are related to that nasty stuff we ate for lunch yesterday. If anyone has the stomach for it, you can go to Wikipedia and see just what it is that we ate: look up andouillette, and be prepared to be nauseated. I think I’m going to become a vegetarian just to avoid the problem in the future.

But, I didn’t let it get me down, and we drove to Colmar, about 20 miles from where we’re staying. If I didn’t know that we were in France from looking at the map and listening to the people around me talk, I would swear we had passed into Germany. The buildings looked Tyrolean and the markets were filled with knachtwursts and German cheeses. The bars were serving up German beer (of which Bill gave a try).

After having our drink at the Biergarten, we got back into our car and took the wine road (Route du Vin) through the little villages that proudly grow the grapes and make the wines that are famous to this region: Gewurztraminer, Reisling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir. Most of the Alsatian wines are quite a bit sweeter than we have been used to, and nearly all are white. The countryside was amazingly beautiful, and Bill took pictures. But as is typical with panoramic shots, nothing came out looking nearly as pretty as it really was. But we did take a shot of one of the magnificent crucifixes that we saw all around the wine valley. It appears to us that each vintner has his own crucifix, but I don’t know the meaning of it all. Some were really pretty.

We didn’t stop at any of the wineries, but we did stop at a castle that is on the top of a mountain overlooking the valley. The castle was built back in the 1200s, and served as a guard post for the Alsace and Lorraine valleys. We went inside to look, and were impressed with its size. Looking out of the windows allowed us a magnificent view of the valleys below.

On the way home, we stopped and picked up some wonderful stinky French cheeses and some baguette, and that will be our supper tonight. We also bought a Pinot Gris, with a sweetness that pairs well with the sharp salty taste of the cheese. Yum. Our daughter and her partner gave Bill a wonderful picnic knife that we have with us, and we use it so often to slice bread and cheese. We were even able to help out a couple in Avignon the other day who was trying desperately to open a bottle of wine using a knife. We offered our all-purpose tool which also has a corkscrew, and they were very happy.

Tomorrow we will go to the Black Forest of Germany and look for Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.

By the way, via the comments section of my blog, I have been made aware of some unexpected people reading about our adventures. That has been so much fun for us. So, if you are reading this blog and have not already done so, let me know via email or a comment! It’s fun to have folks “traveling” along with us.