We are doing the “usual” of some days touring, some days lunching and some days relaxing!

A small village close to us , (a 40 minute walk which we will do eventually !) is Kayserberg.

It is very picturesque with many colourful half timbered houses and only “slightly” touristy!

 

 

In the centre of the village is a lovely 16th century fortified bridge.

 

 

 

We also love the ornate signs hanging over some of the shops!

 

We returned to Colmar to complete our tour. We wandered aimlessly around the “Little Venice” area aptly named as you can see by the canals.

The houses are beautiful, a real photographers dream. We have been told that each village has a limited “palette” of colours that the houses can be painted together with a strict code on the upkeep of the houses! It is no wonder that the villages are so beautiful!

 

 

Hearts are everywhere in Colmar and the story goes if a house has a heart cut out on the shutters, it means there is a “young Lady” who lives there who is eligible for marriage!

 

 

 

One night our “landlords” Fabien and Lotfi took us for a drive through a few villages and we came home via Colmar at night. Of course there was a photo opportunity for Greg!

In the Alsace area where we are staying, there is a 170 kilometre road aptly named the “Route des Vins d’Alsace”. According to the tourist book it is “one of Frances most evocative drives as it corkscrews through the glorious country side”. It takes you through all the wine villages in the area.

We have driven along part of it and the description is quite true! One day we headed out  and although in distance we had only traveled along the road for about 50 kilometres , by the time we had stopped at many villages it took us the whole day!

This particular day was a “do lunch” day. We came to the small village of Illhaeusern, where there were 2 choices for lunch!

 

A 3 Michelin star restaurant or the restaurant recommended by Fabien! Given that the prices of the main course at the Michelin restaurant started at 70 euros and went up to 160 euros , and the fact that we were not dressed in suits, collars, ties , high heels etc , and didn’t drive a Porsche, guess which restaurant we chose?????

 

Our main courses of Pike and noodles, and Fish (pike and salmon) with sauerkraut, both in a mushroom cream sauce were delicious, and the creme  brulee  was pretty good too!

 

 

In every village we are seeing the stork nests , usually on the top of towers. Our “resident”  storks are still in our garden or on our roof , and we have affectionately named them Sam and Samantha (still haven’t worked out who is who ).

 

We drove up to the Mont Saint Odile Convent. St Odile is the patron Saint of Alsace and the area is a centre of pilgrimage.

 

We wanted to walk through some of the villages that Fabien and Lotfi drove us through on our evening tour, so we headed up the Route des Vins in the other direction.

 

First stop was the gorgeous little village of Niedermorschwihr where they recommended this cute little restaurant to us! Typical Alsatian food so it is definitely on the list to try!

 

 

Our next stop was the village of Turkheim. We passed through the “Munster Gate” once known as the “Gate of Sighs”.

 

People who were sentenced to death passed through this gate to be executed. Between 1572 and 1626, 26 tortured witches passed through the gate to be burnt at the stake! Also next to the gate is one of the smallest houses in Alsace. It is the little orange one with one room up and one room down!

 

 

 

The Town Hall built in the 17th Century was rather impressive also. There are many plaques around the village commemorating the US Military who rescued the town from Nazi occupation in 1945.

 

 

 

Of course walking around and taking photos takes its toll, so one needs some nourishment. Not only is Greg on a mission to find the best creme brulee, he has added the best Mille feuille also! This one at Turkheim was up there with the best!

 

 

We also visited the lovely village of Eguisheim, not only one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France” , but also a “4 flower Village” the highest award one can receive for town garden planting.

The village is built in concentric circles with the centre housing the 18th Century Castle , and the birth place of Pope St Leo 1X (1002-1054).

 

The village was extremely pretty with many colourful half timbered houses and loads of wineries.

 

We have been trying the local food and so far have enjoyed it all. Greg spied this small fruit cake full of dried fruits including figs, no flour , no sugar and lots of spices! It is sensational except for the price!!!!

 

The bretzels (pretezl) as they are called here are really good too. The salted ones go very well with beer. Rhonda has tried the Alsace foie gras and is enjoying it with a glass of riesling!

 

 

Whilst driving along the Route des Vins, Greg became quite excited as he thought we had come across his favourite “Bollinger “. However disappointment set in as he realised it was not quite what he thought!

 

 

We still have quite a bit of exploring to do in the area, and Fabien and Lotfi have been great in recommending places to visit! There is still time though to relax in our lovely garden, talk to Sam and Samantha and enjoy the wonderful view of the vineyards!

You Melbournians will be pleased to know also that the weather here has been a little cooler these past few days, only 19 degrees!! back up to the high 20’s later in the week!

So, it is that time again!!!!

Love Rhonda and Greg!