The girls put on their sea bands for winding roads because this was a very unstraight drive and yet fun with the steep climbs and lack of guard rails. We stopped in St. Die for some lunch items. On a Sunday in France, this is a challenge, but we did find a patisserie open and a little alimentation for some water and pears.
Shortly after St. Die we stopped for our first pique nique of the trip, then continued on through the very winding Schluct pass to an unexpected stop in Munster, home of the famous stinky cheese. They were having a fair called Transhumance to celebrate the cows coming down from the high pastures for the winter. This serendipitous moment allowed us to stop for tea and coffee and of course an opportunity to purchase some cheese and check out the small display of the various breeds of cows in the area. We’ve seen storks before in many of the small villages and towns in the Alsace, but there are usually only 1 or 2. In Munster, there were 5 in nests atop the city hall alone and many more throughout the town.

The Vosges

Sunday September 9, 2007

The weather has been unseasonably cool and overcast so far. That’s pretty much what we expect from the Alsace anyway. My one sweater is already getting a workout, however.
We decided to do a curcuit through the Vosges today, so started off with a trek up to Mt. St. Odile. The view from the convent was surprisingly good. Our next stop was the Champs de Feu where we found about 20 people learning to fly the harness kites that they use to kite surf. The colourful kites were a beautiful contrast to the dull skies which began to break up and allow the sun to filter through.

Ribeauville & Auberge de L'Ill

Saturday September 8, 2007

We had a good night’s sleep, getting ourselves on the French clock – more or less - and had our first marvelous French breakfast of croissants, French bread and good coffee – everyone raved about it anyway.
We headed out early to Ribeauville and found that we were indeed early, since the main tourist parking lot in town was empty. The shops and a small market were, however, open, so we enjoyed the town without the throngs. This remains one of our favourite towns in the Alsace, with lots of flowers and ancient houses. Also, Louis Sipp is here and we had an extensive tasting with the wife of Sipp’s grandson. Since her English was good, we had intelligent discourse regarding everything from the new labels to the differences in varietals from year to year.
After a quick browse at Beauville – the expensive table cloth factory outlet – we headed to Auberge de L’Ill for lunch. Upon arrival, we had an aperatif on the terrasse beside the river Ill. This was a champagne cocktail with assorted amuse bouches. We were then ushered to our table in a dining room that was totally renovated since our visit last year. At our window side table we were then served our first course of lobster on a bed of fennel for all but me who had foie gras. Next came a round of salmon souflees - their specialty – still amazing, of course. Our wine with these courses was a 99 riesling from Louis Sipp. For main course, the ladies had lamb medallions and the gents had veal tenderloin, both with wonderful accompaniments like stuffed tomatoes, wild mushrooms and potatoes stuffed with a mushroom mousse. For this course we had a 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Sinards, recommended by the sommelier. We all selected different cheeses in the cheese course, and found them all extraordinary. Before dessert they gave us what could best be described as a dessert appetizer with a variety of 5 tasty little treats. Dessert itself, was a pear soup with sorbet for all but Jackie who had a callisson with melon and a basil sorbet. We returned to the terrasse for coffee and tea and by the time we were finally ready to leave, we had been at the Auberge for 4 ½ hours. We were probably a few pounds heavier and definitely lighter in the pocket book. Totally worth it!
We then returned to Beauville for a few napkin purchases. We escaped this place relatively unscathed.
Our next stop was Kayserberg for a walk about. This town rivals Ribeauville in wonderful old buildings and scenic streets, but isn’t quite as floral as Ribeauville.
On our return to Obernai, we ambled around a fairly quiet – compared to last night’s fair – town. No one wanted to eat so we stopped into a little bar for a drink and I had an Alsatian tarte flambé. Finally, we viewed our pictures from the last two days before calling it a night. The pictures proved that already we have had some outstanding experiences with lots more to come!

Obernai

Friday September 7, 2007

OK. So that was the most difficult first day drive we’ve ever done on a trip to Europe and it wasn’t because of bad roads or intense traffic. Whether it was lack of sleep on the plane, leaving home in an exhausted state, or just the fact that I’m getting to be an old fart, but I had a lot of trouble staying awake on the 450 km principally autoroute – which means high speed – roads from Paris to Obernai. Dennis gave me a couple of gentle reminders to stay on the road. Our new little Kangoo is great, but it doesn’t drive itself.
Obernai was its usual bustling self. There was a biological fair going on – which translated into good food and Alsace wine – and it filled the main square opposite our hotel. After a power nap to ward off some of the jet lag, we wandered about town, once again reveling in the amazing architecture in the 400-600 year old buildings in the heart of the old town. We had a fairly early dinner at La Halle des Bles, right on the main square and then took a walk around the gothic cathedral. We called it a night fairly early so we could get a good sleep and be ready for our journeys tomorrow to Ribeauville, Auberge de L’Ill (***) for lunch and the wine route to follow.

The Alsace

Thursday September 6, 2007

We are the masters of “Early”! On the way to the airport, we were immediately behind two vehicles involved in a little road rage. At one point they almost struck each other, which would have been really nice for us – NOT! And that is why we leave early for the airport.
We were at the airport 4 hours before departure, but fortunately we could check our baggage. So, after securing our boarding passes, we headed off to the Sheraton for a light lunch and drink. Then, still 2 hours from departure, we went through our boarding gate and browsed Duty Free . No purchases! We were departing from C-35 and were surprised to find the boarding area very busy – so we weren’t the only early birds.
The flight was non-eventful which is good, but although we were in a 747 the seating was pretty tight, so it wasn’t very comfortable to sleep. What with the movies, games and meals, however, the flight went quickly and we landed in a dark, cool Paris.

We're Off

Well, after a very hectic summer that featured lots of work and a geat Wedding, the day of our return to France has finally come. Our packing has been the most compact yet and still we worry about luggage space in our Kangoo. This transAtlantic flight is the earliest for us ever to Europe, which means a very early arrival in Paris and hopes that the car depo will be open. My next post should be from Obernai in the Alsace. See you then.