Blogs from Strasbourg, Alsace, France, Europe - page 10

I would say that Switzerland service and France service is about the same. In both countries the service is very slow unlike the service we receive back in the states. Meals seem to be a very important part of the day in Europe, a time to relaxed and socialize. When we where at the Traube Tonbach I found the service to be very nice. When they serviced the food they announced what was being served and in between meals they picked up plates and utensils that we were not going to use for the next course. I have also never received such good service when it comes to refilling drinks. Every time I looked down at my glass it was always full which was very nice. When it comes to service if my glass is constantly ... read more

This was our free day, and since I am not going to Paris or anywhere else, I decided to stay around. I slept in and it was very nice! I rented a bike and Nate, Brent, Josh, Sinai, Stephanie and I decided to go on a bike ride. We went riding through the trails and our first stop was a little flowing pond. There were two dogs who were jumping in to get the ball that was being thrown at them. I've never seen a dog jump in water! Afterwards, we wanted to go to what looked like a beach. When we finally made it, it was a nude beach!! We walked in and I was wondering what I saw some nudity and naked people everywhere! They all were about 55 and older it seemed! We ... read more

PROMPT: What have you learned about vineyards and wine tasting today? What wine stood out for you? Were the vineyards tourist ready? Today I learned that the vineyards that we passed are not all owned by just one person. Instead a few rows are owned by one person and then the next rows by a different person. The name of the wine also depends on the region the grapes grow in. The sparkling wine that we were served today can not be called Champagne because the grapes do not come from the champagne region in France. Before coming in to the wine tasting, my dad had already taught me how to sample wines. I knew that you smell, swirl, sip, and savor the wine and not just down the whole glass. I had also been told ... read more

So today we travelled into the Alsatian wine region of France. The day started out with a tour guide who was way too happy to be up at the time of the morning! She was good and informative, just a little odd in her ways, but since we had no set schedule, first stop was the train station for people to get tickets, then off we go to the Haut Koenigsboourg Castle. Now as was drilled into our heads, this castle was not for princesses and stuff but was a fortress to protect the region. Kaiser Wilhelm, discovered it, and had it restored though improperly in a few places and with a few of his own touches. However we at SFA invaded it, and since we all made it i guess successfully thanks to Ms. Vivianne. ... read more

Today was a back of the house tour of Hotel Traube Tonbach, according to Arabella site of Germany's best restaurant, and with 3 Michelin stars, 12 chefs and 12 tables only I'd say its got to be pretty damn close! The work and effort that must go into al aspects of the Hotel is just absolutely stunning, even from the Children's center, cooking classes for guests, there always seems to be something to prevent boredom. The Black Forest region of Germany is an absolutely stunning region, I've not seen anything else like it ever and to be honest, this hotel captured the region, fit into it's surroundings perfectly. That is what every hotel aims for, but not all manage to succedd. In my opinion, the level of service was on par with what was experienced throughout ... read more