Blogs from Alsace, France, Europe - page 9

"Tr avel makes you modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world" - Cameron Scott How true is that? When we always notice it when we arrive on French soil. Borderless Europe stretching ahead of us. Old border controls look sad and neglected these days. Having no use they have fallen into disrepair. The areas that once housed lines and lines of cars with their passengers waiting for their passports to be stamped are now makeshift and somewhat scruffy parking spots. We are now in our last week of travel. Always a difficult one where do we go? Italy is behind us and ahead Switzerland. What a contrast between two countries. Italy where life is lived in the fast lane. Where it is obligatory to wave your arms around when you speak ... read more

Elsass, 24. - 26. Juli 2014 Bei schönstem Sommerwetter ging es am Donnerstarmorgen mit Beat ins Elsass. Unsere erste Station war das Ecomuseum in Ungersheim. Das Ecomuseum ist das grösste Freilichtmuseum in Frankreich. Hier wurden viele alte Häuser aus dem Elsass und dem Sundgau wieder aufgebaut. Es gibt eine Bäckerei, Schule, Wassermühle, Schmiede, Schnapsbrennerei usw. Im Museumsdorf leben auch viele Tiere wie Pferde, Kühe, Schweine, Esel, Ziegen und nicht zu vergessen, auf beinahe jedem Dach eine Storchenfamilie. Das Freilichtmuseum war, obwohl es ein Werktag war, gut besucht. Wir übernachteten vor dem Museum auf dem Stellplatz. Am Freitagmorgen ging es (noch) bei strahlendem Sonnenschein, ins nur wenige Kilometer entfernte Riquewihr. Kaum dort angekommen zog ein Gewitter auf. Unsere Hoffnung, dass es sich schnell verzieht und die Sonne wieder die Oberhand gewinnt, bestätigte ... read more

The Alsace- Lorraine region is one that has changed hands between Germany and France on multiple occasions over the centuries. Many of the schools in this area are bilingual, teaching German and French as the two main languages. After seeing the beauty and character of Strasbourg and it's surroundings, it is easy to see why both countries have had such an affinity for the locale. Our day began quite early, meeting at the train station in nearby Horb am Neckar at 6:30. It was a clear blue morning with the feel of summer time heat building quickly. Our group made it on time, and so did the train. We were off on a journey that seemed would span more train switches than kilometers. Off the first train, and quickly the next arrived. As it rolled into ... read more

Kehl - Strassburg, 08. - 10. Mai 2014 Mit den Nummernschildern unter dem Arm begann um 10 Uhr unsere Schwedenreise. Rainer unser lieber Nachbar brachte uns zu unserem Wohnmobil damit unser Auto während unserer Abwesenheit in der Garage stehen bleiben darf. Die erste Etappe führte uns über den Hochschwarzwald nach Kehl am Rhein. Es war eine kurze Fahrt von nur etwa 170 km. Wir erreichten Kehl schon kurz nach 13.00 Uhr. Der Campingplatz, welcher sich direkt am Rhein befindet war jedoch über Mittag bis 15.00 Uhr geschlossen. Wir nutzten die Wartezeit für einem Spaziergang am Rhein entlang. Nach dem Einchecken spazierten wir gemütlich in das Zentrum von Kehl. Da in Frankreich am Donnerstag ein Feiertag war, war die Stadt total in französischer, sprich Strassburger Hand. Strassburg liegt ja nur einen Steinwurf entfernt auf der anderen Rheinseite. ... read more

Geo: 48.1668, 7.29891We slept late (8am), and after the best breakfast of fantastic croissants, bread and coffee, we headed off to Colmar, which is 15 minutes away. We didn't visit Colmar last time - I think we just ran out of time! I was nervous that the Christmas markets would mean huge crowds, but we quickly found a parking place near to the markets, and immersed ourselves! There were 5 or 6 different market locations, so we wandered from one to another. The products were very similar to those in Riquewihr, but it was very enjoyable. We had lunch in a cafe, where Tom and Steven had deer steak with gravy and dumplings, and I had choucroute (sauerkraut) with 5 different meats (G and M had sausages and chips!). Very good! We had hoped to catch ... read more