Blogs from Niedermorschwihr, Alsace, France, Europe

Our trip is drawing to a very sudden close - we will fly back into Sydney on July 10, so over the next few days (6th to 7th) we have to say too many goodbyes and also apologise to those who we ran out of time to visit. We dropped Florence off at Strasbourg airport and only just made it time wise and also fuel (the fuel gauge in the little 205 was flashing "help, help, help" for a few km's before we got to the airport. All going well we will see "Super Flo" again in 2011. Next it was farewell to Christiane, Bernadette and Etienne who we had had so much fun with while in Nieder... Plus, having to farewell Jean and Beatrice is never easy because they have such a big place in ... read more

Saint Wendelin Wikipedia tells me that Saint Wendelin is the patron saint of country people and herdsmen and is venerated in Germany, Austria, Switzerland (and obviously Alsace). In artworks he is depicted as a youth, or as a bearded man, with a shepherd's bag and a book in one hand and a shepherd's crook in the other; about him feed lambs, cattle, and swine, while a crown and a shield are placed at his feet. I read in a book about Catholic Saints, that because of his pious lifestyle he worked the odd miracle relating to good harvests and healthy cattle or other grazing animals. He was also know to be able to transmigrate (as in pick himself and his flock of sheep up and travel inexplicable distances in very short amounts of time. A very ... read more

14th October 2007 - The Feast of Saint Gall An interesting morning - attended a Catholic church service for the first time in many years. It was the feast of Saint Gall, one of the two Patron Saints of Niedermorschwihr. The feast was in celebration of the recent harvest and was a big celebration and family event. We attended the service out of respect for Beatrice and also Bernard (one of Beatrice’s cousins, who was also staying with them who happens to be a Priest). So, together with the family members who were at home at the time we attended the local church at 10am and amazing as it may seem the roof did not collapse when I entered. The service was enjoyable and interesting, the choir and the organ sounded wonderful, the display of produce ... read more

11th October 2007 We had hoped that we would be in Alsace in time to help with the grape harvest. Alas, this year the harvest was about a month earlier than normal. This was due to some freakish weather in about April, when an Indian summer burst on the scene resulting in the vines producing their fruit much earlier. Then, the region was hit by a hail storm, wiping out about 40% of the crop. So, by the time we arrived in Alsace the harvest was well and truly over, except for a few rows of vines which had fruited a bit later than the others. We spent about 2 hours picking roughly 100kg of grapes and that was that. Jean and Beatrice lent us their Peugeot 205 and we set about re-exploring the district, starting ... read more

2/10/05 - 7/10/05 Encore à Alsace Arriving in Strasbourg was a relief in many ways. Paris is a wonderful city, but after seven days we are in need of some relative peace. We were only in Strasbourg one afternoon, night and morning, before collecting our lease car. Our hotel had huge rooms, which was a surprise, but unfortunately next morning we found out there was no hot water. So, you can imagine how impressed we were (especially Lorenza). We collected our brand, spanking new, Renault Scenic and made it to Niedermorschwihr without causing any major traffic incidents. Although I am sure the red coloured, tourist plates on the car scream a warning to keep well clear of our vehicle! Niedermorschwihr (Try saying that village name to a taxi driver when you are drunk! “Driver, please take ... read more