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Published: August 15th 2016
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La Route des Vins d'Alsace/Alsace Wine Route.
Awestruck!Gobsmacked! Last year we saw a few of the famous Châteaux of the Loire Valley, for which sadly I did not write anything, but I've been very much infatuated with France ever since and had made a mental note to do further research on other cultural/touristy places that are worth visiting and it goes without saying that what France has to offer in terms of history, culture, sights is absolutely incredible! Breathtaking landscape and astonishing little villages galore. I am so much in love with this country, so very much!
I love people's obvious sense of community, which is definitely something you work on for years and years, I love their idea of
Villes et Villages Fleuris!!!! Basically, from what I understand, they have this annual contest between towns and villages, to see which ones are the most beautiful and therefore all inhabitants pull together, paying great attention to decorating the town/village with charming potted plants and flowers, and adorning their own houses and gardens as well. But the beauty of the contest is that it's not only about looking pretty, it is about the
quality of life, about socializing and building
a strong community. The towns and villages who have been part of this contest for 50 years now, get 1 to 4 flowers, depending on how far they've gone with their contribution/achievement etc. Amazing solidarity, amazing entrepreneurship, amazing way to boost people's sense of community, of striving together to achieve something worthwhile, for their own benefit! They all live in these picture-perfect towns and villages, waking up every morning to this extraordinary beauty, that they themselves have been striving so hard to achieve! The funny thing is they look so effortlessly perfect! Only when we got back home driving through our villages and seeing the fields and even people's gardens and yards overgrown with weeds, did it become clar the hard work involved in keeping it all picture-perfect!
Ok, but what is La Route des Vins d'Alsace? This is something I've copied from their official website:
http://www.alsace-wine-route.com/en/the-alsace-wine-route/ ''The Alsace Wine Route has contributed to the fame of Alsace Wines for the past 60 years. The most famous Wine Route in France proudly reveals its medieval châteaux and Renaissance houses and the flowery lanes of its charming villages. A land of tradition and wine, offering a unique experience for the visitor. Officially established as a tourist route in 1953, it celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2013.
Renowned for its remarkable and simple itinerary, the Wine Route invites you to discover the region and its wine producers. It winds through sloping valleys along the foothills of the Vosges for more than 170km, crossing the entire wine region from Marlenheim to Thann and meeting some 1000 producers. It also includes an isolated section around Wissembourg, in the far north of the Alsace. Five regions carry (or are in the process of gaining) the “Vignobles et Découvertes” label: The “Pays de Wissembourg” wine regionThe “Vignoble de Strasbourg”, from Marlenheim to MolsheimThe “Cœur d'Alsace” wine region, between Mont Sainte-Odile and the Château du Haut-KœnigsbourgThe “Terre et Vins au Pays de Colmar” wine region, around ColmarThe “La Route des Vins Sud-Alsace” wine region, around Thann and Guebwiller '' La Route des Vins d'Alsace/ The Alsace Wine Route is a road taking one through slightly
over 100 traditional Alsace villages belonging to 5 wine regions, most of these villages being
Villes Fleuries, where, as above-mentioned, people are striving to attain perfect work-life balance, in their small, but astonishingly beautiful communities! Never had I seen such sheer beauty, wherever I cast my gaze! Absolutely charming, these quaint little villages with their lovely flowers everywhere!
We managed to drive through most of the 100 villages that make the Wine Route, and we did this either on the motorway, but also got a kick out of following the
Route des Vins d'Alsace signposts, so very cute, there's a picture for you below so you can see what I mean; I also read blogs and reviews which helped us to be mindful of those ones where we should spend more time before heading on to the next one. I obviously made a list with my favourite ones:
Barr, Blienschwiller and Dambach-La-Ville (my rating: 3 STARS) which are soooo charming, very flowery and lush, but quite small and less touristy. We just stopped to stroll around and take pictures, but didn't pop into a coffee place as there didn't seem to be many, no souvenir shops either, so
we just kept driving, following La Route des Vins signposts! We fell head over heels in love with
Colmar, Riquewihr, Eguisheim ( my rating: 4 STARS) and I was besotted and would move to
Kaysersberg or Ribeauvillé (my rating: 5 STARS) without a second thought!
Kaysersberg and
Ribeauvillé are by far my favourite ones!! The prettiest cobblestone streets, the quaint houses and shops, the astoundingly mesmerizing flower arrangements on buildings and houses, the ubiquitous local fountain centrally located and beautifully embellished, the local souvenir shops with authentic locally-produced foods, sweets, handmade souvenirs! Charming!
This is a link to a 10-sec video I took in Barr. It isn't much compared to the real thing, but it's ok! Ta-ta for now, will write my next entry on Mulhouse and Strasbourg!
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