Blogs from Alsace, France, Europe - page 2

The next morning Viking Sigrun docked in Kehl, Germany, directly across the Rhine from Strasbourg, France. The morning shore excursion was to Strasbourg. Again this was an amazing sight. Strasbourg had been fought over by France and Germany for centuries up to World War II. Now all was peaceful The regional tram system seamlessly connects Strasbourg and Kehl and there has been discussion of consolidating the municipalities. Who would have imagined it? The motorcoach took us across the Pont de l’Europe. The old customs area is closed. Our first stop was the Place de la République with the grand Palais du Rhin. Today it houses the cultural affairs office for Grand Est, but it was built during the German occupation as the Kaiser's residence in Strasbourg. The coach let the group off at the Place de ... read more

Oh, my, oh, my, oh, my!!! We had NO idea that such a museum even existed...and so very glad that we went...although, since our host decided to accompany us, and this was his upteenth visit, maybe we went through too quickly, but we won’t go back... It is worth your while to click on the link to read more about the history: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cité_de_l%27Automobile Ultimately, the woolen fabric factory went under, but the owner never gave up his obsession with collecting cars...Today, Mulhouse has kept up the tradition...the cars are beautifully displayed and lovingly maintained. At some point, the workers were striking and they broke into the hidden part and discovered ALL these cars in various states of reconstruction...they burned one and stated, ”there are 600 more to burn.” Of course, they weren’t burned, but I think ... read more

We visited METZ, because Bill’s great grandfather came from Metz. Apart from the B&B with no WiFi, it was a good visit. The cathedral was closed Sunday until 2 pm...so we found a place to eat and waited and WOW! What a treat...glad that we waited... Most cathedrals do canned music, but here we heard a REAL organ being played...it was peaceful and beautiful...This cathedral has more stained glass than any in the world and it took about 300 years to complete...and somehow, it wasn’t damaged by the wars... So, that was worth it all... As some of you know from FB, I am always collecting photos of manhole covers and whatever else someone sticks in the ground. Here we did find several covers with Metz, but also a couple of cute little dragons...Apparently, pre-Christian, a ... read more

As I opened the weathered, fading, flaking green shutters , the early morning light crept in slowly to reveal a scene from an impressionist painting. The mountains directly behind the house framed my first impression of a soft green canopy of plants trees and lush grass, highlighted by vivid gardens of orange, crimson, and yellow flowers. The backyard has a small well kept vegetable garden, a small shed, and random garden beds surrounded by chunky square stone borders. Evidence of children playing lies scattered in the yard, and a neat playhouse with a string of mini Tibetan flags draped across the door is tucked against the fence. On opening the double glazed windows at 7am, two things were immediately obvious. The crisp, cool morning air as it passed through the gaps in the old shutters was ... read more

Wew forgot that all things were closed in France on Sunday. We went by car to the restaurant we ate before and had a good meal. Lucky this time we went by car, for the place was closed. What now Back to the Hotel where we found out the only place to get something to eat was at Mc Donald's just over the road. We parked the car and walked up there. Now we had not been to Mac Donald's for ages so things had changed. Not to forget menus are in are in the French language. They are on a big screen where you point at the things you want. Well we were at an absolute lost. A girl that service gave us a few hints what to do but even with that help we ... read more