Thanks for your newsy letter telling about your interesting family reunion. Yes, we are all getting a bit older. Our day went well, in spite of warmer temperatures and climbing humidity. We had lunch today with Jesse and Rapti at our favourite local establishment, Le Bistrot de la Porte Dorée. I'm clearly not accustomed to wine at noon, so the nap felt good.
Now I'm enjoying reviewing the photos from Ribeauvillé, another of the Alsatian villages along the wine route. We went after supper, so the evening light was wonderful to see and to photograph. As we enter the village, looking west we see the mountains which tower above the vineyards.
Shops were closing for the day. I liked this colourful stack of flats for fruits and vegetables.
Catholicism predominates, if any religion does these day.
The former carriage entryway into the complex of buildings has been transformed into a specialized bakery.
Even houses on minor side streets have interesting details in their architecture.
All the tasting rooms were closed by the time we arrived, but bottles were still on display. These were safely empty.
There are also quite a few small distilleries producing some powerful types of eau de vie from various fruits.
Believe it or not, this is a fancy hotel. One feels sorry for anybody trying to find it. There is no parking nearby (that I could see) and so one would get to roll suitcases for several blocks. And that presumes you know where you are going.
The church was of course closed for the evening, but we still enjoyed seeing the tiled roof, recalling Austrian and southern German roofs.
One can get used books for free here, and leave books for others to read. We saw books in French, German and English.
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| Here, on April 17, 1891, absolutely nothing happened. |
One of our favourite aperos is the bubbly (called crémant) from Alsace. These wines imitate champagne, but without undergoing the extensive and expensive turning of bottles, breaking of necks, re-bottling, etc. The taste is a bit fruitier, sometimes not quite as dry, and the price is right.
On the way home, Janice wanted to go through the valley, away from the vineyards, and see what the farm land was like. I was struck by this idyllic scene--cows grazing under the trees. They are not kept in pens day and night, but get a variety of grasses. No wonder the cheeses are so wonderful. To get this shot, I had to park (illegally) on a bike path, and then could only be grateful there was no traffic when I struggled to get back onto the road.
We have less than two weeks left, but already I have many photos to process. Meanwhile, I am enjoying listening to Bach's St John's Passion, which the Cantata Singers will be singing this August. Tomorrow (Sunday) we hope to hear another organ recital at St Eustache.
All for now, with love from us both,
Evan
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