Ribeauvillé, Alsace

Dear Mark and Amy,

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.

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

Kaysersberg wins "Le Village préféré des Français"

Dear Mark and Amy,

Sometimes we just get lucky, there's no other way to look at it.  Several days ago, we took the wrong road and, even so, came upon a pharmacy where we obtained some sorely-needed sun screen and mosquito bite ointment.  As luck would have it, the young man switched to English almost immediately, and then suggested that we be sure to visit Kaysersberg because it was close by and very beautiful, and . . . it was going to be featured on TV (France 2).  Edith, our delightful hostess at our B and B agreed and volunteered to print off the schedule of events for us. We had already seen the village, but thought visiting for an evening event might also be interesting.

We ate a light dinner in our suite of rooms before heading off to Kaysersberg, getting there by about 6:30.  We easily found free parking, and although there were many people gathering, it was far from being overwhelming.  Basically, all the action was happening in the square in front of the church.  Men were busy setting up tables and benches, vendors were preparing to provide hot tartes flambées (initially it seems to be similar to pizza, but with the thinnest bread crust imaginable and Alsatian ingredients on top, including local Munster cheese, a thick heavy cream, etc.), various local Alsatian wines (including the bubbly crémants, my favourite).

We saw the poster inviting people to 'vote for Kaysersberg!' by mobile phone.  The village getting the most votes wins.  It's a somewhat strange setup, but has been a favourite TV programme for years. There were 13 (15?) villages in the competition, so the TV audience got to see special scenes from each of the nominated places.  Frankly, all were very attractive.  We especially enjoyed seeing the village in Corsica, possibly where Vivian and Stephen had just been.

We parked the car and just followed people (hardly a crowd just yet), and headed toward the church.

One whole section was set up in the square where children could play local games.  Here we see a lad playing 10-pin bowling, only you roll the wooden ball down a wooden ramp.

Yes, her boyfriend finally showed up.  She was well-dressed for the evening.  Other people were far more informal.

To 'kill time' until the TV show began, a local dance club demonstrated various Alsatian dances.  I enjoyed watching, remembering that Mom used to say how much she enjoyed 'folk games' when she was a teenager in Illinois.  I had to wonder if she danced any of these dances or if hers were more from Lorraine.

This gal was the youngest in the troupe, but seemed to be executing the moves perfectly.

The accordion players kept a steady beat.  The women can keep those black hats--no thanks.

Storks are important. They nearly died out after World War II because the towers and tall buildings where they like to nest were destroyed.  But now they're back, guarding large nests.  This one was made of wood and seemed to be quite content.

The next generation is interested in learning the dance moves.  I enjoyed watching the children being caught up in the spirit of the evening, likely long after their bedtime.

Several hundred people were seated at tables, enjoying their tartes flambées.  I wanted to get one, but the line was so long, and then what do I do?  The tables were long since filled, I have this heavy camera . . . and I really did not need a second dinner.  I suspect Janice was disappointed.  We'll have to go back.

I could not hear what these grandparents were saying, but this little guy was asleep on his grandmother's shoulders.  He simply did not wake up.  She gave up and took him home.  It was so loving, so cute, so perfect to photograph.

This mother/grand mother brought two tartes flambées, which was quite the accomplishment, and she knew it.  The one tarte stuck to the other, but the people got them separated and enjoyed a good chuckle.

There were various Alsatian wines available for purchase by the glass or bottle.  It is clearly part of the culture, in ways we cannot imagine.  I had to wonder if this man was being forced to drink a competitor's wine.

By about 10:00 my back was getting tired, so we gave up and headed home.  By the time we had brushed our teeth, put on our PJs, etc., they were about ready to show Kaysersberg on the TV, so even Janice watched (possibly the first programme she has watched this year).  In brief, Kaysersberg won the competition, getting the most votes, being this year's Village Most Preferred by the French!  We were (almost) there.  How good can it get?

With love from us both,
Evan