Route du Vin d'Alsace

Warning: Picture heavy post



My Austrian brought Der Vater back from Switzerland and installed him in the same dorm we're staying at. This was not an ideal solution, but the European parliament was in session and every room in the city was booked. He came armed with Michelin and Baedeker and was prepared to see the sights, which included the charming villages along the wine route. So after class one day we drove down to admire the architecture, the vineyards, and, for some of us, the wine. We first stopped in Riquewihr, which is the favorite of these villages because it suffered the least amount of damage during the war, so almost all the building are authentic from the 16th or 17th century. And everyone loves all the different colors of the half-timbered houses.










We took a little drive through the vine yards and looked down at Riquewihr and out onto Alsace in general:





Then we went on to Ribeauvillé for some more colorful fachwerk:







Ribeauville also obliged me with some storks, which are a symbol of Alsace:



Then we went to Châteaux Haut-Koenigsbourg up in the Vosges mountains overlooking the Alsatian plains. It's the kind of place I'd like to take my nephews, who would appreciate it's fortifications and reenacting knights.







Don't worry, there was some half-timbered bits at the castle too:





Looking through the Vosges out to the plain, it seemed it was going to rain. So we went back to Strasbourg. But first we made a stop at the supermarket to get our supplies. Der Vater took the opportunity to stock up on that beloved carbonated orange drink (with pulp!) since it's difficult to find in Austria. I don't blame him. If I didn't have a steady supplier at home, I might stock up too.