Category Archives: France

Travels for Today

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After our breakfast we all got in the car and went to yet another little town. Ribeauvillé is “one of the oldest medieval towns” in Alsace. It was pretty quiet there when we arrived, and we slowly ambled up (or was it down? Or across? I haven’t a clue!) the main street.

As you see in one of these photos, I did finally get a teddy bear photo. Still, I haven’t gotten one that shows a multitude of teddy bears for some reason. I haven’t a clue why they are a “thing” here in Alsace, but every town we drove through has them. They are hanging outside, they are inside in the windows, and sometimes they are piled up. It’s a big thing, for sure.

Our wandering finally took us to a winery Greg and Jan like. We sampled six wines. You don’t have to pay for tastings here. Go figure. We bought three bottles to share. Greg and Jan bought more — but they have a place to store them. We weren’t up for checking luggage in order to bring some home. I wish I’d taken photos inside, but all I have is the building exterior.

We ate lunch at a place on the main drag, and then Greg went to get to car so he could pick up the wine, and Jan, Dan, and I went to get some other things so we could have a dinner in our little home for one more night.

From there we took a long route home. It was lovely. Until I got restless legs. From then on I was pretty miserable and just had to hang on until we could get home. I’ve not had RLS for a while. But so it goes. I survived. Got back. Took a hot bath, and I was feeling better, albeit a bit queasy from the stress of it all. A short rest seemed to take care of that issue. I think I have to be careful not to eat too much if I have a long sit following a meal, especially if it’s rather rich. (This is one reason the lie flat seats are better for me: if I got this on the plane and was in a different section I’d be toast. If I get RLS on the plane the solution is simply to go to sleep.)

Next up … a simple dinner with the wine we purchased from Domaine Jean Sipp, bread from the same town, cheese from yesterday’s adventures, and sausages of various sorts. It’s our final evening here … and I do hope that we someday return to Alsace, but you just never know.

Tomorrow it’s time to pack up and head back to Heidelberg. Perhaps some adventures between the two places: time will tell. (But when do we not have adventures?!)

Sunday, November 24

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We woke at a fairly decent time today, and Greg had already walked to pick up some croissants. When he returned we sat down to a nice little breakfast.

A bit after that we all got into the car and went on a little drive, eventually getting to the town of Eguisheim. What a fascinating place, designed in circles. We wanted a good amount, enjoying lots of Christmas decorations. The Christmas markets aren’t open yet, but that doesn’t stop them from putting up tons of decorations. We sampled some sort of very heavy, probably fruit based bread with nuts. It was quite delicious. I’m not exactly sure what’s in it, but I am sure I paid an arm and a leg! Who knew? I need to ask before I buy.

I thought of my brother Timothy at one point …

Being as it is Sunday not as much was open, so finding lunch wasn’t as easy as it might have been, but we did eventually find something that worked. Because we have our very fancy, Michelin star reservation tonight (!) we knew we needed something but not too much. I merely had a simple bowl of soup. That was quite sufficient.

From Eguisheim we went to Kaysersberg. Another sweet town, and more decorations. We noticed at both Eguisheim and Kayserberg that bears seem to be a popular subject for decorations — they were sitting on windows sills above us, featured in store windows, and very rarely was there a place where we didn’t see any. I guess I might look that up and see if there’s a story behind the bears. And, typical me, I neglected to take photos of the bears. Oops!

As we continued walking we went past cheese, meat, and bread places and we enjoyed more samples. And of course we had to get a selfie.

We walked to the end of the cute part of town and when coming back purchased a few things. How can one resist excellent cheese and chocolates, after all? Both towns were just charming!

Then it was back to the house to rest, relax, say goodbye to the light, and eventually dress for dinner.

Now dinner … well … it was pretty darn amazing. We arrived at La Table du Gourmet at 7:15. We left at close to 11:00. And we were the only four in the entire place! We did the 9 course meal, which means more than 9 courses. And I did take photos. Photos and more will have to wait, though, as I do need to get to bed. Just know it was an incredible time and something one does maybe a once or twice in a lifetime. Or … okay … maybe more for some folks, since I think this was Greg and Jan’s third or fourth time. But for us? I suspect that’s the only time we will have the opportunity to go to this particular restaurant. (Good thing, since we really can’t afford to do more!)

For now, though, I say goodnight!

A Bit of a Move

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After waking this morning, doing some packing, and going with Greg to the area outdoor market, we packed up the car and headed out of Heidelberg. France, here we come!

First, though, we went to Henrik, Anna, and Lillith’s house. It was the first time we met my grand niece Lillith and the first time we saw the house as well. It was a lovely time. Did I think to take photos? Well, um, sadly no. But I can tell you that the house is quite nice, and Lillith is adorable and definitely enjoyed Jan’s company!

Then off to our destination we went … and hello Riquewahr! The house we are staying in is quite adorable, as are the owners, who are living beneath us in the first floor. The four of us enjoyed the complimentary sparking wine and treats, and just relaxed a bit.



Eventually we headed out. We first looked at a dinner spot we wanted: they weren’t yet open, but we saw they opened at 6:00 and determined to get back as soon as the doors were open. Then we did a few errands — Jan bought milk for our coffee and I bought an Alsace Pinot Noir (I think … I need to look at the bottle again to verify!) wine for later. Then Jan and Dan went back to the restaurant (while Greg and I went to buy a corkscrew, not knowing if our rental had one), and we were fortunate enough to get in to a very nice place for some quite tasty food. La Grappe D’Or was really great, and I’m so glad we could get in! Greg and Jan said they’ve tried before, but hadn’t ever found an opening. This time Jan and Dan got there right as they opened and they said as long as we were seated immediately we could dine there. DONE! (I had duck which was delicious.)

Then back “home” we went, and enjoyed the bottle of wine I purchased. Now it’s time to attempt to sleep. So far I’ve not done well on that, but maybe tonight is the night …?!