Riquewihr and the Wine Road in Alsace, France

On July 31, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France17 Comments

During our visit to Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France, we did a day tour on the wine road. The highlight of the tour was visiting the old, walled town of Riquewihr with its historic charm. From what we understand, it is busy all year round, but is extremely busy during the summer and early fall when the vineyards are in full operation. We were there in December, so the Christmas markets were in full swing, which made it even more magical.

Walking the streets of Riquewihr is truly like taking a trip back to the 17th century. It is one of the few villages that remained virtually untouched by World War II and the wall that surrounds the town is still completely intact. The main street is lined with shops selling a variety of tourist items, but if you want to really see the historic part of Riquewihr, take the side streets and make your way around the inner wall of the city.

The city is officially listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France and it lives up to its reputation. The medieval architecture remains as it did centuries ago and is truly breathtaking. There is only one entrance into the village and walking toward the clock tower with the arched entrance is really something special. We visited several other villages on our tour such as Ribeauville and Eguisheim, but Riquewihr was by far the most interesting village that we visited.

The entire countryside is covered by vineyards and the region is famous for its Riesling, but produces other varieties as well. We stopped for a wine tasting at one of the local vineyards, Gustave Lorentz, where we tasted several wines and purchased three bottles. Our favorite was the Crémant, which is a sparkling wine that is very similar to champagne.

If you plan a visit to Strasbourg and Alsace, Riquewihr should definitely be on your itinerary. Be prepared to battle the crowds and you can expect traffic to be at a standstill as you near the village. We were fortunate to be on a tour as our guide knew how to get us past the traffic and drop us off near the entrance of town while other people had to park twenty to thirty minutes away.

Is There a Special Place in Your Heart?

On July 3, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France2 Comments

While we were in Europe, we made a point of spending a weekend in Paris and buying an oil painting from one of the artists along the Seine. We had it stretched and framed and we picked it up from the framer over the weekend and when we saw it, the painting brought back fond memories for us. We have been to many wonderful cities in various parts of world, but Paris holds a special place in our hearts. Perhaps it is partially due to the fact that it was the first city outside of the United States that the two of us visited together. It might also just be part of the relaxed charm that has made the city renowned for being a romantic location.

During our first trip to Paris, we stayed in Latin Quarter on the Left Bank in a quaint little hotel that was more of a bed and breakfast than a traditional hotel. It was wonderful because we were within walking distance of restaurants, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, and even the Eiffel Tower. We were fortunate to have wonderful weather considering the fact that we were there during November, which added to our memories of the beautiful city.

During our second trip to Paris, we weren’t as fortunate with the weather, but that didn’t diminish our experience. There are so many wonderful little bistros and places to stop for a coffee and croissant that we could find places to stop during the times that it was actually raining and not just cloudy and overcast. Obviously we took a walk along the Seine once again, strolling hand-in-hand, and looking at the artwork of the few artists that were out on such a gloomy day. We lucked out and found exactly the painting that we were hoping to find to capture our memories of Paris.

Perhaps it is just a trick of the mind, but sometimes there are places and moments in time that become a special memory that seem to surpass reality. We will always treasure the time that we spent in Paris and it will likely be a city that revisit again and again. There are so many places to see in the world, but there are also some places that just seem to draw you back over and over again.

The Food of Strasbourg, France

On April 5, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France, Recipes12 Comments

We had been in Frankfurt for a couple of months before making our first trip outside of Germany, so we were truly looking forward to trying some foods that were different. We took a train to Strasbourg, which is just across the border from Germany and is a wonderful, historic, city. Having been to France before, we knew the culinary history and were anticipating having some traditional French cuisine. After arriving, we asked the hotel to make reservations at a restaurant that served traditional food for the region. We arrived at the restaurant and they quite proudly had a section on the menu with a variety of food that were considered specialties of Alsace. Unfortunately, it was schnitzel, sausage, cabbage, and potato dumplings, everything we had been seeing on menus throughout our travels in Germany.

What we didn’t realize at the time was that Alsace had been under the control of Germany for a large majority of its history, so it was as much German as it was French, perhaps even more so. Undaunted, we endeavored to find unique meals while we were in Strasbourg and in the end we were treated to some wonderful meals. Needless to say, there was beer, but we also had some very good wine as well since Strasbourg sits on what is considered the wine road of the region. We even went for a wine tasting and purchased a few bottles of wine to take back with us to Frankfurt.

As is true with most cities, you can find a wide variety of food if you are willing to look for it. The one restaurant that we visited didn’t even have a formal menu, they brought a large chalkboard by your table with the day’s specials written on it. The food was so good that we decided to indulge in a dessert, something that we don’t typically do. We had some old favorites, but also tried some things that we had never eaten previously. All-in-all, we really enjoyed the food that we experienced while we were in Strasbourg.