A Day Trip to Ribeauvillé

Today I wanted to show you another of my favorite villages nearby. 

We were out and about a few weeks back and Frenchie proposed a trip over to Ribeauvillé. 

I had no problem going along with that idea! 

Ribeauvillé is a very old and very picturesque village dating back to at least the 8th century. 

It was the home of bishops and lords, the stuff of fairy tales! It is nestled among the vineyards and there are several notable wine makers who reside in the village. 

It is always full of tourists and the village thrives on their business. 

I can well see why. It is worth the visit. 

The houses are charming... 

and there are lots of interesting little shops to visit. 

We entered the village through tiny winding streets....

and happened upon a horse and wagon!

The day we visited we arrived a bit late for a meal. In France if you don't eat at lunchtime you are out of luck until dinner time. All the restaurants quit serving and you have to search for a place that might have something quick. We lucked upon a bakery that was willing to make a tarte flambée for us. I think it was probably one of the best I have had. The secret to a good tarte flambée is the crisp light crust with slightly browned edges, sometimes even burnt! No one gives the edges a second thought seeing as they are baked in a wood burning oven.

After our satisfying treat we took the scenic route home, wandering through many a vineyard

with castles nestled up on the slopes

and sleepy villages dotting the landscape.

All in all it was a wonderful trip.

I grow to love this land more and more every day. Life is simple here and gazing on this beautiful landscape brings me peace.

I hope you enjoyed another little taste of France today, hope to visit with you more soon!

Munster Valley

I mentioned a few weeks back that we took a trip over to the next valley, Munster Valley. It was a few days before my son flew back to the US and we wanted to go to a nice little restaurant we know over there.

We took the pass up and over the mountains, and stopped at Lac Blanc to enjoy the view.

 To give you an idea of how high I live, our house is on the same level as this lake around, 3200 foot. 

Since we live on the southern side we had already lost our snow but the lake was still frozen solid. 

 Frenchie wandered down to the lake shore and couldn't resist the call of the rocks. 

Before I knew it, they were both down there. 

Boys and rocks, it never ends does it?

It was so beautiful seeing the lake frozen like that. The huge wall of rock towering above it. 

Soon we were on our way though over into the Valley of Munster.

The road is amazing, switching back and forth, 

bringing view after wonderful view.

 I love this drive and every single time it takes my breath away!

Soon though we arrived at our little restaurant 

and enjoyed a toast, good food 

and watching the goats and ducks with our afternoon meal.

I hope you enjoyed the trip. I know I did!

Happy Easter from France

I went down to the village this week and took some photos of the Easter decorations around town. I thought you might enjoy seeing them.

One of the first things I noticed when I came here was the difference in how we celebrate our holidays. Things are so much simpler here. The commercial aspect is not so in your face. It is here of course, there is no avoiding it, but it is much more subtle and tolerable.

Christmas my first year here was like a breath of fresh air. It was so sweet and calm. Now granted I was a newlywed, that might have had something to do with it. *big grin*

But I look back on my life in the US and when I think of the holidays all I remember was the constant need to buy things. The kid's baskets had to be overloaded with candy and not just candy but now they had to have gifts too! The whole house had to be decorated and a big meal planned. Christmas was ten times worse. I hated how all the holidays were just about how much stuff a person could get.

Here that doesn't hold true as much. People still enjoy the holidays for themselves. I know it gets worse each year. The advertisements get more bold, the children have bigger desires.

 Soon I am sure it will become another retailer's dream but for now I am enjoying the sweet simplicity that is here. It is a magical place.

A Day Trip to Colmar

   Hello Everybody, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It was a bit cold and gray here but today made up for that with clear blue skies and lots of sun. We took a trip over to the valley next to ours...the Munster valley and I will show you pictures of our trip soon enough but I promised you I would show you a bit of Colmar first.

 

A Day Trip To Kaysersberg

        Descending down from the mountains where I live, I slowly leave the snow behind. The fields pick up a bit of green as we get closer to Kaysersberg. A 20 minutes drive takes me from being perched on the side of a mountain in a chalet above a sleepy little village to the beginning of the great valley where Kaysersberg lies.