Henry and Petra's

We decided rather than tour Strasbourg we should probably get some laundry done. We thought it would be nice to go into Waldmohr where Monte use to live, do our laundry, then walk on some of the walking paths that Monte enjoyed 40 years ago. Sounded like a good plan since we were not meeting with Henry and Petra until they got off of work.

Now it is 3:00 and we have spent the last two hours searching for a laundromat. It seems that they don't have such a thing here in Germany, or at least not many of them. After searching four towns asking countless people we finally found one! There are 14 machines all but one was full, so we grabbed it quick. I see a problem, only 8 dryers for 14 washing machines. And we need to meet our friends not too long from now. Obviously they have a machine their home, but we didn't want arrive needing clothes washed.




We are in the same situation as every other day, getting hungry at the wrong time. We had another hardy breakfast but then didn't really get hungry until now. We are not sure of our plans for dinner, whether Petra is cooking or if we will take them out, or what time we will eat. So it is hard to plan if we should eat or not, but by now we are really hungry. So, Monte went to find a bratwurst, something he has been waiting for, for a very long time. I think I'll have a bite, but not much more or I won't be hungry for dinner.

We plan to visit with Henry (Monte's old friend from when he lived in Germany) and Petra, his wife, tonight and tomorrow morning. We haven't seen then for 6 1/2 years, so it will be great to see them again.


It was a nice "homecoming" for us to see them again. We have a nice BBQ of pork steak, sausages, anitpasta, and pasta salad. It was so nice spending time with them and visiting. We were up past midnight and then had breakfast and more conversation. We wish we could have stayed longer, but we had more friends to meet.









They live in a common village in Germany, a small village of 800 people. They walk to the bakery to get bread for breakfast. Around them they have what looks like endless farm land with beautiful colors in all the different fields. There are walking paths that wind throughout the countryside, a fond memory of Monte's.









It felt like home coming home, but now we are off to visit friends that we met on our trip in 2008. They have sent us such a warm welcome, we are anxious to see then again.



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Location:Konken, Germany

Route Des Vins, Alsace

After a wonderful breakfast of pretty much the same type of food: great bread, cheese, meats, yogurt etc., we set out for the famous wine route.



I think it is 90 miles long, twisting and turning through hills of vineyards, and passing quaint villages along the way. We were not interested in the wine, but in all the quaint villages. It seems to us that much of Europe is quite "storybook" looking.



We are staying in Itterswiller which is a part of the wine route, but we headed south and visited Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim and Colmar which is a larger city- maybe 65,000. This area is famous for cranes and their huge nests. We saw many.






















We loved all the quaint little Villages and just roamed around. By the time we made it to Colmar we were really tired. We went to a cathedral, went to see "little Venice" and then we were pretty spent.





We decided to call it a day. We just couldn't think about going out for another 3 hour dinner, as much as we enjoy it. We also couldn't think about eating more croissants, bread, cheese, etc., so, we did it.....yep, went to McDonalds! Not that we wanted to, we just didn't know what else to do to get fast food so we could just get home.



Actually, we have only seen one this whole time, and it happens to be a town about 10 min away. So here I am on the computer at 9:10, monte is fast asleep and Paige is under the covers waiting for her computer time.

Here are just some observations:

I hate to break it to you, but if Italy and France are on the fashion edge, men purses are on their way! We keep seeing them everywhere.

People seem to to use shower gel in the shower which is great, but they don't use washcloths, so it takes a ton of soap to try to get clean. I don't get that. Or, maybe I want to use a ton of soap because my clothes are so dirty!

Also, while driving if you come across a light, the stopping area is in front of the light so you can't see it. The lights are just on the right side, not in front of you. You have to lean to the right side to try to get a glimpse of it for when it changes. Another interesting thing!

Off to see our friends in Germany tomorrow!

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Location:Route du Vin,Itterswiller,France

Last Day, Burgundy

It is so interesting driving around this region. There are beautiful fields as far as your eye can see, then small dense forests of trees. The fields are many different shades of color: green, yellow, brown, etc. Then out of the blue is an ancient village or Chateau (castle).











For the third day in a row we got hungry for lunch by about 1-2 o'clock. We keep forgetting to be prepared to bring a snack ahead of time, because all the stores are closed from 12:00-3:00. Yesterday we found "Casino Mart" in a bigger town that was open, so Monte bought a baguette, cheese and salami, and Cokes. We were starving and ended up eating it in car as we drove. Today, same problem, but we had left over cheese and dry bread. We sat along the beautiful Burgundy canal having our picnic of dry bread in France....what a shame that is! But again, no stores open. Hopefully we'll catch on soon!



Speaking of salami, I don't remember if I mentioned that in Italy you buy meat that is aged, like salami, speck, etc. and it just sits out on the counter...seems so odd.

Anyway, today we drove to see Abby of Fontenay. It was an Abby for monks from the 1200's. The buildings were beautiful! Especially the chapel which had a gravel floor and just simple design, but huge.






We also went to another Chateau that we just called Frank. Its real name is Chateau d'Ancy le Franc. We can not even begin to pronounce any of these French words, so we just say what sounds close. The French would just die if they heard how we said their language!

This chateau was built for a king in the 1200's. We had a tour, do it yourself with an English booklet, and we basically had the place to ourselves. Same for the Abby. Yesterday we had a tour of a chateau that was with a French guide and we had an English booklet. Not the best thing, especially since the tour guide seemed very thorough, and our English reading we did very quickly.



We also drove around, watched vacation boats and barges on the Burgundy canal, and enjoyed our stale bread with a great view. We really don't want to leave. In fact, every place we visit we love!






This trip has been fabulous: great weather, rarely seen tourists, rarely see Americans, just the way we would design it if we could! And what is that...dinner almost ready and aperitif being served in the parlor?

Ok, so now we are back from another fine dinner. Of course our aperitif, white wine, followed by a fish, loaf of


some kind with a tomato sauce, very good, rooster with sauce and potatoes, followed by a cheese course, with the proper wine and dessert of a cream with berries.









We conversed with a couple from France, England and Germany, all retired. Paige seemed to have fun talking with them too. A great night!

I forgot to include dessert, oh well.
Here is a photo taken at 10:15 at night.



Happy days!

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Location:Massages, France

Day Three Burgundy

Did I mention that this B&B is a restored farm house,surrounded by beautiful farm land? It is restored extremely well. Everything is new and very clean, yet very French right down to all the fabric covering the walls, no wallpaper. It is furnished in antiques. The courtyard is a French garden, and in the dinning room we use china, silver and even silver tea and coffee sets. I was concerned that it may be too stuffy for our likes, but it is very relaxed and comfortable, even in my smelly traveling clothes!

Today we headed out to the town of Beaune. They have a famous hospital which was build for the dying poor people during the 100 Year War, and the Black Plague. The town lost 2/3 of it's population, and this hospital gave dignity and respect to those dying. They had beautiful artwork, tapestries, silver, etc. that were used for them.



We then took a driving tour of vineyards, beautiful hillsides and quaint villages. We also found a Chateau de Rochepot, that offered tours, so we decided to take it. It was a medieval castle that reminded me of Fairy Tale Town with its moat. We walked up to it and were instructed to hit the door three times with a mallet before they would let you enter the door. Inside was a courtyard and the castle, one of the prettiest we've seen. We had a nice tour.







Then we drove on to one more village Chateauneuf-en-Auxois. It again has a medieval village with a huge Chateau sitting up on the top of the hill. It is all stone and looks like it was ready to defend the village by not only artillery, but cannons too. It was very beautiful and a very quaint village.




We decided to not make reservations at our B&B for dinner, that way we wouldn't be under any time pressures. So we had dinner in Chateauneuf at a little crepe restaurant. Monte' crepe was very good, salmon. Paige had lamb and I had sausage, the chefs recipe. Our meal was just ok, Monte's was better. Still expensive, but we will be sure to eat with Patrick tomorrow night!
As we were driving back at 9:00pm, I had to put my sunglasses on. When we arrived home by 10:30, it was still dusk. I realize it is close to summer solstice, but we never remember it being this light. It sure is nice. We were suppose to have rain today, but we didn't get any, just clouds that would come and go. I would put on and off a sweater, so the climate was perfect.






















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Location:Magannis, France

Day Two Burgundy

Today, after a fabulous French breakfast of bread, soft cheeses, home made yogurt, and bread with butter and jam, we set out for exploring small village France. We went to Noyers, Montreal, and Vezelay.

Noyers was our favorite. It was a tiny medieval village, a couple restaurants and a bakery where many locals were buying baguettes by bicycle, car or just walking through the village. It had old timber houses with cobblestone streets. A very quaint village!






Montreal was a village that was more of a neighborhood, only one cafe, not open. It had a famous church with wood carvings from the 1,100's. It didn't look as Medieval to me, but we understand the church is famous for it's wood carvings. There was a group of French people that had come to take photographs of the carvings. It was very nice.






Next, we drove to Vezelay. It was much more touristy, however still no English anywhere. They have a famous church which has a crypt below. The chapel below the floor looked like it was carved out of stone. The stone floor was very uneven and you could almost see how the ceiling had been carved out. There was a shrine which is suppose to hold the arm bone of Mary Magdaline. Not so sure about that, but it does draw pilgrims. Still, not too touristy yet. I guess a lot of kids don't get out of school until July.







The countryside is beautiful . It seems so strange that people live in villages like this. We peered into a house or two today and noticed how tiny they were with really old kitchens- right off the front door.

We sure dont know our French! I passed a lonely man on a narrow cobblestone street and greeted him with Merci. Paige didn't let me live that one down!

Dinner again tonight in the B& B. This time with our friends from the Netherlands, and an older couple from Paris. Again, a delightful experience with people and food. Again it lasted from 7:30 until 11:00. We began with chamange and conversation, we were served shrimp in sauce with gingerbread, duck with a wonderful sauce and caramelized endive, three cheeses with bread (and different bread for each course) as well as wine with each course, and ended with a strawberry sauce over mint chip ice cream, served with a mint leave and a lady finger.







This is Patrick, our host. He is so attentive, he takes care all our needs. He was raised in Paris and has run the B& B for 14 years.











What could be better than to enjoy a day exploring France and finishing with a fantastic meal, at home. We can't wait until tomorrow, so much to see!



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Location:Magannis, France