Wine, castles and charming villages of Alsace

 

Beautiful Alsace, a landscape filled with vinyards, mountains and picture postcard villages. I haven't yet had time to tell you about this trip to Alsace that we did in early June with friends and visitors from Sweden. Actually it was me, Sara and Fredrik that headed to Alsace over the day but there is still so much left to see here besides the great beauty and fine wines that I have to come back many times with C.

Our first stop was this large and very impressive medieval castle called Chateau du Haut-Koeningsbourg. Kaiser Wilhelm the second spent a fortune to restore it to it's original authenticity. It is very impressive and sure has everything you would imagine a castle from any great story book to have. 

Even the interiors are impressive. It's got all of those things you would expect of a great hunting castle such a large wild boar head above one of the big rooms.

The castle is situated at the top of the mountain with a fantastic view over the valley below. The Rhine River forms the eastern boundary of both Alsace and France in this region. On one side of the river you have French soil and on the other German. Alsace is also home of the great Route du Vin, which winds its way through the foothills of the Vosges mountains. The wine route stretches 170 km between Thann and Marienheim. 

This area has also been reclaimed by the storks. Their nests are massive and huge! Stork nests do crown several of the towers in town.

The small medieval villages are just super cute. It's like they are taken right out of a story book or a post card. The distance between the small villages is often not more than a couple of km which makes this area ideal to bring your bike and park the car somewhere and then head off for some wine tasting.

You got all the French delicacies such as Chevre and Foie Gras. Personally I don't like neither one of these. They are not for me and I think it is completely horrific how Foie Gras is made. But that is my personal opinion.

However, there is so much else that the French are excellent in making. French pastries are to die for both when it comes to taste and to visual impression. Something you devour with all your senses. These almond cookies where made everywhere and fresh. The delicious scent of warm new baked almonds was almost intoxicating.

Wine bottles sold and packaged in these super cute little house boxes.

The Alsace - Lorraine area is a mix of both French and German. It has through out history been passed in it's ownership between both countries. You got the German Bretzles next to the French cheeses. Many names are German but pronounced in French. Much of the language is mixed here. 

Wine, lot's of great wine. Home of the great Riesling being one of the most famous grown grapes in this region. You pass vinyards and wine estates everywhere. There are wine shops and wine tastings in every single little village. We got to see how they where busy exchanging simple capped bottles to a cork version.

Big old wine barrels become home decore as on this house.

These villages seem to be taken out of another world or era. It is if you have literary stepped into a fairy tale world. They are just super cute all of them. You got the cobbled stoned streets, the flower beds at the windowsills, the beautiful balconies, the cute signs and so on. A true unique feeling of once up on a time with windows fit for Rapunzel. Just strolling down these romantic streets is such a pleasure. 

We stopped here in Riquewihr. The road connecting Riquewihr and Ribeauville is an especially picturesque route. 

Lot's of pretty roses adding to the charm.

 

Just love these cute signs. They are just beautiful!

People relaxing and enjoying the day, the sunshine and something good to eat or drink or both. Life here rolls on in a relaxing and slow pace it seems like. 

Green rolling hills filled with vinyards as far as your sight stretches. Such a pleasure coming here and travelling in this landscape taking it all in.

This is such a pretty and lovely area that I want to come back again soon! There is still so much do do and see here. If you are into good wine and good food there are excellent restaurants here and the perfect setting for practicing your tasting buds. The perfect thing for us is that this is not more than an hours drive from Basel.