Less than an hour drive from Riquewihr or Colmar, heading north towards Strasbourg the monastry of Sainte-Odile is set on the Vosges mountains overlooking the little medieval city of Obernai. Together with a couple of lovely villages as Rosheim and Boersch, this is another place to visit for a different day out, especially during the…
Category: Cities and villages
Gengenbach and the giant Advent Calendar
The sky is dark for already at least an hour. Hundreds of people if not a thousand are wandering from one stall to the other on the Christmas market. The air is full of excitment. And suddenly everything guets quiet. It is exactly 18.00 o’clock. At 6 in the evening every night in the holy…
Golden landscapes along the Alsace Wine Route – a small picture gallery
As snow is now announced here are some pictures taken in Autumn: late September, October and November. Autumn in the upper Rhine valley is actually 3 seasons in one. End of September is still very similar to Summer. Then comes the golden leaves period in October. And right now, almost end of November, some leaves…
A day out in Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany)
Freiburg is a very interesting city only an hour drive away from our holiday apartments in Riquewihr. A day out not to be missed. Saturday is a good choice since in the morning there is a beautiful market taking place near the cathedral. Freiburg im Breisgau, a green city Freiburg is a German city with…
The Alsace Wine Route celebrates its 60th anniversary
End of May 2013 the Alsace Wine Route will celebrate its 60th anniversary. Between Alsace and wine, it is a very old love story. The beginnings of viticulture in Alsace are dated back to the Roman period. On May 30, 1953, the Alsace Wine Route was officially launched by the tourist office on the occasion…
Happy New Year wishes sent from Riquewihr, Alsace
A very Happy New Year to all of you! We will be back soon with new posts about what to see and what to do in the Upper Rhine valley. In 2010 the Lonely Planet guides voted Alsace first among the top ten regions to be discovered in the world. Alsace is unquestionably spectacularly beautiful….
Strasbourg, “Capital city of Christmas”
Christmas markets in Strasbourg have to do with history, not just fashion or tourist events. Just think that this year, from Nov 29 and until Dec 31, 2013, Strasbourg is welcoming its 443rd edition of its Christmas market! 2013 welcomes the 443rd edition of Strasbourg’s Christmas market! The very first edition of the Christmas market…
Christmas market at the Black Forest Gutach open air museum – Germany
This was our second visit to the Gutach Black Forest Museum in nearby Germany. The first time was some 2 years ago during the Summer. Our visit to the Gutach Black Forest Museum was part of a day trip out of Riquewihr, Alsace to the nearby Black Forest in Germany. The open air museum is…
The true history of the Christmas Tree
Updated with Christmas 2013 info The fir has long been the symbol of Christmas in Christian homes. A well-established tradition in Alsace for over 5 centuries, the Christmas tree would have crossed the blue line of the Vosges mountains to conquer French families only after the 1870s. At the heart of Alsace and the Rhine…
Christmas in the Valley of Villé – Alsace – Dec 7-8, 2013
A wounderful Christmas event out of the beaten track This event is one among the few which are not very well-known by tourists but which are prepared by locals for locals. Every year, thousands of Alsatian families are attending. In the year 2012 it was happening in the village of Lalaye. This year, in 2013,…
Bergheim – A Trail of 50 Nativity scenes (cribs)
A fine rain has replaced the few flakes of snow that had fallen during the day. To go home to La Vancelle the roundabout at the exit of Riquewihr – like a big lottery wheel – decided to send me to the wine road rather than the highway … At 18 o’clock, almost everyone has…
5 Christmas markets are awaiting you in Colmar!
The Christmas markets 2018 will start officially in Colmar Nov. 23, 2018 and will welcome you every day until late December, 31. Colmar is located in the very center of Alsace, a mere 10 kilometers away from the Alsace wine hills. Colmar and its surroundings has a sunny microclimate and is the second driest city…