Strasbourg

On the Route des Vins d’Alsace

~ donquioaty ~ 2 Comments

After a bit of a wander around Strasbourg and a very fine meal (more on that later), DonQui decides to explore the Route des vins d’Alsace from Strasbourg to Colmar.

His first stop after leaving Strasbourg is Mittelbergheim — an unspoiled and non-touristy village in the foothills of the Vosges where the vines of Alsace are cultivated. He is quite excited to see a stork with chicks in her nest above the church.

At Hunawihr he makes his first purchase after a little sample of the wines on offer. Safety conscious readers should note that, as he is driving, he only takes a mouthful of each.

Then he trots up a hill to take a look at the 14th Century fortified church which is surrounded by walls complete with bastions and firing ports. 

Alsace has been tramped over and plundered by a succession of armies right up until 1945. DonQui imagines the medieval peasants fleeing the village below for the safety of the church as they see an approaching robber baron.

At dinner in Strasbourg the previous night DonQui had sampled a lovely pinot noir from Dambach-le-Ville so he heads there to procure a case. 

Dambach-le-Ville is a lovely little walled village with yet another nesting stork. 

DonQui dose not remember seeing so many storks in the Rhine valley before but on this trip he sees many of them. It is perhaps a good sign of nature recovering.

DonQui also stops off at Ribauville and Riquewhir. He remembers the latter village as being particularly beautiful on a previous visit years ago.  Yes it is pretty but it seems to have succumbed to a bit of Disneyfication. Unlike the other stops on his route it is also full of other tourists. Still it is enjoyable to walk around, although DonQui does not buy any more wine as post Brexit rules only allow him to bring 18 litres back to the UK.

DonQui’s final stop is the beautiful city of Colmar. From here he will cross the Rhine and head over to Germany.

All in all the Route des vins d’Alsace makes for a most enjoyable day out — leaving his car heavier (with cases of wine) and his wallet lighter.

Strasbourg by Train

~ donquioaty ~ Leave a comment

DonQui is off on his travels again. This time he is going to Strasbourg — one of his favourite European cities.

bus-class

He has rather gone off flying these days. Except for those far too rare occasions when he manages to upgrade to business class, he finds airports and aeroplanes increasingly unpleasant.

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Encouraged by the success of his trip to Spain by train last year, DonQui again decides to take the Eurostar from London and the super fast TGV (train à grande vitesse) on to Strasbourg.

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Rather than changing trains in Paris he takes a tip from the kindly Man in Seat 61 and goes to Lille where he can change trains at the same station. He booked his tickets through Loco 2 which makes trans continental booking all very simple.

It all goes very smoothly. The 30 minutes between the Eurostar’s arrival in Lille and the TGV’s departure to Strasbourg is more than enough time. Changing in Paris necessitates a change of stations which involves more of hassle, uncertainty and time.

So why Strasbourg and why this time of year?

pl-keber

Well it is cold — bitterly so from DonQui’s perspective even if his Canadian relatives might beg to differ. Claiming the title of ‘Christmas Capital’ Strasbourg hosts the oldest constantly running Christmas market in Europe, dating back to 1570.

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Some of the decorations are a little bit ‘over the top’ perhaps so much that they start to become ironic. Despite the cold weather the atmosphere is congenial and there are plenty of places to warm up with waffles, Glühwein and even hot spiced orange juice.

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Packed full of excellent restaurants serving hearty Alsatian fare washed down with excellent local wines (Alsatian riesling is the best in DonQui’s opinion) there are plenty of great excuses to get out of the cold and settle in for a couple of hours.

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The wonderfully compact medieval centre of Strasbourg is made for strolling although a boat tour around the circumvallating River Ille is well worth it in DonQui’s opinion. With its mix of French and German culture it is the sort of place to wander around, discover hidden secrets down a cobbled ally, and take in the atmosphere. It is just the sort of place DonQui loves returning to.