A Day in the Alsatian Countryside

Alsace (noun)

1. One of France's 27 administrative regions: it is the smallest region in metropolitan France, located in eastern France and bordering Germany and Switzerland. Long history of switching between German and French control. The capital of the region is Strasbourg.
2. A gorgeous place that everyone should visit (skip Paris--apparently the people there are rude).

When I was first telling everyone that I would be studying abroad in France, everyone assumed I meant Paris. When I broke the news that I was actually studying in Strasbourg, I always received blank looks, or sometimes the occasional question: isn't that a German city? Alsace, as well, was a relatively unknown region to most of my fellow Americans. Actually, it was foreign to me as well. Up until yesterday, I hadn't really seen any of Alsace besides Strasbourg.

So my home university, College of the Holy Cross, paid for our group of 8 study-abroad girls to discover more of the region. Yesterday we took a mini-bus tour of part of Alsace's Route des Vins (Wine Route), along with a few other touristy sights along the way.

First up on our Alsace Immersion Trip was the misty "Monastery in the Clouds."

It's actually called the Hohenburg Abbey on Mont Saint-Odile, but I prefer my title for it. This monastery sits atop one of the high hills of the Vosges Mountains in Alsace, and for the duration of our visit, was wrapped in cloud. This spoiled the view of the surrounding countryside, but it also gave the monastery a very ancient and slightly ghostly atmosphere, which I much appreciated.

Next, we stopped in the pretty little town of Obernai for lunch. It's one of many cute wine towns in the area, and made up with many charming half-timbered houses in the German style (an architecture which Strasbourg and Alsace in general is famous for). Here in Obernai we ate lunch and wandered the town for a bit. This is also where I bought my first nutella crêpe since leaving Tours--unfortunately, crêpes seem to be less popular here in Alsace.



I really loved the green-and-gold patterned tiles on this roof

Our third stop was the Chateau Haut-Koenigsbourg, an unpronounceable castle that is perched atop another of the Vosges Mountains. It is a real Medieval castle, built sometime in the early 12th century (and rebuilt from 1900-1908 by Kaiser Wilhelm II). What most amazed me is how people in the 12th century dragged all those stones and building materials up the mountain--without the aide of cars or trains or modern technology.



Unfortunately, the tower was under reconstruction...

 

Haut-Koenigsbourg is not in the flouncy, fancy, gold-guilded renaissance style of the previous chateaux of the Loire Valley--it is certainly not a rival of Chambord or Chennonceau. Mostly, Haut-Koenigsbourg reminds me of ancient English castles that I've seen in years past with my family... it is made in a simple and slightly rustic style, built with strategic defense in mind, and not made solely for impressing visiting royals with expansive gardens and Italian architecture.

Really cool chandelier, complete with antler horns!

Our last stop of the day was a wine tasting in the walled town of Bergheim (we were on la Route des Vins, after all, and it would have been silly not to have sampled some wine). We tasted five different types. The four I remember are: Pinot Gris, Riesling, Muscat, and a Crément, all of them white wines.  

I'm not going to lie, I was very, very "happy" after that wine tasting. Not drunk, of course, but a little more than tipsy, and to be honest, it was a very giggly ride back to Strasbourg. Obviously, I have a high alcohol tolerance, getting so "happy" after a wine tasting!

Lastly, I will leave you of my favorite picture of the day: a snapshot of the hillside vinyards leading down to another cute Alsatian town with the misty Vosges mountains as a backdrop!