Gigondas and Orange

Vineyards in Gigondas

Rick Steves has steered us correctly again.  He suggested Gigondas as a nice place to visit for wine tasting.  Only 700 people live in this little village.  Among them we found a great cook and his restaurant.  We had a delicious lamb dish with the local wine then went to the nearest shop for a wine tasting.  The region began to grow wine after great frosts in 1929 and 1957 destroyed the ancient olive trees.  Today the area puts more than five million bottles on the market each year.  They are described as powerful and generous, robust and well-balanced.  

Orange, Roman Theater

The day was still young and and Orange was on the way home.  We stopped to check out the Roman Theatre.  The Theatre is described as the most impressive still existing in Europe.  I would have to agree.  The Theatre thrived as a major role player in disseminating Roman culture. The people spent great amount of time there watching plays, pantomimes, poetry readings, etc. that lasted all day.   But, as the Roman Empire declined, Christianity became the official religion and closed the theatre.  The church regarded the performances as uncivilized spectacles.  By the Middle Ages it became a refuge for the townspeople from the religious wars.   They built and incorporated housing into the spaces and Great Wall.  In the 1800s excavation began to remove the housing and restore the Theatre.  Today all the seating has be restored as have major parts of the stage, orchestra and walls.  Today the Opera Festival is held here.  Pictures of our day at flickr.

Nimes

Maison Carree

Nimes is a little over an hour from Aix.  We enjoy driving through the surrounding area because it is so beautiful with the distant Alpilles Mountains and the very green fields, vineyards and olive groves.  Occasionally a charming little ochre colored village will appear on a hill usually with an accompanying steeple and castle ruins.  Nimes is known today for its well preserved Roman monuments some of which are around 2,000 years old.  The Maison Carree, pictured above, is one of the best preserved Roman temples anywhere.  Disappointing to us was that the interior is now a movie theater.  The temple sits alone and high in a square surrounded by restaurants.  Quite a spectacular way to have lunch.

Wayne at the Nimes' Roman Amphitheater 

A short walk from the Temple is the elliptical Roman Amphitheater built in the 1st or 2nd century AD.  It is the best preserved Roman arena in France.  At one point it was filled with medieval housing when the natives were sheltering behind the walls from Visigoths.  Napoleon gentrified the arena and it is still used today as a bull fighting ring and concert area.  We climbed to the top of the stands in a wind so fierce I though we would be blown off.  I kept thinking of how poor Van Gogh mythically went crazy from the winds of south France.  

Wayne at the Jardins de la Fontaine

As we walked to the final visit point, we noticed that the trees were getting green.  Spring has sprung here.  The Jardins de la Fontaine are built around the Roman thermal ruins.  The park features the ruins of a temple to Diana, an assortment of canals, bridges and statues, an ancient Roman tower and some really cool koi.  Pictures at flickr.

Chateau la Coste

"They Say It's Your Birthday.  We're Gonna Have a Good Time."  Today is Wayne's birthday.  What a great place to be for a birthday, Aix-en-Provence.  To celebrate we drove out to the Chateau la Coste vineyard that thanks to a new owner, Paddy McKillen, includes an art center, sculpture throughout the grounds, lodgings and restaurants.  It all remains pastoral and quaint, though.  We started with a lunch on the patio under grape vines in dappled sunlight.  

Following lunch, the hour and a half tasting tour was very informative and explained the vineyard's new approach to wine making using correlated aluminum buildings to first, separate the grapes for red, rose and white and next, using gravity to move the grapes and juices underground to the second building where the real wine making begins.  Apparently, the use of gravity reduces the oxidization on the grapes that pumping would incur.  All the pressing and fermentation takes place in huge stainless steel tanks in this second building.  Narry a wooden barrel was sighted.  (Although our guide informed us there were small batches they continued to ferment in wooden barrels that takes on a Chardonnay quality.)
I also learned that a vineyard cannot use the name chateau unless exclusively grows and uses its own grapes.  

Chateau la Coste

Earlier, as we approached the grounds, it was delightful to see infinity pools and an art center by Tadao Ando whom we know of from The Clark Institute's new building.  Sitting on the surface of the pools were a Louise Bourgeois Spider and an Alexander Calder mobile where we had fun attempting to document Wayne's good time birthday with selfies.  Pictures at flickr

Hit the Road, Jack

Have Car.  Will Travel.  Yes, we have a Renault, standard drive yet.  How did we ever drive here in 1998 without a gps?  Perhaps better eye sight and tiny little paper maps got us where we wanted to go.  Today the magic of cellular data got us to Les Baux and the Carrieres de luminaire.

Chateau Les Baux

As we approached the commune of les Baux, we were surrounded by groves of olive trees. Then the Alpilles mountains rose suddenly and sheerly from the Rhone valley.  Les Baux was above us, insisting that we park at the bottom and walk up for lunch.  This village perche sits atop an outcrop of the Alpilles with a ruined chateau at the apex and overlooking the plains. It has been named one of the most beautiful villages in France.  It seems to exist for the sole purpose of tourism with cute little shops and restaurants occupying the ancient spaces.  There are only 22 residents in the village today.  But, habitation dates back to 6000 BC.  There was a defensive stronghold at the ruins of the Chateau des Baux at the top of the village where reproductions of a trebuchet and ballista can be seen.

Carrieres de Lumieres 

Very near Les Baux are the remains of limestone quarries.  Within one of the quarries is the Carrieres de Lumieres, a permanent art show in which large bright images are projected on the stone walls of huge galleries dug into the rock. The galleries use spaces that were once a limestone quarry.  One is completely immersed in the paintings of Bosch, Bruegel and Arcimboldo which are projected onto the walls of the quarry.  It is dark as a cave when one first enters.  Your eyes become adjusted as the show begins and you realize you are in a vast, vast space with images projected and enlarged thousands of time.  The paintings are somewhat animated a la Ken Burns and projected onto the floors, walls and ceilings of the rooms which feed one into another.  I'm guessing that the height of the space is about 50' -75'. There are some pictures with people that can give a scale.
Pictures that do not do justice can be seen at flickr.  Video at YouTube.

Apero with Copper at le Verdun

Yesterday we met up with some friends, Copper and John, who live in western Mass and also own an apartment here in Aix.  We met for an apero at le Verdun near our apartment.  It was a fun 2 hours talking about art and the local area.  (Only briefly did we lament the political state of the USA).  We got some great advice from them to visit the Carrieres and places to come.

Aix, Art and Architecture

Today we revisited familiar places but with more attention paid to the architecture, monuments, and purpose.  Place d'Albertas is a small square encircled by baroque architecture. The Place is named for the Albertas family who owned one of the mansions and built the square echoing the Place de la Concorde in Paris.   There is a painter who sits and works there most days.  He was surrounded today by visitors watching him work and checking out his works for sale.  The square is quite well known in photographs.

Corn Exchange Pediment

In the Place Hotel de Ville is a fountain built by the sculptor Chastel for whom I'm thinking the Rue Chastel where I got my hair cut was named.  Also in the square is the Corn Exchange whose frontage is crowned with an allegorical pediment by the same Chastel.  It is a high relieve representing the sources of farming and prosperity in Provence: the Rhone and the Durance.  Most interesting aspect of the pediment is the languorous leg of one figure that hangs over the entablature in compete dimensions.

Wayne in the Palais de Archbishop

At the Place des Martyrs de la Resistance, the Palais de Archbishop hosts an opera festival every July for a full month in an outdoor courtyard.  The courtyard has been transformed into a performance area with stadium seating and an open stage.  The costumes from previous years can be seen inside the Palais.  Also in the Palais are tapestries including a group illustrating the novel Don Quixote.  These were found in the Palais, rolled and hidden during the French Revolution.  The French Archbishop once lived in the Palais until the early 1900s when the French government made a complete separation of church and state.

We ended our sunny beautiful day sitting outside at a cafe on Cours Mirabeau.  Pictures at flickr.

Sunday in Aix

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Sunday in Aix

We started our day by looking for one of the marvelous markets of Aix.  Today the market was in Place Richelme and specializes in fruits, vegetables and legumes.  Even though specialized, the markets still offer other produce.  We found some wonderful cheese from a vendor who sold cheeses and hams. Further afield, there was an antique and flea market on Cours Maribeau. Aix's largest markets are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. There are flower markets, book markets, used clothing and goods markets.  They are generally set up on the large public squares.  However, Aix is undergoing a 20 million euro construction project which has disrupted the main market places and sent them off to temporary places. The complex of squares in the Old town is being completely renovated and pedestrianised. The utilities (electricity and Water) are being repaired and a new car park created. (Parking is a nightmare in old Aix).  Place Perchaers, at the end of our street, is among the squares. The archeologists are busy looking for Roman ruins and graves while the natives twiddle their thumbs waiting for life to return to normal sometime after 2018.   While at Place Richelme we picked up some strawberries, fabulous cheeses, a quiche from a patisserie and returned home for lunch.  

The people of Aix revere and protect their Sunday afternoons.  After a busy market morning, we found that everything began to close down around 1pm and much of nothing was open by 3 pm.  The streets were empty; a very few cafes were serving.  This became a practical concern to us as we were in need of a bottle of wine for dinner. A futile google search revealed nothing open.  Eventually we came across a tapas wine bar that also sold bottles to take out.  It complemented our meal perfectly.  Pictures at flickr.

Aix-en-Provence

Wayne at the Four Dolphin Fountain

Aix-en-Provence (just Aix hence forth) is a fairly large city of about 150.000.  But the narrow, winding streets, the multitude of fountains in public squares and the many small cafes give the centre where we are a feeling of intimacy.  Markets, wine stores, cafes, patisseries, and every type of shopping you can image line all the narrow ways.  Other than a bit of time buying train tickets for Spain, we have been just strolling through the streets, enjoying the very dry and warm weather, shopping a bit for dinner.  We have stopped in the Cathedral St Sauveur and the Musee Granet.

The Musee Granet is named for the Provençal painter Francois Granet who donated a large number of works.  The most significant works are pieces by Paul Cezanne, native Aixiois.  We found ourselves drawn to and amazed by Ingres' Jupiter and Thetis.  It brought back memories of our visit to Olympus.  Monumental at 136" x 101" it mesmerized us.  

Pictures are worth much more than my words.  flickr

Back in France

25 Rue Portalis, Aix en Provence

We set off for Aix this morning. And because it seems we have a particular knack, I would make note that for the second time we found ourselves seated in a coach, two alone and in the midst of a tour group. This time they are retired Swiss rail employees on their way to Barcelona. They are old (like us) and relatively well behaved.  Otherwise, I would need to give them the evil teacher eye.  There is the one requisite loud and continuous yapper and the woman on her cell phone behind me.  But there are no bells and whistles from electronics that can accompany a younger crew, or the passing and consuming of bite sized octopus that we briefly endured with a Chinese group. I write briefly because we were unknowingly in their reserved car and had to leave. This was a blessing as we found a quiet, octopus-free car. 

25 Rue Portalis, Aix

The route to Aix was filled with acres of bright pink blooming things (cherry trees???), green, green fields and the stoney low hills of southern France.  Aix was a sunny, warm 67* and as charming as we remembered.  Our last visit was in 1998 when niece Kathy lived here with her children Lola and Margaux.  Kathy, now married to Phil, lives in San Diego as does Lola. Margaux is in Marseille, and we plan to see her. Kathy has generously given us her apartment for the duration of our stay.  It is in a beautiful, old area with large fountains in small plazas, pedestrian streets, cafes and open markets. We will joyfully be here for two weeks.  
Photos at flickr.

Geneva

We came to Geneva mainly because we thought it offered was the best train route out of Switzerland for Aix.  As such, we are only here for two nights which gives us one full day to explore.  For the first time, our hotel is not near the train station and is a bit out of the historic old town. We're not really certain how we came to choose this hotel with its hostel-like appearance.  But, it is clean, the staff friendly and the bed comfortable.

Old Town Geneva

We spent our one day exploring the Old Town where the St Pierre Cathedral, History Museum and oldest house in Geneva are located.  What I did not know is that Geneva played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.  John Calvin preached here in the Cathedral.  Geneva became the unofficial capital of the Protestant movement, providing refuge for Protestant exiles from all over Europe.  I'll refrain here from commenting on the current attitude toward refuges in the USA.  But, I thought about it a lot today. 

The cherry trees are in blossom here.  We found them at the top of the Old Town in front of the Cathedral's archeological dig.  The dig has uncovered earlier church foundations back to the 1st century.  They are all exposed beneath the Cathedral and staging is set to allow a walk through.  The Cathedral is devoid of all statuary and ornamentation, stripped bare by the Reformation. Only the stained glass remains from the Catholic period.  The Cathedral today belongs to the Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva.  

International Monument to the Reformation

Maison Tavel is the oldest private residence in Geneva. Today the city owns the building where it is home to the Museum of Urban History and Daily Life.  The most significant pieces I found here were two bibles from the Reformation period.  One, at least 12 inches thick was bound on 2 sides with leather and straps. It was distorted from being hidden and had the appearance of brown driftwood.  The other was a miniature the size of a small pill box that was hidden in the hair of a woman. 

We ended our Geneva day in the Parc des Bastions where there are giant chess board games played on the ground.  And, where the Reformation wall is built into the old city walls.   

Pictures at flickr.

The Golden Pass: Interlaken to Geneva

Lake Geneva at Montreux

There are special train routes throughout Switzerland that allow one to travel through the most beautiful parts of the Alps.  We took one of those routes today from Interlaken to Geneva.  For the first time we saw the snow we had expected.  The Golden Pass Train, as it is named, passed through densely forested mountains that were laden with fresh snow.  Suddenly, the slow moving train rounded a bend and Lake Geneva appeared miles beneath us with the majestic Alps rising behind.  It was one of those views one says is indescribable.  My only comparison is the feeling I had upon seeing the Grand Canyon.  The day was overcast and the train windows created glare which made for photos that look black and white with reflections.

We had to change from the Golden Pass train in Montreux to a regular train into Geneva.  We decided to take a look at the city and have lunch there.  Montreux sits directly on Lake Geneva.  And, like every other city we've visited there is an "old city".  And, as is typical of all the old cities, Montreux's was on the highest point above the lake.  We trekked up and got some great views, also a good work out.
Pictures at flickr.    Our little choo-choo train at YouTube.

Interlaken: Up, Up and Away

Interlaken Train into Alps

The trains in and around Interlaken seem to be designed for carrying skiers up and down the Alps.  Probably in the summer they do the same for hikers.  We think the best skiers ride to the top and then ski down to a village where they can get a train to another slope or back to their lodge.  The trains all have areas for stacking skis, snowboards, sleds.  We rode as far up as we could without getting on the train to Jungfrau, the highest altitude railway station on the continent.  The snow had begun and there was a complete whiteout.  The train was still running, but we would have seen white on white on white. The snow obliterated my photography efforts, too.  Beyond the visible mountains in the photos are more and higher soaring peaks that the camera just couldn't capture.

Wengen, Switzerland

We got off the train at a little village, Wengen, for lunch.  The sole purpose of the village appears to be lodging for skiers (or summer hikers).  Chalets dot the mountain sides.  Bunny slopes weave among the chalets.  There was not much snow.  The concierge informed us that not much snow fell this year until January.   Snow making machines were abundant, too.  We continued on up the mountain the Kleine Scheidegg where the snow was blowing and 10,000 maniacs (a tour group) were boarding our train down.  On the way up to Kleine we had breathtaking views of expansive valleys and gorges framed by the Alps.  The way down was just as beautiful.  I expected Heidi and her Grandfather to emerge at any moment.  Photos at flickr.

Trip to Interlaken

Lake Brienze

The train from Lucerne to Interlaken is the Golden Pass.  Indeed!  The rather slow moving train climbs into the northern edge of the Alps with spectacular views.  It was a 2 hour ride filled with blue lakes, green pastures and snow covered Alps.  The water truly is as turquoise in color as the photos indicate.  A nice lady on the train explained that the warm temperatures are a result of a warm wind that comes over the mountains and rests in the valley.  To our eye nothing here suffers from a deep winter freeze.  There was green and thriving bamboo.  Wayne said it reminds him of the Lake Tahoe region.  The lake was about 30 to 40 feet low currently.  The conductor explained that once the spring melt starts in the mountains, the lakes rise those 40 feet.

Interlaken today is a tourist resort with casino, hang gluiding, hiking and skiing.  The streets are packed with tourists shopping and snapping pictures.  It reminded us of the Caribbean Cruise we took where throngs of people disembarked ships to stroll down indistinguishable streets.  There are hotels and areas remaining from the early 1800s when Interlaken became an international resort due to paintings of the landscape.  Then visitors came for the mountain air and spa treatment.  One of those spas today is a casino.   The hotels from that period are elegantly Victorian.

View from our Hotel Royal St George

We have been amazed at the numbers of Chinese encountered at every stop on our trip. Here even the restaurant menus include Chinese.  This is concrete evidence of the economic rise of China.
Pictures at flickr.

Lucerne, City of Music

Guild Building

Another amazingly warm day greeted us in Lucerne with temps reaching 61*.  We took a 2.5 hour walking tour this morning.  Some the tour covered ground we have been on such as the covered bridges.  But we learned some trivia and more history of the area.  Lucerne's population is small: 60,000.  

Jesuit Church

At our stop in the Jesuit Church we learned that in the 1600s Switzerland's cities voted whether or not to remain Catholic or become Protestant.  Lucerne elected to remain Catholic.  All Protestants had to leave the town as did Catholics that were in towns that chose Protestantism.  The Jesuit Church is Baroque with some Rococo.  Built from 1666-67, it gleams white and beautiful.  From the church we walked through the oldest streets of Lucerne. Our guide focused on the guild buildings describing which guilds occupy them.  They are still active, many only allowing men to join (surprisingly women in Switzerland did not get the right to vote until 1972), and are responsible for organizing the Carnival.  Many buildings are of the Renaissance period and have frescoes decorating the exterior.  

Lunch at Manor

Our guide recommended a restaurant with a roof dining.  The 6th floor view, and the warm temperatures were delightful.  After lunch we went to the Kunstmuseum.  It was a quick visit.  We found the collection small and uninteresting.  Instead, we took a funicular up to the Gutsch Hotel. It is the white chateau appearing building high above Lucerne that is in some pictures.  Once again, a spectacular view of the Reuss River, Lake Lucerne and the town.  We learned the town only has a population of 60,000.  

This evening we attended a concert by Abdullah Ibrahim and his band at the KKL. Tomorrow we head for Interlaken. Too many pictures of Lucerne at flickr.

Lake Lucerne

Lucerne from the Mussegg Wall

We began our day with a walk across the other Lucerne covered bridge, the Spreuerbrucke.  Not as famous as the Kapellbrucke probably because it is smaller, it nonetheless is very impressive.  It is the only bridge from which the people could toss chaff.  I know!  How restrictive!  There of course is a logical explanation.  It was the bridge which at one time housed the town mill and is downstream from most things.  It is the oldest timber bridge in Switzerland and dates from 1408. Most impressive on the bridge is a series of medieval-style paintings that hang in the rafters which depict the 'Dance of Death" about the plague.  From the bridge we walked up to the Mussegg Wall, the Medieval City Ramparts which are in almost perfect condition and comprise nine towers.  The towers were not opened but the view of the city and Lake Lucerne was awesome.  The weather is surprisingly spring like with temperatures in the 50s and crocuses, snowdrops blooming.

There are many museums in Lucerne.  We chose the Rosengart Museum, a private foundation funded by Angela Rosengart.  Through her father, Seigfreid, she was able to meet many significant artists of the 20th century and became a personal friend of Pablo Picasso. She bequeathed her collection of his and others' works to the foundation.  The works are housed in a beautifully refurbished building.  Picasso continues to intrigue us.  There were beautiful line drawings of bulls and women.

Lake Lucerne 

The day had time to spare and we used it to take a cruise up the river to Lake Lucerne.  It afforded us clear views of the Alps and out lying villages.  I ended my day with a chocolate purchase destined to be enjoyed with some Valpolicella Ripasso.
Pictures at flickr.  Video on YouTube.

Swiss Chocolates

Luzern Lucerne

Old Town Lucerne across the Reuss

After lugging boots across Europe in anticipation of Switzerland's snow we were surprised to be greeted with 51* temperatures today.  Meanwhile in Boston there was a low of -2.  As we rode the train in from Basel the low rolling hills were green and some land prepared for planting. Our hotel sits directly behind the train station and one block from the river Reuss.  Lucerne is located on the shores of Lake Lucerne and at the outflow of the river Reuss.  Two large Alp mountains frame a backdrop for the city.  In other words, gorgeous.

Our trip in was just a little over an hour which gave us plenty of time to get a feel for the city.  The old Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) is the oldest covered bridge in Europe (1333).  To get to the old town, we crossed the Reuss on it admiring the series of paintings installed in the rafters which depict events from Lucerne's history.

We stopped to admire the Lion Monument, a sculpture carved out of the mountain side commemorating hundreds of Swiss Guards massacred during the French Revolution.  They were mercenaries working for Louis XVI and guarding the Tuileries Palace when an armed mob stormed.  The dying lion's expression is so mournful and the size so large (35' across) as to be very effective.

Kapellbrucke 

We stopped in at a restaurant on the river where a jazz duo was performing.  A nice buffet of finger food and drinks with smooth jazz in the background provided a perfect ending for the day.
Pictures at flickr. Video at YouTube

Basel Kunstmuseum

Basel Town Hall

Our hotel is at the top of a very steep hill.  No matter which road we take to access it, we have to climb, climb, climb.  But the roads are narrow and mostly traffic free except for the usual bikers.  And the most adorable shops bump up against the street offering up art, food, clothing.  At the base of one hill is the Marktplace where the most beautiful Town Hall oversees a daily market.  The Hall has an open courtyard surrounded by painted walls that you can see in flickr.

After a stop at the Basel Minster and a look at the grand Rhine, we spent the day at the Kunstmuseum where we have a learned appreciation for Swiss art.  Its medieval and renaissance art is lively and forceful.  They have rooms devoted to Holbein, Cranach, Renoir, Cezanne and Monet to name a few.

This evening we decided to have fondue, because...well, we're in Switzerland.  What we got was pot full of enough cheese to feed an army.  Just melted cheese.  No salad.  No vegetables. Nothing but bread.  All of that for $68.  Yes, Switzerland is pricey.  So, that is it for fondue and us.  (Unless I find a chocolate fondue on the desert list)

We have purchased a Swiss Travel Pass which allows us to take the train anywhere in Switzerland for the next 8 days.  It also grants free admission to museums and inner city transportation i.e. trams, gondolas, ferries.  Tomorrow we will use it when we travel to Lucern.  Pictures galore of art at flickr.  Video of Town Hall.

Yodel-Ay-Deee-Ooo

Der Teufelhof Hotel

We took the short hour and half train ride to Basel this morning.  On first glance the area, although close in proximity to Strasbourg, is distant in language, cuisine and weather.  It's much colder and humid here.  Despite being on the French border, German seems to be the dominant if not exclusive language.  As usual, though, most understand and speak English.  The food seems less heavy than the Strasbourg dishes which were large, meat and potato filled casseroles.  As in Strasbourg, public transportation is by electric tram and pedestrians rule the streets.  The trams stop everywhere making it easy to get around.  The city is on the Rhine River and is renowned for museums and humanism.

Our hotel is known as the Art Hotel.  If you look closely at the picture above, you can see the man on the high wire.  Each room on the older side of the hotel has been decorated by an artist.  Our room is more like an art happening and not to my taste.  You'll need to see the video  to understand.  Friday is carnival in Basel.  Practically every shop has an array of masks in the window.  They are striking.  A few years ago we were in Venice for carnival.  It was such an eye-popping experience that I'm sorry to miss Basel's.

Video of the hotel room is on YouTube.   A few are at flickr.

If you care to read more about the hotel, I have included below a review from The Travel Online Magazine. 

The Teufelhof, in what was once a very large, turn-of-the-century middle-class house and stable located on the ancient circle of walls that once surrounded the city, is listed in Michelin as a restaurant mit Zim (with rooms). Though running a one-star Michelin restaurant is serious stuff, Der Teufelhof's owners have taken a more lighthearted approach to the hotel part of their business. The eight simple guestrooms with hardwood floors, white walls and simple furnishings are viewed as "empty canvases" and periodically eight different artists are commissioned to decorate them. The results are fascinating, but rather spare and hardly luxurious. The effect is in a range from avant garde to slightly bizarre. There are murals, mobiles, sculptures, paintings and high-tech lighting, but no couches or comfortable chairs. Each bathroom is equipped with a heated towel rack and hairdryer. We liked Numbers seven and eight, cozy, garret-like top floor rooms with exposed beams, dormer windows and slanting ceilings. One drawback for all rooms is that there is no lift and one must negotiate at least two flights of steep stairs. The Teufelhof is also known for the small (120 seats) but busy theater located within the walls of its rambling structure. The whole package, main dining room, Weinstube, theater and the eight guestrooms have been meticulously and imaginatively restored and the pieces of art carefully chosen. Note, for example, the clever pitchfork (Der Teufelhof means "the devil's house") wall sculptures incorporating images of famous people. For the flexible traveler who appreciates new ideas, even if they are a little quirky, Der Teufelhof will be fun.

Cave Historic

Wayne in the Cave Historique

Yesterday's visit to wine country put us in the mood to find out more about local wines at the Cave Historique Hospices Strasbourg.  This wine cave is in the medieval basements of the city hospital in Petite France.  The caves date from 1395 when poor patients would pay for hospital services with wine.  In return wealthy patients would receive the wine as part of their therapeutic treatment. Today there are more than 40 ancient barrels in the museum cave, one of which is filled with wine from 1472, one of the oldest in the world.   Some of  the barrels are beautifully carved with interesting histories.  One barrel was owned by King Louis XV, another was a wedding gift that never was used.  Today selected Alsatian wines are given permission to mature in the cave's barrels, bottled on the spot and sold.  All profits from the sales go toward the hospital's operating expenses.  

Writing about the hospital in Petite France reminded me of a fact we learned on the Batorama tour.  The name Petite France came about when French soldiers with syphilis were sent to the "hospice of the syphilitic" on the island. The local Germans called it the "French Disease"  to stop the local girls from sleeping with the soldiers.  Thus, the area of the hospice became known as Little France, more out of derision than patriotism.  The name stuck and today is one of the most expensive areas of the city.

Tomorrow we leave beautiful Strasbourg for Switzerland.  Stay tuned.  Pictures of the day at flickr.

Exploring Alsace

Wayne at his Meme's Home, Belfort

We picked up our rental car this morning and drove to Belfort where Wayne's grandmother was born. The drive there is through beautiful Alsatian wine country where acre upon acre of grape vines are waiting for spring to bring forth the grape.

As we drove into Colmar a smaller replica of The Statue of Liberty stood at the entrance to the town, birthplace of Frederick Bartholdi. We stopped in Colmar to view the Isenheim Altarpiece by Mathias Grunewald.  I have wanted to see this piece for as long as I can remember.  What a fortunate occasion to find that it was on route to Belfort.  The altarpiece has influenced many other artists from Jasper Johns to Picasso.  The original construction of two sets wings in three configurations has been broken apart so that visitors can see all the components.  It is displayed in the Unterlinden Museum, a former 13th-century Dominican religious sisters' convent.

Belfort was not at all as I expected, a quaint, medieval village with geese running through the streets and children in berets flying their kites.  Instead it was large and heavy with industry.  Wayne's Meme's house appeared to be abandoned.  Our calculations figure she was in the house around 1890.  The old historic district is pretty and the citadel is amazing with huge earthworks. At the citadel sits the Lion of Belfort a monumental sculpture by Bartholdi that stood for the people's resistance during the Franco-Prussian siege.  

Alsacian Plain with Swiss Alps in the Distance

On our return to Strasbourg we drove into the wine country and up above the plain of Alsace to the Haut-Kroningsbourg Castle.  The original castle was burnt in 1462 and rebuilt twice by 1867.  We knew this late in the day the Castle would be closed but wanted to see the view.  It was worth the drive to see the Plain and the Black Forest and a glimpse of the Swiss Alps.  Additional pictures at flickr.

A Good Day for a Long Walk

We did a lot of walking today just exploring little side streets, admiring the architecture and discovering some new areas beyond the Grand Ill.  I'm really sold on the life style here of a walking city with multiple open spaces and plenty of markets for your bread, cheese, wine and meats.  I know man does not live by bread alone, but a good baguette does make for a nice time. We started the day by stepping into St Thomas Lutheran Church which is across the plaza from our apartment.  Mozart once played the organ there.  Further along our route, we walked through the Barrage Vauban lapidarium where statues from the Palais Rohan and the Cathedral are exhibited.  We had intended to walk on top of the Barrage, but it was closed.  Saturday brought the people out.  The streets were crowded with jolly folk, at least two bands playing in the places, and the restaurants were serving on their sidewalk tables. A few pictures at flickr.