2022 - Spring in France

After a few quiet days in Alsace, we left France this morning and headed north in Germany.  We took mainly the #3 highway that runs parallel to the #5 autobahn because that road passes through towns and villages and is a much prettier drive.  We started in Lahr and continued on it until we reached Baden Baden where we joined the autobahn.  On our right side (east) was the Black Forest covered in verdant green Our destination, at the last stop on this trip, is Heidelberg.  Our hotel, the Hollaender Hof is located in the Aldstadt (old town) with views of the old bridge and the Neckar River.  It is lovely and I hope to return here one day and have more time to explore this area.   Heidelberg is located on the Neckar River.  It is best known for Heidelberg University,  founded in 1386.  It is Germany's oldest and one of Europe's most reputable universities .  The Gothic Heiliggeistkirche church towers over the cafe-lined Marktplatz, a t...

Today, we went to Eguisheim, arguably one of the prettiest Alsatian wine villages.  Apparently, the buildings and "ruelles" (narrow streets) here have been used to inspire images in a number of Disney movies, such as The Beauty and the Beast .   Eguisheim  is a medieval village not far from Colmar and is on the southern part of the Alsace Wine Route. T his typical Alsatian village features brightly coloured houses with pointed roofs and timber-framed façades on its  narrow streets arranged in three concentric circles in its old town.  Many of these houses date from the 1600s. The central Château Saint-Léon is a centuries-old castle.  Eguisheim's charm has earned it the designation of "Un des plus beaux villages en France" and it  won the title of "France's Favourite Village" in 2013 on a TV show presented by Stéphane Bern. The village square Midday, we met up with two of my Swiss friends at the Freudenreich winery.  This has become a regular ...

As my sister hasn't been to Paris since she was 18 and May 12th is her 71st birthday, we have spent more time than I usually would have done visiting some of the well known tourist sites in Paris.  A couple of days ago, we took the metro to the Opera so we could take a photo of that beautiful building that became so well known because of the Phantom of the Opera legend.   From there, it was an easy walk to Boulevard Haussmann where the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores are found.  The former is located in three buildings, one being the Coupole with its  amazing dome in art nouveau style.  We went up to the rooftop terrace in that building to get the beautiful views across Paris and have a refreshment. Then, Wednesday, we headed in a different direction and took the metro to Charles de Gaulle d'Etoile where another of Paris' iconic sites is located:  l'Arc de Triomphe.  We walked through the tunnel under l'Etoile which is a massive...

When we started planning this trip, I found out that there was an exposition of works by the famous street artist, Banksy, on while we were in Paris.  So, we bought tickets and Tuesday made our way to Rue Faubourg Montmartre to see it.  (As an aside, there are several streets named Faubourg in Paris so it is very important to pay attention to the word following it to make sure you are in the correct part of Paris.  For example, there is Rue Faubourg St. Honore, Rue Faubourg Montmartre, and Rue Faubourg St. Denis.) By way of providing background to the artist, the following is from Wikipedia: Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation.  Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine  dark humour  with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of polit...