Taking a Leap of Faith

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has followed my blogs over the years that I am heading back to France in a few days.  It has become somewhat of a tradition to travel to Europe in the spring.  In past years, my travels have been more adventurous than last fall's trip to Alsace, Lyon and the Cote d'Azur and the one coming up now.  COVID is still a serious concern everywhere and that has caused me to tamp back my adventures until things settle down.  So, once again, I am returning to Alsace for a just over 2 weeks but will fit in a week in Paris in the middle of that plus a couple of days in Heidelberg just before I return home.

My sister will be joining me this time.  The last time she was in Paris was when she was 18 and this time she will be celebrating her 71st birthday in the City of Light.  Her big draw is the churches there, like Sacre Coeur, Saint Chapelle, St. Sulpice and St. Eustache.  For me, it is simply walking the streets and cobble-stoned alleys of that amazing city and enjoying the cafes, bistros and restaurants with the occasional museum thrown in for cultural effect.  We are still working out what walking tours we might do.  The artist, Banksy, has an exposition on there right now so that will be one of our stops.  Because it has been half a century since Kathleen has been there, unfortunately (for me) we will need to visit some of the tourist sites like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees.  I am hopeful I will be able to deter her from going to the last one as it has changed so much over the years and now only hosts chain stores and restaurants.  Really, do we have to see a Starbucks or McDonalds in Paris - or anywhere else for that matter!!  We will do the boat trip on the Seine though as no matter how many times I do it, I always love it.  

In Alsace, we will visit my usual favourite haunts but this time I will get to see them through her eyes.  She was only there once about 30 years ago when we went with our mother and aunt.  That time, however, mom got sick so we spent most of the three days we had there in the Canadian Forces Base hospital in Lahr.  The plan for this time is quite different!  We will also be meeting up with my Swiss friends in the charming wine village of Eguisheim for lunch in a couple of weeks.  Regardless of what time of the year you go, the Alsace Wine Road is still one of the most scenic drives anywhere with the hillsides covered in vineyards and all the medieval villages along the route.  Charming!

So, please bear with me for any repetitive stuff that has been written about in my earlier blogs .  I will try to discover new things and places to write about, I promise; I may even be able to put a new spin on the old stuff.  We will arrive in Frankfurt on April 25th, will pick up a rental car and then drive the 2 1/2 hours to Rhinau in Alsace down the #5 autobahn which actually runs from Hamburg in the north all the way to Rome, or perhaps further.  

I hope to be posting stories one or two days after our arrival - once I get acclimatized to being in France.  Thanks.