We continued to follow the Rhine River Valley leaving Germany and into France. Since they are both EU countries, there is no longer any border checkpoint between Germany and France (crossing the Rhine was the border) and it is just like driving between states in the US.
We drove first into Strasbourg France. Strasbourg is on UNESCO’s world’s heritage list. Overpowering the town is the Notre Dame Cathedral with its amazing architecture. It is made of pink sandstone in Gothic style, and the spire rises to 142 meters (465 feet.) Construction was from 1015 to 1439. Strasbourg was reminiscent of Paris with the river that goes through it, with many bridges and all the outdoor cafes. There was a cooling breeze and we enjoyed the ducks, flowers, pedestrian streets, numerous churches, architecture, and people-watching. Oh yeah, and the wine.
The town of Riquewihr, France is in the heart of the Alsace region. This is a quaint tiny medieval walled village that oozes charm with all its brightly painted doll-house type of buildings. Our hotel had only 9 rooms and was built right into the ancient medieval wall. Riquewihr is a wine-producing picturesque village, between the Vosges mountains and the Plain of Alsace. The medieval fortifications are twin walls, with the first built in 1291 and the second wall was built in the 1500s. It was mostly German land until 1789 when France finally took it over. Vineyards are on every surrounding hillside and it was absolutely gorgeous and extremely peaceful there.
English is again not that common among the locals here and, as always, we relied on our minimal foreign language skills and the kindest of patience of the locals to help. We explored the valley further then proceeded to the Alps. Stay tuned!
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