Holiday Day 5 – Alsace Wine Country

There was only one disappointment today, we were promised 80 degrees solid sunshine and actually got about 66 degrees and cloudy. Despite that I was in shorts and the car roof was down. We explored the Alsace wine country and the little towns that make it up.

We are staying right in the middle of the wine growing country surrounded by vineyards. The towns and villages are very old with narrow cobbled streets and overhanging wooden framed houses. First up was the picture postcard village of Riquewihr. We arrived there early, as this is a popular stop on the tourist route and we wanted to be there before the inevitable crowds. We explored the lovely back streets full of interesting historic houses. The main street was a little commercial but lovely never the less.

Then about five miles away we visited Kaysersburg which again was a picturesque little town situated around a fast flowing river. Over all loomed a ruined castle. This was the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer.

We found a lovely outdoor café where we ate a typical Alsatian meal. Onion tart and salad, followed by cooked ham, sausage, and wiener all on a massive mound of sauerkraut with potatoes. Pudding was a Kogelhoft, a local bready type cake accompanied custard. It was certainly a filling meal. After a leisurely lunch we visited a viewpoint where there was the American memorial to those who fell in the battle for Colmar during World War Two. From here we could see right across the valley with the Vosges behind us.

Then it was onto the wine tasting, we knew what we wanted which was the Gewürztraminer. As usual when you compare the different priced wines, it always those that are more expensive that take ones fancy. This was the case here; so six bottles of excellent wine were purchased.

So after a busy day an hour was spent with our books. Tomorrow Italy and Switzerland beckon.

Holiday – Day 4 The Vosges

So the day started in La France Profound, the town of Langres is typical of a thriving market town in a rich agricultural region. There were lots of small shops selling everything from hunting knifes to cherry de-stoners. Would have bought one had we had room in the car!! For a small town it had an impressive cathedral with an absolutely enormous nave. It dated from the 12^th century and was the precursor to the Burgundian style of architecture. On a lesser note the filled baguettes that we purchased from the local bakery were some of the best that we had ever eaten. So after breakfast and a stroll round the town we headed east across largely deserted roads and through a rich agricultural landscape. Everywhere the first crop of hay had been harvested and there were cows munching in the fields. There were few settlements, and those that there were seemed very quiet.

It was a surprise when we rolled into the town of Plombieres to find that the railway station had been converted into a casino. Some fine gardens and an arboretum where we picnicked on the aforementioned baguettes surrounded this. There was also a bizarre miniature town, which seemed to have a pick and mix attitude to local French buildings. Like everywhere else it was deserted.

We then entered the Vosges that is a range of hills rising to over three thousand feet. There are ski stations and lots of tremendous views. Unfortunately the weather started to deteriorate lowering to ten degrees with low cloud so most of the hills and views were covered. We came across one moving site called La Ligne. This was the preserved battlefield in the mountains where the Germans and French fought in a short campaign in 1915. Over ten thousand French died on this mountainside. Then as we rolled round the corner the German cemetery full of black crosses was in front of us. The juxtaposition with the lovely mountain scenery was startling.

So in late afternoon we reached Kientzhiem and the Hostellerie Schwendi. It is a lovely Alsatian wine village. The dinner was memorable with a truly outstanding duck main course accompanied by a flight of the local wines. The Gewürztraminer in particular was superb. We will be tempted to buy a few bottles to take home.

Tomorrow promises to be a hot day to explore the local region. Apologies again for the lack of photos, restricted Wi-Fi means that I cannot upload photos from my IPhone. When this is resolved, hopefully by the weekend I will post a whole album full.

Holiday Day 3 – Transition to Langres

You may receive this blog out of order, because the Wi-Fi in the hotel is not very reliable. Today’s photos will also be posted on Tuesday due to the same issue. Call it French plumbing. Today was an early start because we had to travel from the North Sea Coast to the centre of France. So it was up at 7am, as we had to cover around 400 miles. We ate breakfast with Hans and Mirjam and said our goodbyes, but not before we had arranged to meet in the autumn in Scarborough. Great thanks to Hans and Mirjam for arranging a fantastic weekend in Zeeland. Han’s even cast his magic spell on the weather.

The first part of the drive was across the flatlands of Zeeland, however we were soon on one of the busiest European motorways as we circumnavigated both Antwerp and Brussels, luckily there were no significant hold-ups. We diverted to the riverside town of Dinant in Belgium where we had lunch in a little teashop and treated ourselves to a Belgian chocolate each. It was then back on the motorway to traverse Luxembourg, our third country of the day. You can tell that it is a rich country as the motorway surface was infinitely better than in any of the other countries we had travelled through. Amazon’s taxes obviously are spent on something. Following a tip from Hans we filled up with petrol in Luxembourg, only 90pence a litre, I have not bought petrol at that price for years. (Note for my US readers, I mean in Europe).

We arrived in Langres around 6pm, it is a walled town situated on a hill. We checked into the delightful Cheval Blanc where there was a warm welcome. Our room is vaulted with very thick walls but has been refurbished in a modern style. I had a stroll around the delightful town while Marion showered. Dinner was excellent, not typically French but a fusion of Asian and French cooking that worked very well. All the dishes were an explosion on the taste buds. Of course being in France we drank some delightful wines. Now we are tired so to bed to prepare for our drive to the Vosges tomorrow.

Holiday Day 2 – Oosterschelde National Park

This is a great area of the Netherlands, almost unknown by the British. We have not seen another British car and all the menus are in Dutch and German without an English translation. The tour guide for the boat trip was entirely in Dutch, so it was great to be with Hans and Mirjam for a translation. It would be superb for a long weekend from the South East of England being only 40 miles from Rotterdam. It is also great biking country.

This morning was again very bright with hardly a cloud in the sky. We had a very relaxed start not going to breakfast until 10:00. It was a good breakfast with lots of interesting breads and great coffee.

After a relaxed meal we headed for the Oosterschelde National Park, which was very close by. Simply this is the area of inland sea behind the North Sea barrage. The barrage was built after the disastrous floods of 1953. If there is a tidal surge then the barrage can be closed protecting the low-lying land. It is an area rich in wildlife.

We boarded a boat for an interesting tour with a guide who pointed out the basking seals and porpoises. There were also some buildings from the many villages that had been submerged from about 1500 onwards. The day was bright with enough breeze to propel the many yachts on the sea at impressive speeds. The visibility was great and you could easily see the long bridges that link the various islands of the delta. The nearest equivalent in England is I guess the Wash.

Later in the afternoon we visited the site of the barrage where there was an information point detailing the features of the delta. The national park is all the more impressive if you consider it is only 40 miles from Europe’s biggest port.

So often on a Sunday evening it is difficult to find good places to eat. However Hans had researched a great Turkish restaurant that was only about a mile from the hotel. The food was excellent and we feasted on a platter of grilled Turkish meats, with salad and rice.

Once again we have had a great time in the Netherlands, renewing our friendship with Hans and Mirjam. Our thanks to them for arranging a wonderful itinerary. Already we have made arrangements for a return visit to North Yorkshire in the autumn. Tomorrow is a transition day as we head down into Eastern France. The holiday has had a great start.

Holiday Day 1 – The ferry to the Netherlands

As promised I will try to blog every day of our holiday that started yesterday evening, with some photos if possible. The drive to the ferry was fairly uneventful, although we were forced to raise the roof on the Mini because of the rain. The challenge was packing enough for four weeks in a very small car boot. Some of us rose to the challenge better than others, how many shoes is it Marion?

The ferry crossing from Hull to Rotterdam was uneventful the gentle hum of the ships engines lulling us to sleep. We emerged from the bowels of the ferry with about two hundred motorbikes into a lovely sunny day. The roof was immediately lowered and we were quickly out of industrialised Rotterdam into the countryside of Zeeland. By 10:30 we had met our great friends Hans & Mirjam. Time for a long catch-up.

Mirjam had thoughtfully found a quilt exhibition in the nearby town of Groes. While the ladies visited the exhibition, while I wandered with Hans round the lovely moated town putting the world to rights. The weather was just perfect.

It was also a very quick acclimatisation to looking the correct way for the large number of cyclists on the road. Today’s question, why don’t Dutch cyclists where helmets?

We then drove a short distance to the little river port town of Veere. 

This was a picture post card town where we took the opportunity to sample the local Witte beer. It went down a treat sat in the sunshine.

The landscape here is very flat, a lot of it below sea level. Roads cross inland seas and the North Sea by means of very long bridges. There are also the enormous gates that will hold back the North Sea in the event of flood conditions. Tomorrow we are going to visit an exhibition about this. So it was back to the hotel for a relaxed dinner and a quick look at the Champions League score.

A great start to the holiday!