No disrespect to Germany, but I think we hit a new high today in France. We had to say goodbye to Ramstein and move on with our European adventure, and it turned out that we found a storybook ending.
Our first stop was just before leaving Germany in a small town called Homburg. There is a typical castle ruin on the hill, but underneath are 12 stories of excavated caves. These were dug between the 11th and 17th Centuries. And then during WW-II they were expanded into a barracks to house up to 5,000 people during air raids. This has always been one of my favorite German sites to see, so I thought it would be fun to show Nicole. And it was still pretty cool, but as with many of my experiences in Ramstein, things have changed a lot! Now they’ve built a hotel over the top of it, you have to wear hardhats and be given a tour, and there are cement and metal bracings everywhere, and they’ve significantly shortened the extent of the caves you can see. Most disappointing was that they closed most of the underground barracks, and we were no longer able to see the cool spot where 12 stories extend in a shaft above you. This certainly is a unique site, just not quite a cool as before.
So on to France and wine country. Riquewihr (pronounced RICK-veer) may not be a household name in the US, but it should be. It is a medieval walled city, nestled in the heart of the Alsace region. In particular, the specialties here are Riesling and Gewertseminer wines. There are 25 wineries that call Riquewihr home, and they grow wine on literally every flat surface surrounding the towns. It’s not just here and there on a particular wine estate. The whole place is a vineyard! And this town is very old. The walls and gate, which are still standing today, were originally built in 1291. We bought wine from a winery that was started in 1572.
It was awesome to hear the gasps of delight from the girls as we pulled up to the town, as we walked up to the hotel, as we strolled into the main street. This place is right out of a fairytale, and you honestly wouldn’t believe there was a real place like it if you didn’t see it with your own eyes. The cars park outside the town, and inside is just pedestrian traffic. So it has a feel similar to Venice, where things are quieter and closer together. And the architecture is just amazing, one colorful Tudor-style house after another, all enclosed within an ancient wall. Our hotel has a series of narrow staircases and balconies to cross to reach our room, which sits up in the peak of the roof and has a bed up in a loft.
We explored the shops and did some wine tasting in one of the cellars. Dori kept remarking how much it reminded her of her home back in Iowa, and of the Pennsylvania Dutch. That’s kind of a surprising idea, but it actually makes sense, as this is a region all about farming: wine and dairy. The recipes and décor are all homestyle. It’s now becoming clear to her how their French heritage was more than just a coincidence. This place is far removed from the haute-mode of Paris, and Dori feels right at home.
Hava has been getting exposed to all kind of exotic foods lately. She still doesn’t eat solids, but she’ll go for just about anything with a soft texture. Tonight we found out she loves Quiche Lorraine. I had been excited to get to have authentic French cooking. We ate in a typical Alsacian restaurant off of the prix fixe menu. It was multiple courses of quiches and casseroles and tarts. And as to be expected, whether the name of the dish sounded appetizing or not, the actual product was uniformly scrumptious.
Our first stop was just before leaving Germany in a small town called Homburg. There is a typical castle ruin on the hill, but underneath are 12 stories of excavated caves. These were dug between the 11th and 17th Centuries. And then during WW-II they were expanded into a barracks to house up to 5,000 people during air raids. This has always been one of my favorite German sites to see, so I thought it would be fun to show Nicole. And it was still pretty cool, but as with many of my experiences in Ramstein, things have changed a lot! Now they’ve built a hotel over the top of it, you have to wear hardhats and be given a tour, and there are cement and metal bracings everywhere, and they’ve significantly shortened the extent of the caves you can see. Most disappointing was that they closed most of the underground barracks, and we were no longer able to see the cool spot where 12 stories extend in a shaft above you. This certainly is a unique site, just not quite a cool as before.
So on to France and wine country. Riquewihr (pronounced RICK-veer) may not be a household name in the US, but it should be. It is a medieval walled city, nestled in the heart of the Alsace region. In particular, the specialties here are Riesling and Gewertseminer wines. There are 25 wineries that call Riquewihr home, and they grow wine on literally every flat surface surrounding the towns. It’s not just here and there on a particular wine estate. The whole place is a vineyard! And this town is very old. The walls and gate, which are still standing today, were originally built in 1291. We bought wine from a winery that was started in 1572.
It was awesome to hear the gasps of delight from the girls as we pulled up to the town, as we walked up to the hotel, as we strolled into the main street. This place is right out of a fairytale, and you honestly wouldn’t believe there was a real place like it if you didn’t see it with your own eyes. The cars park outside the town, and inside is just pedestrian traffic. So it has a feel similar to Venice, where things are quieter and closer together. And the architecture is just amazing, one colorful Tudor-style house after another, all enclosed within an ancient wall. Our hotel has a series of narrow staircases and balconies to cross to reach our room, which sits up in the peak of the roof and has a bed up in a loft.
We explored the shops and did some wine tasting in one of the cellars. Dori kept remarking how much it reminded her of her home back in Iowa, and of the Pennsylvania Dutch. That’s kind of a surprising idea, but it actually makes sense, as this is a region all about farming: wine and dairy. The recipes and décor are all homestyle. It’s now becoming clear to her how their French heritage was more than just a coincidence. This place is far removed from the haute-mode of Paris, and Dori feels right at home.
Hava has been getting exposed to all kind of exotic foods lately. She still doesn’t eat solids, but she’ll go for just about anything with a soft texture. Tonight we found out she loves Quiche Lorraine. I had been excited to get to have authentic French cooking. We ate in a typical Alsacian restaurant off of the prix fixe menu. It was multiple courses of quiches and casseroles and tarts. And as to be expected, whether the name of the dish sounded appetizing or not, the actual product was uniformly scrumptious.
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