The second half of our time in France takes place on the eastern border of the country in the region of Alsace, which shares a border with Germany and Switzerland. We will be staying with some friends in their hometown of Mulhouse, which is the second largest city of the region, next to Strasbourg.

We decided to make our lives a bit easier and opted to journey via airpolane across the country, leaving out of Brest with a stopover in Paris before our final destination in Basel/Mulhouse. Our flights were spread out over an entire day. The first one was very easy. The airport was not very crowded, security took almost no time and it was fairly comfortable.

Once we landed in Paris, we had a 4 hour layover, and imagined finding a comfortable corner to sequester ourselves until the flight. Unfortunately the reality was not super pleasant. As soon as we landed in Orly, it was absolute chaos, people all over the place, lots of noise and confusion. I think the problem is that the airport has such a wonky layout and the signage was hopeless to decipher. It took us ages to figure out the location of our terminal, and then we got lost a few times trying to get there. Eventually we spotted the right place, and had to go through a secondary security-checkpoint. We assumed it would be better to go through this early, just in case it gets more crowded later. But once we came through we realized our mistake, there was hardly any move to move! People were everywhere, it felt like an Indian marketplace on a hot day. By the way, there is no climate control in this portion of the airport and maybe enough seats for 50 passengers, though there are probably 10 times that many in this section. It was a disaster, hot, sticky, smelly and we have 3 more hours until our flight. UGH.

Once we found a spot to sit, it was better. We distracted ourselves by people-watching until about an hour before our flight when we stood over in a corner near the gate, just to escape the maddening crowds. I can’t believe this is PARIS!

Our flight was called to board at 8PM, we lined up past the gate and walked down a short hallway and then out onto the jetway, where we loaded up into a bus. It seemed odd, but I guess this is how the airlines manage the amount of flights coming and going…they put passengers on busses and shuttle to the plane. Once onboard, we were really excited that not only would our long travel day be soon over but we would soon be with our friends!

It was a beautiful flight, especially as we went over Paris lit up at night.

We landed in Basel/Mulhouse at 915PM and then had to wait for our luggage for awhile. I took the time to go freshen up in the beautiful modern-bathrooms of this airport, and actually gave myself a little wash-down. I had a spare change of clothes too, which I happily replaced with my smelly travel-worn ones, and then was all freshened and ready to go. Our friends were due to meet us in the airport parking lot, to which they gave very clear directions. When we got to the door to exit, it was barricaded shut and everyone was funneled out a different exit. Obviously we had no clue where to go from here, since our instructions were different, but thankfully our friends found us standing on the curb.

Here’s the moment of truth. I didn’t mention this before, but we have only ever met Anthony one time. He was hiking New Zealand’s Te Araroa like us, and we only ever met him one night. But we hit if off instantly and remained in touch ever since through pen-pal email messages for the last few years. Fast-forward to right now, we are about to meet again. We will also be meeting his fiancé, Hèléne, whom we have not ever met. Some might call it crazy to make a plan to stay with people we barely know, but its exactly our kind of crazy! 😉

We were a bit nervous but as soon as we saw them, it was like long-lost friends back together again. We got along so well with these two and before we knew it we were whisked away in their car to their home. Anthony is extremely outgoing and funny and Hèléne is positively adorable. We were introduced to our “home” and our furry little roommate, Kitsu, who would become our BFF over the next several weeks.

Though exhausted from travel, we were revived once we arrived to their home and they were so wonderful and welcoming, we ended up staying awake until 3AM chatting, drinking wine, eating the most delicious cheese and bread and getting to know each other. Its a marvel that we were able to wake up at a decent hour the following day (or rather same day). It was nearly noon and we were surprised how late we slept in. Helene had to work but Anthony wanted to take us to a couple of nearby cities to tour.

Anthony drove us out of the city into the countryside. Its so different from Brittany, its obviously at a higher elevation because we can see mountains off in the distance. The landscape is much more rolling with huge expanses of vineyards and beautiful gothic spires piquing out of the top. I was completely lost in its splendor and didn’t even realize it when we were pulling in to stop at our first location for the day…

Kaysersberg

Kaysersberg lies northwest of Colmar, on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains. It is one of the finest wine-growing areas in Alsace. Wine produced from the pinot gris variety is a local specialty.

We pulled into what looked like a distinct castle-ruin, known as the Chateau de Kaysersberg. Its poised on the hill above the town and marks an important route that passes through the valley that has been defended since Roman times. Once parked we only had to walk a short distance to be immediately captivated by the picturesque village ahead of us…I felt like we just stepped onto a film set, this town was so utterly perfect. Cobblestone lined streets, brightly painted timber-frame buildings, an entire town that is surrounded by vineyards and forested hills rising above. It really doesn’t get more beautiful than this. Every single building offered some unique feature worthy of remembering, crooked shutters or unique decorations posted up on the walls. There is definitely a German influence here, though I suppose its only a short distance to the border, which probably has some bearing haha. It is a photographer’s dream…

CLICK….CLICK…..CLICK.

There is a lot of medieval charm about the city, landmarks dating as far back as the 13th century. One of the most significant is the Church Sainte-Croix. Gorgeous inside and out, just like everything else. It was hard to put the camera down, but I found the strength and found it enjoyable to just wander through the adorable streets, soaking in all the cuteness.

We stopped in a sweets shop and Anthony bought some of his favorite Christmas treats, which was like a gingerbread cake with orange, cinnamon and clove spices. After walking a bit further, we were all craving a bite to eat, and went to a little cafe to grab a bite of food. Anthony wouldn’t let us order, so he took charge and got two “tart flambé” which should NEVER be called pizza (though its essentially flatbread pizza) with ham and cheese (or a white-cheese, ham and onion). It was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and so enjoyable to eat and drink just as real Parisians would do! Now that I think of it, this is the first time Jake and I have done such a thing since our time in France.

It was perfect.

Riquewihr

After touring for nearly 2 hours, Anthony said he wanted to take us to one more stop along the way, a very short drive from Kaysersberg and we are in Riquewihr, officially one of the ‘most beautiful villages of France‘. It appears to have remained unchanged over the centuries, providing a sense of what a traditional Alsacian village would have looked like 400 years ago!

Pictures don’t do justice here either, but the landscape surrounding the city was so beautiful. As we walked into Riquewihr, I noticed the colorful timbred-style buildings and cobblestone streets, fortified walls, stone entrance gates, carved wooden beams and stone doorways with wrought iron signs for shops and flowers GALORE.

We ambled through the streets admiring the fine homes of the 16-17th centuries. Several of the most interesting houses and buildings are along the main street, the Rue du General de Gaulle, including the skyscraper (a five-floor home, tallest in Alsace), the Dolder tower and fountain, this tower is also the upper gate of the town and the belfry and part of the original fortifications of the town. The fountain was originally used to check the capacity of wine barrels hence its name, the fountain of gauging.

It would have been impossible to see everything in one go, plus we were in the throngs of sunset, which means that our usable light will soon be gone. I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg, but it was such a treat to get a glimpse of these beautiful villages.

We spent another wonderful night enjoying the company of our friends and eating a delicious specialty of Helene’s which is a lasagna with spinach, a white cheese (like ricotta) and salmon. The flavors were delightful and of course we couldn’t have a meal without a delicious Alsacian wine to go with it. It was the perfect end to a fabulous day!