What Country is This, Anyhow?

We left Switzerland, stayed a few days in Germany, and we are now in France. When Noelle gets out of the van and asks, "Hey! What country is this, anyhow?" it's easy to understand why. Fribourg, Germany is a nice little university town just over the border from both France and Switzerland and on the edge of the Black Forest. We really liked it and stayed an extra day. It doesn't have a huge tourist attraction, an over-the-top cathedral, roman ruins, or any other reason to visit except that it's a really nice place. Our campsite bordered the Black Forest and the spooky owls reminded us of that fact all night long. The entire downtown was bombed (except the cathedral) in WWII, but was rebuilt perfectly and looks and feels very original.



Our view from the top of the cathedral.



We've always loved the fanciful gargoyle waterspouts on gothic cathedrals, but this one is our new favorite. We would love to return in a rainstorm just to see it in action! Apparently the Germans had a sense of humor 500 years ago.

Fall has hit us with a vengeance and we needed to warm our bones so we headed to Eguisheim, France and found ourselves a cheap hotel room for a couple of days, but not before stopping for a picnic in the middle of nowhere.



Eguisheim must be the place that they modeled Pinnochio's village after. It was spared the ravages of two world wars and remains a perfectly preserved medieval town with tilting and chaotic half-timbered houses arranged in a defensive circle.





Pictures don't do it justice. Eguisheim is right in the heart of the Alsace wine country and can be crowded with day-trippers during the day but we almost had it to ourselves at night. We never considered ourselves "foodies", but we really enjoy our occasional splurges in nice restaurants. We ate dinner at a dimly lit, wooden-beamed bar one night and a white table-cloth, modern family-owned restaurant the next. Both meals were amazing and with no English spoken or written we had no idea what we ordered. The best plan of attack in this situation is to have everyone order something different. You spread the risk that way and chances are someone will get something palatable. Noelle had the kids menu both nights which would pass for the finest gourmet entree in America. We blew a week's budget in two days but it was well worth it. We also hit town on market day and bought some local foods, just as they have been doing for 500 years.




We drove a whole 20 km from Eguisheim to the city of Colmar. From the outskirts it just looks like a sprawling, modern city. Once you make it to the old town center it is like stepping back in time. It's part Eguisheim and part Venice. Again, photos just don't do it justice.







The adults in this family could hike to castles, taste wines, eat gourmet meals, and wander medieval streets as long as our budgets would allow. We have to remind ourselves sometimes to stop and use the time for education as well. It's pretty fun standing in a narrow lane, surrounded by leaning buildings and explain about life in the 1500's when you're standing on the same cobblestones that our ancestors did.

We have a little less than one week left with Dagobert and I think that we are all ready for a parting of the ways. Those hot days in Greece seem like a distant memory when we're watching our steaming breath over breakfast in the mornings.