10Oct – Riquewihr, France

We’ve dropped anchor a bit north of central Strasbourg on one of the Rhine’s canals. The comments at breakfast implied that we were tied up on the French side of the Rhine (correct) and that the Fatherland was the opposite bank. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. In fact, about 2.7 kilometers from it!

Since I walked to France yesterday, I thought I’d take a post-breakfast stroll to Germany this morning. I set out, crossing the nearby bridge that I thought spanned the Rhine into Germany…only to discover I was smack in the middle of the Port Autonomé of Strasbourg (PAS)…and still in France. I continued onward.

In the distance rose an ornate neo-Gothic tower befitting a grand church. Continuing in that direction, past an old Germanic Haus under reconstruction, I discovered the grand structure was the HQ building for the PAS and not a house of worship. A little further down, there was a cluster of modern warehouse-type buildings labeled “Wine Cave.” There was the real place of worship! And finally, set back from the PAS HQ, there was a very tall, nearly obscured warehouse that was so basilica-like in design, I wondered if it had once been a church.

So much for the architectural discourse.

But I was still solidly in France. “Where is the Fatherland?” I cried internally.
Google Maps told me that I was on the right path…and I eventually found myself crossing the real Rhine and setting foot on German soil.

Other than making a momentary wrong turn, the walk back to the boat was uneventful.

Luckily for all of us, today’s off-site agenda didn’t start in earnest until 1:30 PM, after a string of shipboard activities after breakfast that including a French lesson, a cooking demo (Peg participated, just like in the old days at WVIZ), a cocktail hour and a meet-cute for independent (read: single) travelers. Oddly, Rob and I both received individually-addressed invitations to the solo-no-mo’ mate mixer…and passed.

After lunch, our color-coded groups piled onto our respective color-coded motor coaches for a ride on the Route des Vins (the Alsace Wine Route) to the well-preserved town of Riquewihr.

Riquewehr today looks much like it did in the 16th century. Cobble-stone streets are lined with multi-hued, timber-framed buildings; local shops and restaurants peddle wine, cheese and other essential tourist needs & desires; and, finally, at the top of the town’s main business artery, the last remaining city gate house and the attached remnants of the old city wall stand guard over the teeming masses below. One half-expects to see a joyous Belle pirouetting down the Rue Charles de Gaulle, basket and books in hand, singing to no one in particular but to one and all nonetheless. It was commented that one almost felt like they were IN Disney World Showcase.

Because this was truly a visually stimulating excursion rather than a cerebral or historically significant one (Riquewihr is NOT a UNESCO World Heritage site), I’ve decided to post a lot of pictures with little copy. I also have tried a photographic effect that puts an Impressionistic spin on the images. The colors are quite vibrant–but so, too, were the actual buildings. And the contrast is striking.

These will be followed with some business-as-usual shots that were interesting…but not improved by the artistic filter.

Seen (and scenes) about town

Remnants of the town’s ramparts

After spending almost two hours wandering and gawking about the town; investing in souvenirs (the Christmas shop we visited was a multileveled, serpentine labyrinth of themed holiday exhibits that, once entered, could only be exited after passing through every single room); and weighing in on wine tastings-for-purchase (we thought we ordered three glasses but left with three bottles), we returned to our floating domicile for a French-themed dinner and an early evening.

Adieu to Riquewihr