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Alsace

Ribeauville… AGAIN! Part 3… Primates with personality, French dining, and Sunday shopping!

On Sunday morning, I told Bill I really wanted to visit Kaysersberg, which is rumored to be a beautiful town as well as the birthplace of Albert Schweizer.  I also wanted to go to Montagne des Signes, which is basically Alsace’s version of Monkey Hill.

As many readers may know, Germany has Affenberg-Salem, which is a place where visitors can feed free roaming monkeys popcorn.  Bill and I went to Monkey Hill last year and had a great time, so I wanted to see the French version.  Montagne des Singes is in Kintzheim, which is in the opposite direction of Kaysersberg.  Since there are specific opening hours for Montagne des Singes, I was thinking maybe we could visit the pretty town of Schweitzer’s birth later in the afternoon.  Bill was up for it, so off we went.

I didn’t realize that Kintzheim also has an eagle park, which mostly gets good ratings on Google and Trip Advisor.  It didn’t open until 1:30pm, so we decided to see the monkeys, have lunch, and then maybe go see the eagle park.  We managed to make one plan work out.  Oh well.  We can always visit Alsace again.  Below are some photos I took at Montage des Singes, which doesn’t take a lot of time to visit, but really is a lot of fun, especially if you have kids.

This park is only open from March until November.  We usually visit Alsace during the off season, so this was the first time we were in the area when it was working and we were staying longer than a night.  I’m glad we stopped in for a visit, although I probably don’t need to visit the monkey park again.  One other thing to know– during the tourist season, a lot of places on the Alsatian wine route are open on Sundays.  That means you can go shopping if you want to.  During our previous visits, we’ve been during the short off season, when it’s more like being in Germany on Sunday.

Kintzheim is also a very pretty town.

 

Montagne des Singes has a very large, free parking lot.  There’s also a snack bar, free toilets, and a playground for kids.

Map of the complex.

Entrance into the park.  It costs 9 euros per adult, while children from ages 5 to 15 cost 5,50 euros.  Children under five get in free of charge.  I saw a lot of people with very little kids with them, having a ball.  Like Monkey Hill in Affenberg-Salem, Montagne des Signes has Barbary Macque monkeys.  In many ways, this park is very much like the one in Germany, except it seemed smaller and lacked a lake.

At various times during the day, they have demonstrations.  We heard one in German.  Quite a number of the young people working there were trilingual– French, English, and German speakers.

Same signs that are at Monkey Hill…  Incidentally, my German friend explains that this park was founded and is owned by the same guy who founded the one in Affenberg-Salem, Baron Gilbert de Turckheim.  There is also another park in France and one in England.

Off we go to pick up our very small handfuls of popcorn.  

Some of the monkeys were very charming and flat out posed for the cameras.

Bill feeds one of the residents.  It’s like giving candy to an exceptionally calm toddler.

I got a kick out of this monkey… I like to hang around this way, too.  Especially when I’m naked.

These two monkeys by the exit were taking advantage of all of the people who rationed their popcorn and had leftovers.  If you wanted to, you could go through the park again.  It doesn’t take very long.  I think our visit was only about an hour.

Another primate with personality.

More monkey pictures appear at the end of this post.

After we visited the monkey park, we decided to have lunch in Kintzheim.  There are several restaurants there.  We chose to dine at Hotel Restaurant Jenny, not just because Jenny is my name.  They had a rather extensive menu posted outside of their terrace, but when we sat down, we were given a very limited menu.  However, all of the dishes we saw yesterday looked good and we had no complaints about what we ordered.

I talked Bill into Riesling.  We shared a split.

A sign bearing my name.

I went with the asparagus with Black Forest ham and dried ham.

It came with two sauces.  One was Hollandaise with lots of dill.  The other, I couldn’t tell you the name of, although it tasted fine.  Both were mildly flavored.  I preferred the Hollandaise, although it wasn’t like any I’d had before.  It was more like mayonnaise.  I don’t like drowning my food in a lot of condiments, so this kind of went to waste.

I was especially pleased with the dried ham, though.  It was very good.

Bill had jambonneau with cheese sauce.  Basically, it was like a pork knuckle that had been boiled instead of roasted or baked.  The inside of it was very moist and tender, although the outside was less appetizing.  I think Bill and I both like our pork knuckles with cracklins.  

I couldn’t resist dessert.  I saw a bunch of really enticing ones coming out to the terrace.  I went with a chocolate Charlotte, with is basically chocolate mousse surrounded by ladyfingers.  It was served with vanilla sauce, whipped cream, and toasted almonds.  I liked it because it wasn’t too much.

 

While we were waiting for lunch, I looked up the eagle park and was rather put off by some of the negative reviews of the place.  While most people seem to think it’s a great place to see eagles, I was reminded that these magnificent birds of prey are basically kept on short leashes until it’s time for them to perform.  I understand that this is how it’s done with these types of shows, but figured it might be depressing.  So we skipped it and headed back to the apartment, so the boys could have a break.

Besides… the clouds were starting to roll in…  If we had gone to the eagle park, we would have been caught in the rain.  By the time we got back to nearby Ribeauville, there was a steady downpour.

Pretty Bergheim, which is very close to Ribeauville and quite attractive.  There’s a lot to do in Alsace, which makes it a great place to go for a quick weekend out of the Stuttgart area.  It’s only a couple of hours away, yet you could come back several times and not do the same things twice.  

We took it easy for the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed the bottle of sparkling wine our host, Yannick, left for us.  Although this time, we rented one of his tiny studio apartments, we didn’t really want for anything, except a little peace and quiet.  There was a group of German ladies at the wine house who were very nice, but kind of loud.  However, they didn’t stay up until an unreasonable hour and were very nice about Zane and Arran, so I can’t complain too much.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Yannick’s wine house would be really great if you had a family reunion or a big group and wanted to rent the whole thing.  It’s very convenient and he’s a great landlord.  In fact, he just texted me from the hospital, where his poor wife has been since Friday, trying to have a baby!  I’m sending them birthing vibes!

For dinner, we decided to eat at Chez Martine.  We ate there the first time we visited Ribeauville and I remembered how good the Quiche Lorraine was.  And even though I also had quiche on Saturday, I say one can’t have too much quiche in one’s life.  It turned out to be an excellent decision.  Our waitress was absolutely charming and sweet and the food was outstanding.  Bill had Chez Martine’s version of the dish I’d had on Friday at Restaurant du Mouton and it was vastly superior.

Last night’s wine.  Bill decided to try something different.  This grape didn’t thrill me because I like my whites crisp and this tasted a little flat.  But it was a change from Riesling, so that wasn’t a bad thing.

Bill had potato pancakes with smoked salmon and a salad.  His potato pancakes weren’t burnt like one of mine was when we ate at Hotel du Mouton.  I love that they serve the dressing on the side, too.  That dressing is a delightfully light and creamy Dijon mustard based creation.

That Quiche Lorraine was outstanding.  It was priced at about five euros more than what we were charged at Brasserie de La Poste next door, but it was also vastly superior in quality.  It was perfectly seasoned, generously proportioned, and piping hot.  I think Chez Martine serves the best quiche in Ribeauville.  

For dessert, we split a piece of cheesecake.  It was very simple, not too heavy, and not too sweet.  And we also had espresso.  Total bill came to a little over sixty euros.

 

The dogs were surprisingly well behaved this time, although Zane did let out an ear splitting yelp when Bill took him out to pee at 5:00am.  But it was just one yelp and this time, no one yelled at Bill in French.  We had a quick breakfast and cleared out of the apartment at 9:30am.  Yannick’s key box system makes it very easy to check in and out.  As I mentioned before, he was busy with his family this time, so we didn’t get to see him.

As long as we’re living in the Stuttgart area, I have no doubt we’ll be back.  Alsace is so easy and pleasant to visit.  I still can’t believe we really didn’t explore it the first time we lived in Germany.  I know we have to visit one more time, if only so I can finally see Kaysersberg.

One more Black Forest photo on the way home.  We took a different route that was less confusing, but slightly less scenic.

Below are some photos of the monkeys I took with my digital camera.

Another touching family moment.  One thing I did notice over Montagne des Signes is that it was less structured.  When we visited the one in Germany, we got a long spiel about the rules.  This time, the spiel was shorter and the overall experience seemed to be both more laid back and less crowded.  I’d say it’s worth a visit if you like animal parks, especially if you have small children.

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Ribeauville… AGAIN! Part 2… Wandering the vineyards, eating, drinking, and shopping

After Friday night’s dinner fiasco, Bill and I were determined to enjoy Saturday.  The morning started off with beautiful blue skies and warm temperatures.  We enjoyed some very fresh croissants for breakfast, strong coffee, orange juice, and fresh eggs and ham.  Then, we put leashes on the dogs and took them for a walk in some local vineyards.

Those who have been to Alsace already know that the area is practically littered with vineyards, where grapes are grown for the local wines.  Bill had found what he called a “trail”, but was actually a road that led up the side of a hill.  Below are some pictures from that little adventure, which culminated in Bill’s falling on his ass and sliding down a hill.

In Ribeauville, if you get caught not cleaning up your dog’s poop, it’s a 35 euro fine.  Having looked around, I don’t think this is a rule that is regularly enforced.  However, I do like the sledgehammer imagery.

Despite the occasional landmine, Ribeauville remains a lovely place.

I hate climbing hills, but will do it for a good view.  We got a few yesterday after panting in the heat.

A few dramatic views of the castle ruins over the town.

As pretty as this was, I fretted about walking back down.  We had the dogs with us and they were eager.  Zane almost pulled me over a few times.

We tried to walk down the side of the hill, rather than going back to the road we walked up.  Unfortunately, we found it an impossible endeavor.  There was no legal way to access the town from where we were in the vineyards.  In fact, I’m not even sure if we were trespassing…  

Finally, Bill slipped and slid down the hillside on his butt.  So we sucked it up and walked back down the way we came.  By the time we were finished, we were both hot and sweaty.  The dogs were worn out for the rest of the day.

But I did get a picture of this interesting building, right before a local walked out of it and gave me a dirty look.  There was a pile of feces nearby… wonder if he thought our dogs were the culprit.

 

We took a brief rest in the apartment.  I hosed off in the shower with cool water and we all rehydrated.  I had to change clothes thanks to all the sweating I did.  But on the bright side, I get the sense that maybe all this exercise will help me burn off the beer gut I’ve been growing.  According to the health app on my phone, I walked 4.6 miles and 20 floors.  Not bad!

At around 12:30pm, we decided to have lunch at Brasserie de la Poste.  It was another restaurant we hadn’t yet tried and I was curious about it.  This time, we had a mostly excellent restaurant experience.

Obligatory menu shot of Bill.

But once again, the waiter misunderstood me and brought me a small beer instead of a big one.  

I had a delicious Quiche Lorraine with a salad.  Bill had a cheese tart with a salad.  Service was friendly and the food was splendid.

Bill’s cheese tart.  He said it was made with mild cheese.  I didn’t try it.

Brasserie de la Poste is right next to Chez Martine, which has the best quiche I’ve ever tasted.  I was tempted to eat lunch there, but decided to try a different place just for the sake of experience.

We walked around some more after lunch, then visited the local bottle shop to pick up some wines.  Last time we visited Ribeauville, we stopped in to La Bonne Bouteille and bought some really nice vino.  This time, the same guy who helped us before was there.  He was quite a salesman, speaking excellent English with a gorgeous French accent.  I could have listened to him speak all day as he demonstrated his vast knowledge of wines from the Rhone region.  We left there with six bottles– four reds and two whites.  I probably shouldn’t spend so much time drinking wine, but it’s such a pleasure.  Especially in France!

Case in point… the nice local Riesling I had at a bar on the main drag…

But then I switched to beer, as we listened to French, English, and American pop music and watched our bearded barkeep flirting with the ladies sitting outside on his terrace.  At one point, a friendly local came in and tried to talk to us, but our French skills and her English skills were compatible enough.  Maybe it’s time I learned basic French.  I spend a lot of time in France.

These guys looked pretty friendly.

The outside of the bar was more charming than the inside.

 

Next, we stopped in a pottery shop… same place we went to last time we were here.  I bought two more pieces, a casserole dish and a plate for escargot.  I don’t eat a lot of snails, but I thought it looked cool.  Besides, I can always come up with a creative way to use it, not that I ever entertain anyone.

I got a kick out of this sign, which basically reads “Don’t let your dogs piss on my wall and clean up any droppings.”  This doggie toilet habit seems to be quite a problem in Ribeauville.

 

Every time we’ve visited Ribeauville, we’ve noticed a large restaurant on the corner of town called Auberge Au Zahnacker.  Bill wanted to try it for dinner last night, since they have a beautiful terrace with a vine covered roof.  I was game, so we went.  It turned out we were there at the same time several large groups were.  One group was from Denmark and they loudly asked for English menus, which were both available and welcome.  They had one server who spoke heavily accented English.  She apologized that she only knew a little.  Actually, her English was quite good.  She was very helpful and very busy last night!

Bill looks for a bottle of wine.  Last night, it was not held hostage.

The all important English menu!

He made a good choice!  And from start to finish, this was a much nicer experience than the one we had on Friday night.

C’est bonne!

 

We decided to have grilled beef rib, which is a dish reserved for at least two people.  Frankly, I think it would have served at least three.  We brought about half of my serving back to the apartment with us, along with a lot of fries.  It was priced at 27 euros per person and was very good.  They also brought out the uncut version to show us before they plated it.

My portion was huge!

They gave Bill the bone.  It looks like he should have gotten more meat.

Frites!  They were kind of average.

The dish came with Bearnaise sauce.

Bill very sensibly had vegetables, which included cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and wax beans.

This was what I couldn’t finish.  Maybe I’ll get to it today, but I probably won’t.  We’re going to venture out of Ribeauville for awhile.  The total bill came to 89 euros.

The outside area is very nice, especially at this time of year.  I would go back to Auberge Au Zahnacker.

A couple more photos of the area.  Ribeauville is so charming.

We didn’t do that much yesterday other than eat, drink, and walk.  Today, I’m hoping to do some more specific activities… and maybe drink less.  But we’ll see what happens!

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Wonderful day for wine tasting near Weil der Stadt…

Yesterday, as Bill and I were making our way to the Wolf and Bear Park, I wondered aloud about the annual wine tasting and market near Weil der Stadt.  Last year, my German friend Susanne told me about this annual event in which six vintners from near Riquewihr journey to Weil der Stadt to sell their wines to Germans.  Bill and I went on Saturday, April 1, 2017 and enjoyed a couple of hours tasting wines.  It culminated in us bringing home lots of French wines and having our pictures taken by a photographer who worked for the local paper.

Last night, as I was enjoying yet another viewing of The Breakfast Club (set on March 24, 1984, don’tcha know?), I got a private message from another German friend… Gerhard!  He sent me a link to a Facebook post about the event and although Bill and I were tentatively planning to visit an Easter market, we decided we’d rather stock up on wine.  So we went to the wine tasting today, which is going on from 11:00am until 5:00pm.  Like last year, it’s held in the Festhalle in Merklingen, which is very close to Weil der Stadt.  And… I noticed that just about everyone who was selling wine last year was there this year, too…

Bill and I tried wines from all six vintners and came home with bottles from all of them, although a couple of vintners got more of our business than the others did.  We did have a surreal moment as we were tasting wines.  I happened to look down and saw an article about last year… and sure enough, there was a picture of Bill and me.  And I was wearing the very same shirt today as I was wearing last year.  I almost wore a sweater this year, but it was so warm that I changed at the last minute.  Next year, if we’re still here, I will have to make a point of wearing red.

Last year, we were smart enough to eat before we shopped.  I should mention that they do serve food at this particular “fest”, but we were too focused on tasting and buying wines to eat.  However, I did notice that this year, a lot of people were eating the food provided by a local restaurant.  It seemed like a lot of seniors had come to try some wine, maybe not so much to buy a bottle.  Although I know some Americans know about this festival, I didn’t notice this year or last that a lot showed up.  I think maybe that was why last year, we made the paper!  No one talked to us this year… which is just as well, since I cringe at the sight of myself so happy in a German paper.

Here are a few pictures from today’s festivities.  I’m so happy to see the weather improving.  We’re now entering the time of year when weekend activities will become the norm!

 This is an annual event, so if you missed it this year, you can catch it next year…

 

Pay 2 euros Pfand at the door, get your wine glass, and start tasting wines to your heart’s content.  If you find one you really like and want a full glass, you can purchase one.  Or you can buy a bottle or a case…  This year, we left with 23 bottles… same as last year.  Turn in your wine glass as you leave and you’ll get your Pfand back.

Bill checks out the wines.  I remember this stand in particular was the last one we hit last year.  This year, it was our second stop.  And the lady who helped us spoke English, so we purchased six bottles of wine.  It was good wine anyway, though.

Lots of people enjoying lunch.

Bill very carefully tasting wine.

 

I said something naughty to get him to make this face.

It was at this table that I noticed…

As I sipped cremant…

That there was a picture of Bill and me on this guy’s table.  It was a bit surreal.  And I was wearing the same top, one that I don’t wear much this year but decided to wear at the last minute.  I definitely won’t wear blue next year.

The guy on the right noticed I was taking pictures.  

I tried to be non chalant.

At this writing, this particular festival is going to be over in less than two hours.  Apologies for not attending yesterday.  On Saturdays, they have live music and run until midnight.  On Sunday, they close at 5:00pm.

If you like Alsatian wine, I highly recommend marking your calendar.  They’ll be back next year at about the same time.  Or… you could just visit lovely Alsace and do a wine run, which is probably more fun, albeit more expensive!

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Ribeauvillé trois… Pt. 3

We awoke to more rain on Saturday.  I was kind of bummed out about that, since there are a couple of other little villages in the area I want to visit.  I had designs on seeing Kaysersberg and Bergheim, both of which are reputed to be very charming places.  Despite having visited Alsace several times since 2014, we still haven’t visited all of the cute towns.  Of course, that just gives us a good reason to return to the area.  On the other hand, time in Europe is precious and there are so many other places to see.  We probably should have just manned up and gone.

Another activity I had considered was visiting the spa in Ribeauvillé.  On the outskirts of town, there is a large resort hotel that has a spa and a casino.  I read up on the Balneo before our visit, but like most French pools, the guys have to wear Speedos.  Although Bill has been able to bring himself to go naked in German spas, he is still unwilling to don a maillot.  So we didn’t go to the spa… I’ll keep working on him, though.

One thing we did do this time that we haven’t really done much of on previous visits is go shopping.  Yep, we stayed in Ribeauvillé and spread around some euros.  The town has a lot of cute little shops where it’s easy to part with money.  We started by visiting what was advertised as an “art exhibition”. It was free of charge and set up in what appeared to be a very old church no longer in use.  They had maybe a dozen or so abstract paintings set up, as well as lots of what looked like handmade crafts for sale.  There were Christmas tree ornaments, purses, knitted ponchos and gloves, and lots of other items.  We did end up buying a new ornament for one of our Christmas trees.

It wasn’t a big exhibition, but the inside of the little church was well worth looking at.  

After we took in the “exhibition”, we walked further down the street and noticed a guy standing in a doorway offering cheese samples.  I don’t actually like cheese that much, unless it’s melted and in something.  Bill loves cheese, though, so we went into this place that had nothing but some sausages and huge cheese wheels.  Bill only wanted about 100 grams, but he walked out with about $100 worth of cheesy comestibles.  The two young people selling the cheese had trouble cutting small pieces and cut two big slabs of the stuff.  Fortunately, Bill is easy going and had plenty of cash on hand.  My guess is that his cheese loving buddies at work will get a treat this week because there is no way we can eat as much as he bought.

Bill says the cheese is very good… kind of like Gruyere, which I do happen to like in small quantities.    Guess we’ll be making potatoes au gratin or something…

 

Beaucoup Fromage!  

 

Once we were done with the cheese shop, it was getting close to lunchtime.  A lot of businesses close for two hours starting at noon, which gives people the perfect opportunity to have a leisurely lunch.  I have also noticed that every time we visit this town, at least a couple of restaurants are closed for a holiday.  It’s almost like they take shifts.  I noticed two places we visited last time were closed this time.  And places that were closed last time were open this time.

I took another enchanting shot of Ribeauvillé…  Next time, we will have to broaden our horizons.

 

Every time we’ve come to Ribeauvillé, we have passed a restaurant called La Flammerie.  Our host told us it’s a very popular place, especially at night.  Indeed, it’s always packed at lunch and dinner and we were lucky to score a table at lunchtime on Saturday.  When we sat down, there were tables available, but they filled up very quickly.

Bill checks out the offerings and we both decide to try a local beer called Meteor, which they had on tap.

 

La Flammerie seems to specialize in “ham knuckles”, known in these parts as schweinshaxe.  I was tempted to get one, since they seem to be prepared differently in France and they had a number of them listed on the menu.  But then I realized that I can never finish pork knuckles.  They usually end up being two or three meals for me.  Then I considered having a “faux filet”, which is basically just a steak.  But I can get steak anywhere…  So I finally opted for more duck, since duck isn’t always easy to find.  It was prepared with a pinot noir and honey sauce.

My duck tasted good, though if I’m honest, the pinot noir and honey sauce wasn’t very appetizing looking.  My dish also came with sauerkraut and roasted potatoes.  I’m not exactly sure what the little ramekin was full of.  It looked like it could have been anything from fruit to kidneys.  I didn’t want to risk it, since the restaurant was crowded.  If it was something that made me feel nauseated, it would be hard to get to the bathroom!  I have a feeling that ramekin was probably offal of some sort…  How awful!

 

I must edit to add that my German friend, Susanne, checked out the menu for me and she says the contents of the ramekin were “Quetsche” (a type of local plum).  I like plums, so I probably would have enjoyed them.  Unfortunately, an unfortunate incident from our last trip to France is still fresh in my mind.  While we were in Burgundy, Bill ordered what he thought was a type of sausage.  It turned out he ordered pigs’ intestines, complete with the colon.  Since I have a weaker stomach than he does, I decided it was better to be safe than sorry!

Bill had “roesti”, which is another local favorite.  It’s basically Alsatian comfort food– roasted potatoes with cheese.  His dish came with a salad and some bread.

Instead of dessert, we decided to have local digestives.  I had Mirabelle, which is a spirit made with local plums.  Bill had another local liqueur called Marc.  It’s kind of like grappa.

The menu posted outside.

After a quick potty break at the apartment for us and the dogs, we continued our shopping spree.  I decided to buy the blue suede cap, pictured below…  It’s actually a German made product, but it came in handy because of all the rain.

Is it me?  Damn, I am really blonde now…  No bottles involved; just getting old.  I like the cap, though I rarely wear head gear.

The picture speaks for itself.

 

We stopped inside this charming little shop where a guy was selling homemade liqueurs and wines.  He didn’t speak English, but he and Bill were able to converse a bit in German.  We bought some raspberry liqueur, creme de cassis, and a bottle of Cremant.

 

Our next stop was at a bottle shop… they were advertising a huge wine tasting.  We didn’t end up going because the weather sucked and we didn’t want to be hungover for our drive back to Germany.  However, we did buy a couple of nice reds.

This was a pretty cool little shop.  It’s not very big, but there’s a little bit of everything offered there, from spirits to wine related gifts.  The proprietor spoke very charmingly accented English, too.  I was intrigued by a staircase that obviously once led to an upstairs but is now simply used for displaying stuff, since the top of the steps met with the ceiling..  I guess there must be another staircase in the building.

This bottle of dessert wine was priced at 345 euros!  No wonder it was behind bars.

A good bet for wine lovers…

 

Last time we were in Ribeauvillé, we stopped at a winery for a tasting and walked out with six bottles to take home with us.  This time, we went to Louis Sipp, which is a well-known winery in town.  For five euros, you can try three wines.  Or, if you make a purchase, they don’t charge for for the tasting.  We tried six wines and left with six bottles.  If we’d wanted to, we could have spent the day tasting wines.  There are a number of places on the Alsatian Wine Route, but it would be just as easy to just walk around any of the little towns.

I can’t believe he was a teetotaler when we first met.

A group of French youths joined us while we tasted wines.  

Finally, we stopped by a pottery store.  I have my share of Polish pottery, which we bought when we lived in Germany back in 2007-09, as well as stuff we’ve found at AAFES.  Alsace also has nice pottery.  We stopped in one store that had many pieces crafted in Soufflenheim, a well-known pottery town just over the French border with Germany.

I bought a few pieces… as many as I could get away with before Bill objected.  Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of space in our current house for cookware.  Otherwise, I think I might have picked up one of those casserole dishes.  

We were pretty full from lunch, so we spent Saturday evening watching TV.  Bill took the dogs out for an early evening stroll and I guess the dogs started baying again, because a guy staying in a building next to ours stuck his head out of his window and started berating Bill in French.  Bill is a very mild mannered and non confrontational person.  It’s probably a lucky thing that I wasn’t walking the dogs because I probably would have started yelling back at him in English, and I would have included some choice universal swear words that wouldn’t have needed any translation.

I get that it’s annoying when dogs bark, but ours don’t bark constantly.  In fact, they usually only make noise for a minute or so.  Moreover, we weren’t the only ones with dogs in the area.  We heard lots of barking from other canines.  If that guy actually lives in that place, he probably hears a lot of barking all the time, which might account for his unpleasant disposition.  Yannick, the guy who owns the apartments where we stay, is very dog friendly and he told us that there have been times when all four of his apartments in the wine house (he has seven total, but the others are in a different building) have had dogs in attendance.

Anyway, yelling at people whose dogs occasionally bark is really not productive.  We do the best we can not to let our dogs disturb others, but sometimes shit happens.  They’re animals, and sometimes they are unpredictable.  Fortunately, we didn’t have to take the boys out in the middle of the night on our last night in town.  However, during yesterday’s morning stroll, someone driving a Porsche SUV that had been parked in the same lot where our car was, went screaming past Bill.  And my sweet, easygoing husband screamed, “You fucking ASSHOLE!” at the guy, who was either the one who yelled at him or someone trying very hard to convince everyone else how big his penis is, and failing miserably.

Too bad we had to end our trip on that note…  We did bring home some nice stuff, though, and hope that during our next visit, we will see and do more.  Really, though, Ribeauvillé feels like another home by now.  It’s great to go there on a long weekend and just have some different food and a change of scenery.  Not only is a beautiful area with a different vibe, but it’s so easy to get there and doesn’t take all day to reach.  We are able to make it in under three hours and a round trip uses about half a tank of gas.

Yannick, once again, reminded me to text or email next time we visit so he can be spared paying a commission to Booking.com and we’ll get a special rate.  I don’t know when we’ll go back to Alsace, but I do know it makes for a convenient first stop into France.  It could be sooner rather than later.

We drove home yesterday in the driving rain and I couldn’t help but notice that the rivers that flow through the Black Forest were very high and even flooding in some areas.  I got a few shots during our drive.

Look carefully and you can see the brown water.  If we were living in that area, I might be a little scared.

Anyway… I wish we could have done more exciting things on this trip, but it was great to get away for a few days.  Next trip with the dogs, we’ll be sure to stay in a more rural locale.  Luckily, there are plenty of places like that in Europe.

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Alsace

Ribeauvillé trois… Pt. 2

Friday morning, after a delightful breakfast of fresh croissants, an egg, coffee, and juice, we decided to visit the little hamlet of Hunawihr.  I read that Hunawihr is considered one of France’s most beautiful villages, much like Riquewihr is.  We’ve been to Riquewihr several times, so we didn’t visit there during our latest visit.

A couple of shots of the view near where we were staying in Ribeauville.

 

Hunawihr is not even two miles from Ribeauville.  On a nice day, you could easily walk there and then onward to Riquewihr.  As it turns out, the village is small and residential, but well worth strolling though.  There are some lovely views of vineyards and several places sell wines and offer tastings.  I also noticed a couple of restaurants.  During the warmer months, you can visit the butterfly gardens.  There is also an animal park and aquarium located there.  We just missed the end of the 2017 season, which concluded on November 4th.

Below are some pictures of Hunawihr.  We weren’t able to stay long because it was starting to rain.

Bill checks out the people from Hunawihr who died at war.

 

Grape vines in the fall!

It would be hard to get lost in Hunawihr, but here’s a map anyway.

After our short visit to Hunawihr, we walked around Ribeauvillé in search of lunch.  I took some more photos of the town, which remains picturesque every time we visit.  Unfortunately, every time we go to Ribeauvillé, the weather is kind of crappy.  I guess it would help if we went during the spring or summer instead of November, January, and February.  Still, even when it’s cloudy, it’s a very cute town.  I prefer it to touristy Riquewihr, which always seems to be teeming with visitors even when the weather is poor.

Fresh game perhaps?

At the very least, you can always count on the availability of good food…

The pastries are worth stopping for.

We were determined to try different restaurants during this visit and we succeeded.  For Friday’s lunch, we visited S’Garwer Stub.  This restaurant on the main drag through Ribeauvillé is usually packed.  Having visited there, I can see why.  The food is good and the dining room is positively tiny.

We were squeezed into a back corner.

A lovely bottle of red…

Bill had some kind of meat pie.  It was a pastry stuffed with ham.  Actually, if I’m honest, it reminded me a little of Spam.  When I was in kindergarten, I went to a British school and they served something similar for lunch.  As you can see, it came with plenty of salad.

I went with Quiche Lorraine.  It was pretty good– better than the last quiche I had back in February, but not quite as good as the Quiche Lorraine I had at nearby Chez Martine in January.  

For dessert, Bill had the Tart de la Maison– it was kind of like cherry cheesecake… 

I went with creme brûlée.  

We were pretty full after lunch, so we walked around a little bit more and then went back to the apartment.  Bill turned on the TV and we watched some pretty horrible French reality shows.

Hard to believe one can watch this just a couple of hours away from Stuttgart.

We weren’t all that hungry when it was dinner time, but I was determined to keep trying restaurants.  So we ventured to another tiny Winstub…

I had been curious about this place, which appears to be very quaint from the outside.  Step indoors and, sure enough, you will be greeted by a tiny but adorable interior.

 

Once again, we ended up sharing a table because we didn’t have reservations.  Three French guys with big appetites sat with us.  I kind of got the sense they were kind of making fun of us until I reacted to the size of some of their dishes…

I had a zander filet.  It came with loads of sauerkraut, butter sauce, sweet potatoes and other root vegetables, and contemptible mushrooms.  Fortunately, Bill was kind enough to remove them for me.  It’s good that I didn’t order the steak, because one of the guys at our table did and it was loaded with mushrooms.  Blecch!  The fish was okay, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.

Bill had pork cheeks, which came with a sausage.  I probably should have had what he had.  It was really good.  The pork cheeks were flavorful and tender and there was no fungus on the plate.

Then we had dessert.  Bill had what amounted to French toast served with gingerbread liqueur and gingerbread ice cream.   

I had chocolate mousse.  The way this was served reminded me a little of liver pate.  Fortunately, it tasted good.  

To be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with the food at Winstub Pfifferhus.  The interior is very cute, though, and it was kind of fun to watch the French guys dig in to their three course meals.  I think Bill and I have gotten to the age at which it doesn’t take much to satisfy us and keep us fat.  We went to bed early, only to be awakened at about 3:00am by our dog, Zane, who needed a potty break.

One bad thing about the apartment we rented is that it’s in a built up area and not that close to a place where a dog can pee in peace.  For some reason, our dogs reacted a lot to the smells in Ribeauvillé and started baying.  Now… we hate it as much as anyone does when the dogs get excited and make a lot of noise, especially in the middle of the night.  However, it’s not always easy to predict when this will happen and, when it does, it’s pretty hard to shut them up.  It can seem like the longest minutes of the day when the dogs go off, especially in the wee hours of the morning…

Anyway, Bill brought them back inside and all was well until later on Saturday.  Tune in next time for that story.

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Ribeauvillé trois… Pt. 1

Last week, Bill told me he wanted to get away for Veteran’s Day weekend.  However, because he started his job with a new company back in late July, he’s still pretty short on vacation time.  I didn’t want to go away for just two nights, so Bill arranged to take off work two hours early on Thursday.  I knew that meant we’d need to stay close to Stuttgart.

I went to Booking.com and realized that our favorite apartments in Ribeauvillé were wide open this weekend.  At 365 euros for a three bedroom pet friendly apartment right in the thick of town, the price was right.  It takes three hours or less to get to this part of Alsace from our home in Unterjettingen.  So, although we’ve now been to Alsace three times in 2017, I decided to book Ribeauvillé again.  This place is beginning to feel like a second home to us!

Bill got home from work at about 3:45.  It was dark and cloudy and I knew it wouldn’t be long before it was downright dismal outside.  The drive to wine country is usually very beautiful, but not at this time of year.  Nevertheless, we arrived less than three hours later.  Yannick, the guy who owns the apartments we use, has a system where he gives you a code and you can get the keys to your place yourself.  His place is also next to a large, free parking lot.  It couldn’t be more convenient.

We unloaded our stuff in the apartment… the same one we used when we were here back in February.  We have also stayed in one of Yannick’s smaller apartments.

Cozy little place in town… tiny dining room, but charming food.

Once we settled in, Bill and I ventured out to dinner at D’baecka Ofa Stub, a small restaurant on the main drag through town.  There were only a few people eating when we walked in.  French pop music played in the dining room, including a very odd dance cover of the Chris Isaak’s hit, “Wicked Game”.  I decided to have duck with honey sauce and frites.  Bill had a type of local ravioli made with celery, carrots, and onions.  My dinner was delicious and I ended up taking half of it back to the apartment.  I will probably finish it tonight, since we’re a little ready to wind down.

Storks are a thing here.

Bill checks out the menu while we snack on pretzels…

This duck was delicious.  It came with a huge bowl of frites.  I liked that they put the sauce on the side.  The white stuff is cauliflower, which I can take or leave.  That duck was so good.  I noticed several locals seem to love this place and it’s very friendly and charming waiter, who spoke German to us the whole time.

Bill enjoyed his dish, too.  Don’t ask me to name it…  It was basically ravioli done French style, with carrots, celery, and onions.  We shared a bottle of locally produced Riesling, too.  Riesling is widely produced in this part of France.  I used to think I hated Rieslings, but that’s only because I drank California’s version, which is too sweet for my tastes.

 

Back in the 90s, I waited tables in a nice restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia.  I wasn’t a wine drinker then and didn’t know much about it.  I used to hate it when people would ask me for suggestions because I was so ignorant.  I remember one time, a couple asked me for a recommendation of a Riesling.  I said I didn’t like Rieslings  because I thought they were too sweet.  They proceeded to rip me a new one for saying that Rieslings are sweet.  Naturally, they knew more about wine than I did at the time.  Anyway, allow me to say that I’m now a fan, especially of the Rieslings that come from Germany and France.  I used to hate German wine, too, but that has changed.

This cake was calling me like a beacon.  I made room for it.  Good thing Bill and I shared it.

After dinner, we shared a local style Black Forest cake that was slightly different from what we’ve found in Germany.  The bottom didn’t have the cookie crust or Kirschwasser.  It was all chocolate, very light, and delicious.  Our waiter was very entertaining.  I’d probably go back for him alone, although the duck was also fantastic.

Ribeauvillé is the kind of place where the sidewalks roll up early, especially during the off season.  After dinner, we made our way back to the apartment and went to bed nice and early.  It was great to be back!

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Wine tasting in Weil der Stadt…

I woke up this morning thinking that Bill and I would be tasting beer today in Gärtringen, hence our decision to eat burgers there this afternoon.  As it turned out the beer tasting was to include food, which we knew we couldn’t enjoy after a very good lunch at Buffalo Grill and Bar.  Fortunately, my German friend Susanne told me about a wine tasting going on in Weil der Stadt.  This event, which happens every year, is a celebration of a “sisterhood” between the Alsatian town of Riquewihr and Weil der Stadt.  Although Bill and I  have been to Riquewihr, we had not been to Weil der Stadt/Merklingen prior to today.

As it turned out, we were the only Americans there during our visit.  The festival opened at 2:00pm and will run until midnight tonight. Six vintners from Riquewihr are there to sell their wines.  You can enjoy a tasting, have a full glass or two, or simply enjoy a bite to eat.  We heard that later this evening, there will also be live music.  The festival will also be going on tomorrow from 11:00am until 5:00pm.  Fortunately, I believe the beer tasting is also going on tomorrow.  We’ll probably go there tomorrow for some suds.

They had the flags out…

The doors opened promptly at 2:00pm, so we were left with a little time to kill.

We were among the first people to arrive, so I took a few shots of the inside of the festival.  Six tables are set up and each vintner has several different types of wines for sale.  You can get your pinot blanc, riesling, or pinot noir, along with muscat, gerwurztraminer, and cremant.  We ended up tasting a whole lot of wine… and left with 23 bottles of wine.  Prices are great!

A tasting glass will cost 2 euros for a pfand.  Turn it in and you get your euros back.  

If you want to eat, there is food provided by a local restaurant.  We were still full from lunch, so we didn’t eat.  I saw a lot of people enjoying lunch there.  One group was even celebrating a birthday.

The stage is set for later.  I have a feeling things will get busy tonight.

 

As we were tasting wine, a lady approached with a camera.  She was from the local newspaper.  She did take several pictures of me, so I won’t be surprised if I show up in a paper somewhere.  People seemed surprised to see us there and wanted to know how we knew about the wine festival.  I told them about my German friend who is in the know.  They seemed surprised that we’d drive out there just to enjoy some French vino.  I say it was well worth the trip, especially since we couldn’t make it to Strasbourg for the big festival.

I have a feeling we won’t need wine for awhile…

This was a really fun event.  Parking is free and plentiful, the toilets are clean and free, and I surprised myself by understanding a lot of what was being said.  The lady at the last table we hit happened to speak English very well and she was very interested in what we are doing here.  I’m sure I said more than I should have… but we did leave her table with seven bottles of wine and a business card, so I’m sure that’s all that matters.

There’s still plenty of time to visit the tasting today if you are inclined… and tomorrow, there will also be wine flowing.  If you like Alsatian wines, I highly recommend a visit!

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Alsace, Burgundy, Ten Things I Learned

Ten things I learned in Alsace and Burgundy…

Every time I take a trip, I like to take a moment and reflect on the things I learned during my travels.  No matter where I go, I always learn something new.  On this particular trip, I learned more about French food!  But I also learned some other things that I want to share with those who read this blog. So here goes…

10.  Ribeauville is pronounced “Ribeauvillay”.

I was curious about how to pronounce Ribeauville because I noticed that all the signs showed an accent over the second e in the name.  I asked Yannick, our host at our first gite, how to pronounce Ribeauville and he helped me out.  Here’s a link to where you can hear French speakers say it.

By the same token, Alsace is pronounced “Al-zahss” (not Al-sayce).

9.  There’s an art to ordering steak in France.  

I was under the impression that in France, most people like their meat bloody.  It’s also been my impression that the French know Americans don’t always like really rare meat.  If you want to be in the know for enjoying beef in France, here’s a guide to how to order it.  I asked for medium steak twice and ended up with well-done the second time.  If I had known the French terms, maybe it would have turned out differently.

8.  The word for turkey in French is “dinge”.  Storks are a big deal in Alsace.  

And I like turkey, so that’s good to know for next time!  I never knew there were so many storks in that part of France and had not noticed them prior trips.

7.  Escargot isn’t half bad…

It’s not all bad, either.  I was pleasantly surprised by the escargot Bill and I tried in Burgundy, although I think all the garlic helped.  It reminded me somewhat of eating haggis, though, and will probably be an experience saved for special occasions.  I will say that every time I have smelled escargots being prepared, I have been intoxicated by the aroma.  They always smell delicious to me, even if the idea of eating something slimy is a bit off putting.  But, in fairness to snails, they aren’t slimy when they’ve been cooked.

6.  Kugelhopf is a tasty breakfast bread.

It’s available in Germany, too, especially close to the French border.  I’d probably still prefer croissants, but there aren’t really any bad French breads, are there?

5.  You can have a great time in a no name destination.

I say “no name”, but what I really mean is a place that isn’t on the tourist map.  Ribeauville is definitely more touristy than Saint Marcelin-de-Cray is, but I think Bill and I enjoyed the less touristy side of our trip more.  It was fun just to be in a place where we were aliens and could just soak up the atmosphere.  It was great being in what the wine seller described as “the real France”.

4. Going off the beaten path is good for the soul as well as the brain.

All week, we were challenged to learn a little bit of French.  We ran into only one group of Americans and that was on the first night of our seven night trip.  Although a few people we ran into spoke English, we had to live a bit more by our wits.  And if you read my series, you now know that can sometimes lead to eating chitterlings.

3.  Andouillette in France is NOT the same as American Andouille sausage. 

Moreover, the French also do Andouille sausage differently than the Cajun folks do.  If you are an adventurous eater who enjoys offal, it may be a thrill to try it in France.  If you’re not, you may want to be aware.  That being said, I read that Andouillette is a delicacy in Burgundy.  It’s also very popular in Lyon, which is considered France’s food city.  There’s even a club for connoisseurs.

2.  In Burgundy, if you are offered “coffee” at four o’clock, don’t be surprised if you end up with wine.

Of course, you may also get coffee.

1.  If you haven’t tried staying in a self-catering “gite” (pronounced zheet), you should give it a go.  

When Bill and I lived in Germany the first time, we pretty much always stayed in B&Bs and hotels when we traveled.  This time, because it’s not as easy to book our dogs at their favorite place, we have been taking them with us.  Our dogs are not the most polite hounds on the block, so we like to find places to stay where they won’t be disruptive to others.  Gites are great for that purpose.  I have found that France is especially dog friendly, too.  We spend a lot less money for larger accommodations where we can cook our own meals and not have to worry about disrupting housekeepers.  It’s a win/win all the way around.  I still love going to really nice hotels and being pampered, but when we bring our dogs, gites are the best alternative.  And we have met some great people that way, too.

And also great donkeys…

 

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Alsace and Burgundy… Eguisheim and Riquewihr! pt. 4

On Tuesday, Bill got up and went to the bakery, where he picked up an Alsatian delicacy.  The Kugelhopf, also served in western Germany, is a light, yeasty marble cake.  I noticed it the last time we visited Ribeauville, but we never got a chance to try it then.  This time, Bill made a special effort to score one for us.

It’s light and not very sweet, despite the optional powdered sugar on top.  There were raisins on the bottom and almonds studded the top.

Bill and I decided to go to Eguisheim, mainly because my Facebook friend Sarah, who left Germany last year, had posted a picture that made it look like a great place to visit.  Eguisheim is just a little bit south of Colmar, but it’s worlds apart in terms of the mood.  The town is positively medieval, with its concentric circles and old timbered homes.  We didn’t really have an agenda in going there, other than to take in the atmosphere and have a good lunch.  We managed to do both.

Right before lunch, we watched more storks.  They were everywhere in Eguisheim!

There were helpful signs all around the town in French, German, and English offering information.

The houses in Eguisheim have coats of arms on them depicting what the person who lived there did for a living.  If you click the photo above this one, you can read about the coat of arms pictured above.

An impressive church.

A couple announcing their marriage.

And a very dramatic work of art.

After we walked around Eguisheim, we found ourselves at a gay friendly restaurant called Caveau Heuhaus.  I only mention the fact that the restaurant is gay friendly because it had a very prominent rainbow flag on the menu posted outside.  I chose the restaurant because it smelled really good and so far, my nose has never let me down.

We walked into the place and I immediately thought the decor reminded me of a yard sale gone amok.  But it was all arranged in a very endearing way.  The restaurant was not full when we sat down, but it was full by the time we got our meals.  Our waitress was extremely charming and didn’t speak much English, but she did speak German!  So that was a bit of a help, although my German is still terrible.

Bill checks out the menu.

This was a special wine of the day.  It was about 20 euros and delicious.

Should have brought some home with us!

I ended up with an entrecote.  It came with frites and garlic butter.  It was perfectly cooked, by far the best steak we had all week.

Bill went with a big plate of meat.  There were two different sausages, three types of bacon, and sauerkraut done French style, along with boiled potatoes.  We also had excellent bread.

For dessert, I had creme brulee.  This restaurant has a very impressive way of serving it.  The waitress brought it to me and lit it at the table.

The flame died down at just the right time!  Bill had coffee because he was too full from his big plate of sausages.

If you come to Eguisheim and are looking for good food, Caveau du Heuhaus is a good bet!  We really enjoyed our meal there.

After we finished lunch, we drove to Riquewihr, which is just a few kilometers from Ribeauville.  I wanted to stop there and pick up some macarons and madeleines, as well as more wine.

On the way into Riquewihr, we were treated to a glorious rainbow over the grapevines.

We visited Riquewihr in July of last year.  It was still somewhat busy in February, but not nearly as much as it was in the summer.  A lot of restaurants and shops were closed.  It was okay.  We still managed to get what we wanted.

We stopped into the Hugel wine shop, where we tasted several lovely local wines.

We happened to be there at the same time as four generations of the Hugel family.  They are pictured outside, as they were posing for a publicity photo.

And I took note of the sign showing how many Facebook likes the Hugel winery has right now.

 

For dinner on our last night in Ribeauville, we stopped at a small wine/beer bar.  I think we got off on the wrong foot with the proprietor because Bill said “Bon jour” instead of “Bon soir.”

Still, I took note of the provocative sign for the local brew and ordered it.

Sans culottes…  the beer caused us to have an interesting conversation about how I was on a forum for fundamentalist Christians and they were looking for culottes.  Someone warned not to searched for them online, since apparently culottes are pornographic in some circles.  As for “sans culottes”, it is apparently a statement about the poor versus the rich.  Poor people did not wear culottes (silk britches) because they couldn’t afford them.  They were for the wealthy.

I wasn’t very hungry, so I had what is known as a flammkuechen here in Germany…  onions, bacon, and cream on a very thin crust.  

Bill had chicken and salad.

 

The proprietor’s attitude toward us seemed to brighten when we praised his cute little granddaughter, who was learning the tricks of the trade at about five years of age (or maybe younger).  She was super charming!

Wednesday morning, we woke up bright and early and packed up for our trip to Burgundy.  Checking out of our gite was super easy.  We just put the key back in the little code operated lockbox by the door.  Later, Yannick sent me a text thanking us for staying with him and wishing us a good trip.  I think we made a new friend in Alsace.

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Running away to Ribeauville, France… part one (apartment review)

A couple of weeks ago, my husband Bill told me he wanted to get away for the long Martin Luther King holiday weekend.  Although there are a lot of places we’d like to go, we were somewhat hampered by the fact that our dogs, Zane and Arran, would have to come with us.  Our regular pet boarder was full.  That would mean wherever we went would need to be dog friendly and close enough to drive to conveniently.

Last July, we took an overnight trip to Riquewihr, which is a picturesque little village in Alsatian wine country.  I had noticed charming Ribeauville on the way there.  I also remembered how extremely pet friendly Riquewihr is.  With that in mind, I went searching on Booking.com for a “gite” in Ribeauville.  Actually, I looked for gites in Eguisheim first, but didn’t find anything that met our needs.  I chose Gîtes de la Maison Vigneronne, au Coeur de Ribeauvillé.

We enjoyed a very nice drive to France, taking a slightly different route than we usually do.  Although the weather was forecasted to be snowy, it hadn’t really started coming down during our drive.  It wasn’t until just until we got over the French border than the snow got to be noticeable.  Below are some photos I took on the drive to France.

Yannick, the guy who runs Gîtes de la Maison Vigneronne, au Coeur de Ribeauvillé, had told us we could check in after three o’clock.  Since he also works a different job, he said he’d meet us after six o’clock.  He gave us directions for getting the key to the apartment, which allowed us to check in slightly earlier than we meant to.  You just punch in a code by the gate and collect the key by yourself.  There is free parking near the apartments, so we found a spot and unloaded.  It was no problem whatsoever.

We rented “Pinot Noir”, which is one of the four apartments Yannick has.  It’s a one bedroom apartment with stone walls.  I noticed the other one near us was called Gewurtztraminer.  It was rented by a couple of American ladies who showed up Saturday, but we neither saw nor heard them.

One thing I loved about Yannick’s apartment was that it was very pet friendly.  I never felt like I had to be especially careful in the apartment.  When Yannick came by to meet us, he made it clear that he’s a dog lover.  If we go back to Ribeauville, we will rent from him again.  I would recommend his places to anyone who needs a place that is especially pet friendly.  Yannick also didn’t take the 300 euro deposit Booking.com said we’d need.  He said he trusted us.  He also left us a nice bottle of local wine.

A gift from our host.

We even had a Christmas tree!

A washing machine if you need one, although there is no dryer.  There is a drying rack.

Bathroom sink.

Rainfall shower.

Living area.

 

Kitchen (part of the living area).  There’s a table for four, a microwave, oven, stove top, refrigerator, and dishwasher.  It was well stocked with cooking and eating utensils.  I didn’t get a photo of the bedroom, but it had a king sized bed that was surprisingly comfortable.

Little courtyard in front of the apartment.

 

My only big complaint about the apartment was that it was really cold in there at first.  Yannick had turned the heat on, but no one had used the apartment recently, so due to the stone walls, it was pretty chilly in there when we first arrived.  It took several hours for the apartment to heat up after we put the heat on the highest setting.  If you are tempted to rent this apartment during the off season in winter, I recommend bringing warm clothes.

The little alleyway that leads to the main drag through the village.  The apartment is maybe fifty meters from town.  There’s a bakery and a small supermarket very close.  There are also lots of restaurants, although many were closed over the weekend because the proprietors had gone on holiday.

We spent about $360 to rent the apartment for three nights.  I thought that was a fair price.  And again, Yannick is super laid back and loves dogs.  He made ours feel very welcome.  Yannick has a couple of studio apartments, as well as a three bedroom one that sleeps six.

As we were leaving this morning, Yannick showed up.  He was going to get the Christmas tree.  He bid us a cheery farewell and the dogs gave him kisses.  Seriously… if you have dogs and want to go to France, look up Yannick.

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