Since we had gotten up at 3:30 AM to go pick them up and they had not gotten any sleep on the flight all the girls took a nap. I hated to wake them up, but hey, we had things to do!! Our first adventure was to a 12th century castle called Haut Koenigsbourg. It's only about an hour drive from our house in the Vosges Mountains.
On our way back to Strasbourg we stopped at two different "vintners" to have a wine tasting. You don't have to pay to taste the wines, which seems a bit strange to this Ky girl....I mean, really, what would stop you from just tasting EVERY wine they have and then going on your merry way? (And I do mean "merry" after a half glass of 10-15 different bottles per vineyard) To the responsible guest, that seems rude, so we made a small purchase at each stop.
Dinner the first night was an Alsacien tradition. Tarte Flambée. We have a small restaurant practically in our backyard called Brasserie la Nouvelle Poste. It's fast and easy and just what our tired guests needed to end their first full day in France.
Sunday morning we ventured to church. Our church is an international church and so the service is conducted mostly in English with some French thrown in. This service was more French and less English. There was a French couple who serve on our Mission Board who were speaking/singing and the service was a little longer than normal. (That meant a little more than 2 hours)
After a "French" lunch of meats, cheeses and bread we headed off for another adventure in Colmar. As we were driving, Marcie commented on the lady who was singing during the service. She said that she reminded her of Barbara Streisand and that she thought it was beautiful. Let me just say that the other 3 of us wondered if Marcie had fallen asleep during the service and possibly dreamt about Barbara....this lady was definitely NOT in any way shape or form similar. She was making a joyful noise unto the Lord, but it wasn't so "joyful" from the audience. I call the seat next to Marcie in every future church service.....I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but to her I will sound like Adele.
After a 90 minute drive we needed a WC, or water closet. We found one right by our car. You have to pay money to use most of the public "toilettes" in France. This one cost 1 Euro....the equivalent of $1.40 We only had 1 coin to use. We were second in line and the man in front of us held the door....score! We got to use it for free. The only problem with that was that the lights, water and "paper" are designed for one use and it gives you 15 minutes before the door will open automatically....whether you are finished or not. I was the third "user" for our group and was accosted by the toilet seat changing "positions" half way though my visit. That little surprise was enough to make me shriek.
Colmar is a quaint little town and is the birthplace of Auguste Bartholdi, the designer/sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. While visiting his museum one of us passed a small bit of gas in a very quiet room....yes, there were other visitors in the same room. With a straight face, I said "David!!" and we all left the room laughing. I have to admit that it was me, but thanks to my quick reaction time I was able to cast the blame on my horrified husband.
We topped off our great weekend with a visit to a restaurant called Brasserie Flo. They are a well known for their steak tartare. Lisa had been waiting for two months to eat here. This is what a serving of steak tartare looks like....
She and David enjoyed it thoroughly. Marcie and I enjoyed something a little more well done. We left early the next morning via the TGV (fast train) for Paris. Stay tuned for more from the steak tartare saga in the next blog episode :)
Blessings to you all. Wishing you some quality time with friends....it really is the best medicine you could hope for.
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