Alsace Region, France

Just 2.5 hours from home is the Alsace region that borders Germany. If you didn't know any better, you'd think you were in Germany, except everyone speaks French. In fact this area was part of Germany, then France, then Germany, then France, then Germany. I don't know exactly how many times the region switched sides, but it was many. It is a beautiful region.

Monday was a religious holiday for France while Americans were celebrating Memorial Day. With that in mind, we couldn't help but notice memorials in several of the small towns honoring the fallen during WWI and WWII. One monument not only named the soldiers, but also civilians who perished during their fight for freedom in the winter, 1944.

Kaysersberg, France

We stayed two nights in Colmar near the old town. Like other old buildings in the region, it too has the colorful half-timbered buildings along with petite Venice, a small waterway where flat-bottomed boats glide you through the old town. Colmar is also the birthplace of Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty.

There are vineyards, as far as the eye can see with castles dotting the mountain peaks to the west. It is an excellent biking area and hiking trails are easy to find. From time to time you can hear the bill-clattering of the Cigognes (white storks). These birds have a six foot wing so they are hard to miss in the sky. Migration takes them to Africa for the winter, and to Europe for the summer. I found it unusual that their knees bend the opposite way from what our knees bend. Their nests are huge and can be found in the most unusual places.  I know as home owners, we often find bird's nest in unfavorable locations, but I can't image removing this one. 

This stork might be a nice addition to the family, but that bill-clattering is loud!

We toured Haute-Koenigsbourg Castle, built in the 12th century and restored in the 18th century. The castle offers a panoramic view of the Vosges Mountains to the west, the Black Forest to the east, and the Alps to the south.

Haute-Koenigsbourg Castle

Our last stop was the town of Munster, if that sounds maybe like cheese to you, it is. Regarded as the origin of munster cheese, it taste nothing what-so-ever like the munster cheese in the US. That US version I am not a fan of. And speaking of cheese, the most wonderful cheese in the world can be found all over France, bar none!

It seems that every window in France these days has a window box with the most perfect geraniums beautifying the facade of living spaces and businesses. But why geraniums, there are plenty of other nice flowers to adorn your windows. Discussing the lack of window screens that exist in French homes, we question how to keep the mosquitoes and flies from coming in. We have been told that mosquitoes do not like the smell of geraniums and therefore the geraniums are a natural repellent to the varmints! As far as the flies, we have armed our defenses with swatters!

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Nimes, France

The month of May has an abundance of French holidays, so many, that I don't think George has worked a full 5 day week so far in May and good for him.

We continue to pinch ourselves with our opportunities for travel, we can't get enough. Our travels this time took us to the southern French city of Nimes. Getting there we traveled through the Rhone River Valley, criss-crossing the wide and fast moving river. The Valley is very wide with mountains on either side similar in size to mountains found in eastern United States. Orchards and vineyards are plentiful, along with heavy industry and what looked like cooling towers for the nuclear industry. Poppy plants with their brilliant red color were growing wild along the roadsides, just beautiful.

Pont du Gard was a must see for us and it was our first stop. This magnificent site was built about 50 AD and it is hard to image how the Romans placed those huge stones in such high places across the Gard River gorge. The original aqueduct was 31 miles in length and was built to supply water to the city of Nimes. Kayaking down the river under the Pont du Gard is a popular pastime as well as bicycling the surrounding paths and landscape. We walked across the pedestrian bridge that was built right in front of the original, as there is no access allowed on the original bridge.

Situated near the border of Provence and the Languedoc region, Nimes and its surrounding areas had a very different feel than where we live. It seemed like a slower, more laid back pace, a definite Mediterranean feel. Roman evidence is at every turn.

Masion Carree:

Maison Carree, built 5 AD.

 Arena, the best preserved amphitheater in the Roman Empire:

Arena, built 100 AD

Tour Magna

Garden of Fountains

We took side trips to Aigues-Mortes, Uzes, St. Marie on the Sea, Avignon and, of course, we could not resist a few winery stops. Both Aigues-Mortes and Avignon are walled cities, something that I have never seen before. We saw people pick-nicking on the side of the road, they just through a blanket out and plopped down in the tall grass. We are going to do this soon, I just know it.

Our stay in St Marie on the Sea was very short due to the weather. We didn't see much of interest there, but we wanted to see the Mediterranean Sea, and so we did.

Aigues-Mortes was originally built as a fortification for the king of France. It was France's only port, at the time, to the Mediterranean Sea. Cute shops to explore and many quaint restaurants. I noticed a Spanish influence here. In the surrounding countryside it looked like white horses were wondering wild in the marsh lands without fences and this was confirmed by a French friend of mine.

Aigues-Mortes

Uzes was a small town that our hotel owner recommended. On Saturdays the entire town has vendors selling everything imaginable, and inexpensive too. The little stores throughout the town were also open, competing for the euro. The plants and flowers were perfect, not a brown pedal in sight. Various musicians and entertainers were performing in street corners. It was difficult to get a feel for the town since the vendors took up every square inch of the sidewalks and squares, but my guess is that Uzes is just as adorable on any day of the week.

Located along the Rhone River, Avignon is best known for the Palace of the Popes. The city become home to the Popes in the 14th century due to turmoil in Rome. Architecture within the walls of the city is spectacular. The streets are winding with stores you would find in any larger city. We witnessed a wedding celebration outside the mayor's office. Lots of horn blowing, clapping, and dancing (see the video). We had a nice dinner in a small restaurant on an, out of the way street. We have learned to stay away from the restaurants on the squares that are serving tourist even though those umbrellaed tables look charming and inviting.

Avignon, Rhone River in the background, view from Palace of the Popes.

On the way home we stopped and rode bikes through the vineyards and small towns in the Burgundy region, about one hour from our home. We out biked this approaching storm by minutes.

Take a look at our photos and videos at this link:

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Chocolat

I was given a mission before I left the states to find Johnny Depp. It should be easy my friend said, he lives in France, it's a small country. "By the time I get there you should have it all scoped out."

Yesterday, I swear I was walking in his foot steps. The town of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain is where the movie "Chocolat" was filmed, at least part of it, such is Hollywood. It is about 2 hours from our home and is on the way to Dijon, our destination for the day.

So a little side trip, we took. In addition, the town is labeled as "Les Plus Beaux Village de France."
Criteria for this label includes (according to Wikipedia) the population not exceed 2,000 inhabitants and must have at least 2 protected areas (picturesque or legendary sites, or sites of scientific, artistic, or historical interest).

It was a terrific find. Charming cobblestone streets, 15th century buildings, very picturesque, they prefer you walk the town, it was the best way to see it. Les Anis de Flavigny candy is produced in this town and shipped not only in France, but to the US and Canada. Perhaps you have seen this candy. There are many flavors, but in each candy there is one anise seed. We could occasionally smell the scent of anise in the air.

Near Flavigny-sur-Ozerain there is a winery dating to the 8th century, no surprise, we are in Burgundy country. This place keeps getting better! But, this is where I was told dissappointing news. Johnny Depp never set foot in this town. Ahhhhhh, my search continues.

I want this car, it is so cute. 

Buddha, Buddha, Buddha

Our trip was a combined business and vacation to Thailand, George the former and me the latter, no kidding huh! We stayed in downtown Bangkok for 7 days and then traveled to Ko Samet Island for 2 days of beach time.

We were on the streets of Bangkok for not more than 10 minutes when we started to see Buddhas; Buddha, Buddha Buddha everywhere. They can be found in the most unusual places, on tops of buildings, parking lots, you name it. Worshipers burn incense, bring flowers and large baskets of fruit to these Buddha worship sites. It is a place of quiet calm amongst the hustle and bustle of the city. You know when you smell incense, a Buddha can't be very far away. I was surprised to see monks walking the streets too. I love the saffron color of their wardrobe.

Our hotel was very nice. Before arriving we were told not to drink the water but I was surprised to find that even the water in our hotel, a 5-star hotel, did not provide potable water. We were located in probably the nicest section of Bangkok where upscale shopping malls were plentiful selling Prada, Gucci, Cartier, Fendi, and Jimmy Choo to name a few luxury stores.

But I had read about the water issues in Thailand. It is customary to eat with your right hand because your left hand is for doing the nasty...no toilet paper is provided. I discovered just a hose with a nozzle in my journeys away from the hotel. My first experience was in the Temple of the reclining Buddha. I had to use the toilette...and in a hurry. I rushed into the first toilette room I came upon, only to discover that there was a guy standing at the sinks. Oh no, is this the mens room or is it similar to coed restrooms in Europe? I walked back outside to look for the gender sign. No sign I could see. I'm getting really desperate now, so I rush back in, pass the guy who is still at the sink, notice the urinals on the right and stalls on the left. I hopped into a stall and happily made it. But what do I notice beside the toilet on the "right", a hose and nozzle set up AND no toilet paper. Oh my, oh my. So how does one dry oneself after the use of the hose, you might be wondering. Well I am still wondering about that myself because I did not use it. So upon leaving my stall, no kidding here comes some other guy into this stall-urinal area. I know at this point I am in the wrong toilette room and I bolted! From then on I made sure to carry my own toilet paper in my purse, and if ever someone asks for travel advise in Thailand, tell them to carry their own TP!
But at our hotel in Ko Samet we had the same set up, no toilet paper, just hose and nozzle, I was armed with my own TP this time, Huh! So what kind of water pressure, in case you where wondering, is in that hose and nozzle. I tried the pressure on this baby and it must has shot 8-10 feet. HOLY TOLEDO! Whose arm is that long? I still didn't attempt using it.

Tons of street vendors can be found all over the country selling prepared food on the spot, fruits, vegetables, clothing, shoes, watches, luggage, etc. I saw someone building dentures on the street and another sewing clothes with an old fashion non-electric sewing machine.

Bangkok is known as the Venice of Asia and rightly so. Just down the street from our hotel there was a canal with water taxi service, but it appeared that mostly non-tourists were using this since the water is very dirty and the boats are far from well kept. But water canals can be found throughout the city and are used for transportation and floating markets where people are selling food and household goods.

Many people live literally on the water, some homes appeared to be nice and well kept, but the vast majority of the homes we saw were people living in squalor. Corrugated tin roofs with patchy planked wood or tin walls made of odds and ends. I saw several times people doing laundry in tubs of water by the river's edge. I don't know what kind of plumbing they have.

We discovered this way of life on the way to the Grand Palace, a must see, in Bangkok. Upon approaching the entrance to the palace we were sized up by the person determining if your clothing is appropriate for entering. Meaning no exposed legs, no exposed shoulders, and no tight clothing. She quickly said you need this and this. We rented, free of charge, a sarong for me and baggy elastic wasted long pants for George.

Okay now that our important body parts were not showing we were ready to go. The Palace and surrounding buildings were opulent and it seemed like a totally different environment a few short steps away from the daily life on the streets. Manicured lawns, neat and tidy well dressed guards, clean walk ways, nothing out of place. To enter the Temple within the Palace, shoes must be removed because feet are considered dirty, shoes even worse. It is inappropriate to point with your feet so most people knelt on the floor or sat on their side with their feet tucked to the back of them. Huge hand-painted murals decorate the interior of the temple with ornate carvings, floors are marble.

Next up, the Royal Barge Museum. Attempting to find this museum, well-you'd think they didn't want anyone to find it. We were walking and strolled past the entrance not once, but twice, there was no sign. We realized later that the majority of the people get there by boat. A nice fellow on the street told us it was back this alley.
Well we began to walk back this entrance and I'm developing a bad feeling about it and I do a 180 yelling to George that I am turning around, I don't like this. But as it turned out we saw a family exit the same location and they said it was okay. So down this path we go to the Museum, weaving to the left, then right, everything was legitimate, but OMG what I saw was not pleasant. The Royal Barge Museum held very beautiful ornately decorated barges used for ceremonial purposes and parades. It also contained barges that were damaged during WWII. I was glad we took the extra effort in finding this place. We were not suppose to take photographs here, but I was able to sneak in a couple.

Leaving the Royal Barge Museum we were approached by a guy who was selling a long tail boat ride. These boats typify Bangkok and they were a must ride for us. Huge engine sitting exposed on the back, long shaft out the back to a propeller that is barely in the water, causing a big stream of water to shoot up out of the water. We learned that you should always, always negotiate with anything you are buying except in department stores where the price is listed. After getting close to the price we wanted, we were off up the canal to another area of Bangkok. Even though the water is very dirty and you'd think that nothing can live in it, we saw plenty of fish coming to the surface and people feeding them bread causing the water to boil with fish. We saw boys swimming in the water too, yuck. A crocodile slipped into the water, but far from where the boys were swimming.

Long tail boat

Getting to Ko Samet Island wasn't without challenges. We hired a driver because we were told "it's not a good idea to rent a car." So for 70 Euros we rode in a comfortable mini-van with air conditioning, a must in May, temperatures reached 100 degrees every day. We were dropped off at the pier to hitch a boat-either a ferry or speedboat we didn't know which. As soon as the car door opened, someone was in our face telling us to come to their desk to get a ride to the island. A five minute departure confirmation turned into a 50 minute departure on a speedboat. Departing the pier was very disorganized with people loading and unloading. Upon arriving at the beach on Ko Samet Island the captain of the boat dropped anchor, put the boat in reverse and backed up to the beach. We stepped off in 6 inches of water, walked up to a hotel and found a room without much trouble. The beaches are soft, fine grained sand and the water is fairly clear, we could see our feet.

These types of vendors sell food prepared right in front of you, drinks, beach toys, sarongs, ice cream, etc. We did no eat food from these vendors.

At night it was beautiful. The restaurants set up tables and lighting on the beach and young boys performed fire shows later in the evening. It was a delightful night.

These lights were in a tree over our dinner table

And I have to say that the Thai people are very nice and smile alot. And it is very difficult to get them to say the word "no" unless really pressed to and then it's not exactly a "no".

My eggs one morning were not cooked thoroughly and I ask the waiter if he thought the eggs were cooked correctly and he just kinda looked at them, but could not say the word "no"...they were mostly raw.

Here's more photos and videos.

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