After a slow morning we all went down to Old Town for one last romp around before the gang changes again.
We missed Fernando and Debbie but later met back at the house for a farewell moment.
After they scooted off for the train station we had a few hours to goof off before Kim's father, Pat and her brother Scott joined the party.
They were not rolling in till evening so we busied ourselves with preparing a spread of cheese and sausages, salad and lots of olives and other pickled tasty bits.
Kim and Ryan ran down to grab them a tad before 8. From all evidence Pat and Scott had a great ride in from Switzerland and looked to be in chipper shape. We spent the rest of the evening snacking, drinking and swapping stories about our travels.
I get the feeling they will be a fun addition to the house.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Tuesday is Chore Day
Tuesday we bunked about the house doing a good deep cleaning and de-mucking of the fridge. Fernando and Debbie are leaving us tomorrow for Paris and we will see Pat and Scott roll in on the end of their whirlwind trip through what seems like more of Europe.
We spent most of the day running the vacuum, dusting, mopping floors and cleaning the bathrooms. This many people take a toll on the house pretty quickly and it takes some attention to keep things livable.
We went into town for one last meal with Fernando and Debbie at Caveau Sainte Pierre, one of our more pleasant discoveries this trip.
Gonna miss Debbie and Fernando, they make traveling all the more easy!
We spent most of the day running the vacuum, dusting, mopping floors and cleaning the bathrooms. This many people take a toll on the house pretty quickly and it takes some attention to keep things livable.
We went into town for one last meal with Fernando and Debbie at Caveau Sainte Pierre, one of our more pleasant discoveries this trip.
Gonna miss Debbie and Fernando, they make traveling all the more easy!
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Castle Run!
Monday morning was another day of splitting up and going different ways. Fernando and Debbie went north to Haut Koeningsbourg and Strausbourg while the rest of us packed into the car and drove up to Ribeauville to explore the town and hike up the the castles.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a topo map so I could find some hiking trails to run instead of spending all my time pounding pavement and dodging cars. Luckily for me the hills around Ribeauville are thick with running and hiking trails that I could use while Nita, Donna, Kim and Ryan were hiking up to the castle by a more direct route.
At the foot of the imposing mountain we had some second thoughts, but onward we went. I left them to hike the main tourist route while I headed off on what should have been a 4 mile round trip run through the deep shaded woods that would let me meet them at the top where the 3 castles are perched. Donna, with her busted leg hiked a bit and then descended into the town to buy everydamnthing she could get he paws on.
My run was tremendous. I ended up taking a slightly shorter route that took a tad of the distance off but make the run much steeper. Lots of flowers, deep shady woods, steep hills, critters wandering about made for a really enjoyable change of scenery.
At the top I ran into the first and smaller of the towers and stopped for some pics. Just a few hundred yards away was the larger of the fortresses on the mountain. After a brief stop at the first I headed over to the larger to meet Kim and Ryan climbing the first set of stairs, sans Nita.
Nita was bravely working her way up the ridiculously steep and crappy ascent. She stopped to rest her knees from time to time but finally she made it up! A grand achievement, I'm very proud of her for sticking it out all the way up.
We goofed off on the ruins for quite a while. It was nice and cool up there and the thought of heading back down the icky trail they had just climbed up didn't seem very fun.
Lots of pics. Too many to post here, and none really give the feel of the place.
After wearing our cameras out we walked over to the smaller fort where Ryan and I spent some time being dumbasses and climbing all over areas that were clearly unsafe. Hey, what could go wrong on top of a French mountain castle ruin??
As we were leaving we noticed a wall of rain heading our way across the vineyards. It was oddly beautiful to see the rain from above the clouds. At one point, it split into two rain showers that left a center section of vineyard with little to no rain. I guess someone was mad at the grower...
Instead of taking the steep route home I talked everyone into following me back the way I ran up. While it was longer, it was a very pleasant walk down through the forest instead of a scramble over rocks. It was a really, really nice way to end our time on the mountain. We took a slightly different route back that took up by old house ruins, someone apiary and massive downed trees.
Very glad we made the effort to go up the mountain.
On teh way home we stopped in Riquewihr for lunch and exploration. Damn place was overrun with Viking River Cruise tours and bus loads of German and Chinese folks all fighting for a slice of the cute. Fortified with lunch we got the hell out and headed back toward Hunawihr to tour a small fortified church. Cute town, not a lot to see but worth the stop.
Back at home we met up with Fernando and Debbie for a late round of drinks and an early bedtime. Long day of a lot of miles under our feets.
Good day!
A couple of weeks ago I bought a topo map so I could find some hiking trails to run instead of spending all my time pounding pavement and dodging cars. Luckily for me the hills around Ribeauville are thick with running and hiking trails that I could use while Nita, Donna, Kim and Ryan were hiking up to the castle by a more direct route.
At the foot of the imposing mountain we had some second thoughts, but onward we went. I left them to hike the main tourist route while I headed off on what should have been a 4 mile round trip run through the deep shaded woods that would let me meet them at the top where the 3 castles are perched. Donna, with her busted leg hiked a bit and then descended into the town to buy everydamnthing she could get he paws on.
My run was tremendous. I ended up taking a slightly shorter route that took a tad of the distance off but make the run much steeper. Lots of flowers, deep shady woods, steep hills, critters wandering about made for a really enjoyable change of scenery.
 |
| Lots of things to trip over on the trail. |
 |
| From one castle to the other |
At the top I ran into the first and smaller of the towers and stopped for some pics. Just a few hundred yards away was the larger of the fortresses on the mountain. After a brief stop at the first I headed over to the larger to meet Kim and Ryan climbing the first set of stairs, sans Nita.
 |
| The path to the other castle. |
Nita was bravely working her way up the ridiculously steep and crappy ascent. She stopped to rest her knees from time to time but finally she made it up! A grand achievement, I'm very proud of her for sticking it out all the way up.
We goofed off on the ruins for quite a while. It was nice and cool up there and the thought of heading back down the icky trail they had just climbed up didn't seem very fun.
Lots of pics. Too many to post here, and none really give the feel of the place.
 |
| The small fort. |
 |
| 2 story ruin of the great hall overlooking the valley. |
 |
| Small private chapel. |
 |
| Ryan and Kim"Jam Hands" |
 |
| The view from up top. |
After wearing our cameras out we walked over to the smaller fort where Ryan and I spent some time being dumbasses and climbing all over areas that were clearly unsafe. Hey, what could go wrong on top of a French mountain castle ruin??
As we were leaving we noticed a wall of rain heading our way across the vineyards. It was oddly beautiful to see the rain from above the clouds. At one point, it split into two rain showers that left a center section of vineyard with little to no rain. I guess someone was mad at the grower...
 |
| The rain wall splitting around the valley below. |
Instead of taking the steep route home I talked everyone into following me back the way I ran up. While it was longer, it was a very pleasant walk down through the forest instead of a scramble over rocks. It was a really, really nice way to end our time on the mountain. We took a slightly different route back that took up by old house ruins, someone apiary and massive downed trees.
Very glad we made the effort to go up the mountain.
On teh way home we stopped in Riquewihr for lunch and exploration. Damn place was overrun with Viking River Cruise tours and bus loads of German and Chinese folks all fighting for a slice of the cute. Fortified with lunch we got the hell out and headed back toward Hunawihr to tour a small fortified church. Cute town, not a lot to see but worth the stop.
Back at home we met up with Fernando and Debbie for a late round of drinks and an early bedtime. Long day of a lot of miles under our feets.
Good day!
Another Sunday
Today everyone split up to go their separate ways.
Kim, Ryan and Donna went up north to explore the smaller villages on the wine route while Fernando and Debbie headed south toward Thann and the surrounding areas.
Nita stayed home to do some laundry and get some cleaning done before the next crew starts to trickle into the house.
Slow day for us, everyone else seemed to have a great time exploring and hitting flea markets. Ryan and Donna came home with some great hand tools!
Big day tomorrow!
Kim, Ryan and Donna went up north to explore the smaller villages on the wine route while Fernando and Debbie headed south toward Thann and the surrounding areas.
Nita stayed home to do some laundry and get some cleaning done before the next crew starts to trickle into the house.
Slow day for us, everyone else seemed to have a great time exploring and hitting flea markets. Ryan and Donna came home with some great hand tools!
Big day tomorrow!
The Night Watch
Saturday we got up reasonably early to hit the market at Saint Joseph's to stock up for the couple of days that the shops are all closed.
Saturday morning was the American Hear Association Heart Run in Kansas City. Since I'm here and could not participate, I opted to sign up and do a quick 5k through the vineyards in Turckheim. Nice easy run in support of my folks in cardiac rehab back home.
Most of Sat was spent wandering around in Old Town and getting ready for our evening plans. Our charming landlord, Jean-Michel and Claire invited us over to their place at 7 for a light round of drinks and snacks.
Spending time with them was wonderful. We chatted about all things French and the differences we see between our countries. A quick 1 hour "apero" turned into a couple of hours around their big table passing stories back and forth. It was a really pleasant start to our evening.
Around 930 we headed off to Turckheim to participate in their Night Watchman's Tour of the town in the spooky darkness. Unfortunately it was all in French, but with Deb along to translate for us we got most of the info. All in all it was a damn fun way to spend an hour in the cool evening air.
Lots coming up, don't know when I will be updating!
Saturday morning was the American Hear Association Heart Run in Kansas City. Since I'm here and could not participate, I opted to sign up and do a quick 5k through the vineyards in Turckheim. Nice easy run in support of my folks in cardiac rehab back home.
 |
| Me, sweating all over the vineyards of France. Take that, heart! |
Most of Sat was spent wandering around in Old Town and getting ready for our evening plans. Our charming landlord, Jean-Michel and Claire invited us over to their place at 7 for a light round of drinks and snacks.
Spending time with them was wonderful. We chatted about all things French and the differences we see between our countries. A quick 1 hour "apero" turned into a couple of hours around their big table passing stories back and forth. It was a really pleasant start to our evening.
Around 930 we headed off to Turckheim to participate in their Night Watchman's Tour of the town in the spooky darkness. Unfortunately it was all in French, but with Deb along to translate for us we got most of the info. All in all it was a damn fun way to spend an hour in the cool evening air.
Lots coming up, don't know when I will be updating!
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Friday
Friday was yet another day of folks out wandering about. Nita and I stayed around the house so we could pick up Donna in the afternoon while the rest went down to Old Town to do some exploration.
A pretty quiet day.
About 5 Donna made it in to Colmar safe and sound. We had a nice dinner of hand made tortellini and red sauce with a killer spinach salad.
All in all a good day where not a lot happened.
A pretty quiet day.
About 5 Donna made it in to Colmar safe and sound. We had a nice dinner of hand made tortellini and red sauce with a killer spinach salad.
All in all a good day where not a lot happened.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Market Day and Castles
Market day again!
The gang trooped down to the open market nestled about the covered market exterior to grab up a few days of provisions. Chicken roasted on spits, salad makings, pasta and red sauce ingredients, pastries and some assorted snack items loaded the little shopping cart to near bursting.
Back at home we stocked the fridge picked up the kitchen and headed out to do some wine tastings in the mountains. You know, the place you want to taste wines, on twisty roads in the hills.
Niedermorschwihr seemed to be a nice place to park and walk about for a bit. We found a couple of wineries open and after tastings, loaded the back of the cars with a few boxes of wine. Just a few...
Instead of heading back to the house we started north of the wine route to the town of Katzenthal, just a couple of kilometers away. We assumed it would be a quick drive by on our way to the next small wine town, but up on the hilltop above the village we saw Chateau Wineck, a 12th century fortification that is largely still intact. Took a bit of wandering to get up to where the fort is located, but it was well worth it.
Standing midway up the slopes of the wineyards, the tower and keep are still standing after all these years(with a little help from the Alsatian historical society). The keep is mostly open for exploration, but the actual tower is blocked off with a big iron gate. Sure looks like there are a lot of parties up at the fort, we found remnants of many camp fires.
After a good amount of wandering about we got back in the cars and drove further north to Ammeschwihr for a quick drive about the town and a stop for ice cream, because France. While getting ice cream all over ourselves we found some really cool 16th century fortified gun towers and tons of WW2 information.
From there we headed west into the valley to Kayserberg. No real reason apart from me taking the wrong exit on a roundabout. Hey, it happens. Driving along we saw a large castle overlooking the town, so naturally we had to go see it!
In Kayserberg we found dubious parking accommodations behind a hotel which apparently had part of a medieval tower structure in its back yard. Not bad for a parking lot. From the cars it was a long walk up a hell of a lot of stairs to get to the castle. Luckily the stairs and some lovely gardens are well kept and not terribly dangerous.
This time when we reached the top of the hill we were able to take to 113 steps up the tower to the very top for some breath taking views of the village and valley below. Some of the best views we have seen all trip.
Early evening we headed home to get some dinner in us. The chicken was great, Nita and folks shelled fresh spring peas, and I whipped up another souffle. Very tasty!
For dessert we played Tart Roulette!(tm) with the big 6 slices of various fruit tarts we picked up during market morning. We each had a plate of tart. Blueberry, citron, apple almond, apricot, rhubarb and rhubarb meringue. The way the game is played is a total sharing scheme. Take a bite and then pass the plate to the right till all the desserts are gone.
No really, we highly recommend Tart Roulette(tm). Try it at your next dinner!
The gang trooped down to the open market nestled about the covered market exterior to grab up a few days of provisions. Chicken roasted on spits, salad makings, pasta and red sauce ingredients, pastries and some assorted snack items loaded the little shopping cart to near bursting.
Back at home we stocked the fridge picked up the kitchen and headed out to do some wine tastings in the mountains. You know, the place you want to taste wines, on twisty roads in the hills.
Niedermorschwihr seemed to be a nice place to park and walk about for a bit. We found a couple of wineries open and after tastings, loaded the back of the cars with a few boxes of wine. Just a few...
Instead of heading back to the house we started north of the wine route to the town of Katzenthal, just a couple of kilometers away. We assumed it would be a quick drive by on our way to the next small wine town, but up on the hilltop above the village we saw Chateau Wineck, a 12th century fortification that is largely still intact. Took a bit of wandering to get up to where the fort is located, but it was well worth it.
Standing midway up the slopes of the wineyards, the tower and keep are still standing after all these years(with a little help from the Alsatian historical society). The keep is mostly open for exploration, but the actual tower is blocked off with a big iron gate. Sure looks like there are a lot of parties up at the fort, we found remnants of many camp fires.
After a good amount of wandering about we got back in the cars and drove further north to Ammeschwihr for a quick drive about the town and a stop for ice cream, because France. While getting ice cream all over ourselves we found some really cool 16th century fortified gun towers and tons of WW2 information.
From there we headed west into the valley to Kayserberg. No real reason apart from me taking the wrong exit on a roundabout. Hey, it happens. Driving along we saw a large castle overlooking the town, so naturally we had to go see it!
In Kayserberg we found dubious parking accommodations behind a hotel which apparently had part of a medieval tower structure in its back yard. Not bad for a parking lot. From the cars it was a long walk up a hell of a lot of stairs to get to the castle. Luckily the stairs and some lovely gardens are well kept and not terribly dangerous.
 |
| Hotel parking lot with medieval tower. |
 |
| Mark and Nita |
 |
| Ryan and Kim |
 |
| From the gardens up to the castle. |
 |
| These two again... |
This time when we reached the top of the hill we were able to take to 113 steps up the tower to the very top for some breath taking views of the village and valley below. Some of the best views we have seen all trip.
Early evening we headed home to get some dinner in us. The chicken was great, Nita and folks shelled fresh spring peas, and I whipped up another souffle. Very tasty!
For dessert we played Tart Roulette!(tm) with the big 6 slices of various fruit tarts we picked up during market morning. We each had a plate of tart. Blueberry, citron, apple almond, apricot, rhubarb and rhubarb meringue. The way the game is played is a total sharing scheme. Take a bite and then pass the plate to the right till all the desserts are gone.
No really, we highly recommend Tart Roulette(tm). Try it at your next dinner!
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