France Adventure Post 2

Bonjour nos amis! I (Cindy) am finally back to the land-of-the-living :-). I’m not sure what kind of bug I picked up, but the start to this France Adventure has been a slow one with not feeling good for the last week or so….

We spent four nights in Reims (the French pronounce it “Rahnce” – ???). We visited the cathedral during the day, then at night we did stay up until 11PM to see the light show. The show was amazing – various scenes and lighting displays made for a jaw-dropping 30 minutes. After that, Todd was on his own to wander and look after me (it is kind of a blur the last 4 days…); Todd has been great – picking up ginger ale, massaging acupressure points, and giving me lots of time for rest.  The champagne houses we were going to visit, never happened .

Daytime Shot

One shot during nightime show

We are now in Colmar (Alsace region) – a 4 night stay. Friday was still a much needed rest day for me, we– went for a bit of drive, then back to lie down. Saturday, we visited 3 towns not far from Colmar. The countryside is row upon row of grape vines. Many vineyards have figures of Christ at the field’s edge to bring blessings to the vines. Most tasting bars are located in the towns – but only open from 10AM – 12PM and 2PM – 5PM.

Sunday we walked about 20 minutes to the city centre to take some pictures, people watch, and have some lunch.

 

The area is heavily influenced by German– food and building designs. To date, we have had our best food in this region. Friday night, Todd had sauerkraut, pork knuckle, and roasted potatoes; I opted for portage du jour – a vegetable soup. Saturday, I ate over half (the most I’ve eaten in days) of a plate of warm potato salad, pork knuckle, and green salad; Todd had the vegetarian Tarte Flambee – a very popular, super thin crust pizza. Had my first glass of wine in days on Saturday….so I am definitely feeling better :-).  

 

One thing to note when booking future accommodations – make sure there is air conditioning (the average in France to date has been in the mid 30s, with Saturday reaching 40); the last B&B and this one, do not have air…..so hot).

 

Our trusty ride Peugot 308 diesel with six speed

Observations  –

Eat lunch between 12PM and 2PM, or you won’t get any food until after 7PM; if they are open, they will only serve beverages….

The French appear to like their pillows very dense – I bought a much softer pillow at the supermarket …much better :-).