2026-05-23 Vosges Mountains

 Saturday, May 23, 2026

Once more, we started our day with croissants and fresh strawberries, while discussing our plans for the day. What a treat!

Strawberries are now 3 for 10 Euros - They were 5 Euros each. A bargain.

It's blistering hot today - 30 degrees at minimum (that's 86 Farenheit), so we've decided to travel into the Vosges mountains in search of cooler, or at least shadier, locations. The Green  Guide suggests a 2 star driving tour of the Guebwiller Valley

When was the last time you saw a phone booth on the side of the road? Evie, Penny, Tristen, Arwyn, Sonna, Sasha, have you ever seen one of these? Do you know what it does?

Our first stop was St Léger, the church at Murbach (2 stars!) Formerly an abbey founded in 727, today's 12th century building was worthy of exploring as an example of Rhenish (as in Rhine River) Romanesque style. Today the church is missing its nave, but what remains is solid and majestic.

St Léger

St Léger

Notice the nave is missing and the church is truncated at its crossing, Now a cemetery sits where the nave used to be.

From the church, a path led up the treed hillside to a chapel in the woods, following the stations of the cross. Lynn and Judy stayed at the church while the rest climbed to explore the Chapelle Notre Dame de Lorette (1693). Views looking back were serene. 

The start of the path to the chapel

Statue of St Pirmin, founder of the abbey

Chapelle de Notre Dame de Lorette

Chapelle de Notre Dame de Lorette

Looking back at St  Léger from the chapel

Next stop was also a church, this time in Buhl where a famous triptych hangs in its church rather than in a museum. 

Eglise St Jean Baptiste, Buhl

Triptych in St Jean Baptiste, Buhl

We drove down from the church to find a place to park and have lunch. We ate next to a boules court across from a school. Once more, we have no lunch photo, but there was a very creative Little Library made from an old refrigerator. Clearly decorated by the school students. 

Little Library in Buhl made from an old refrigerator

Student messages written on the side of the little library

One quote from the refrigerator was very a propos: "Turning the pages of a book won't burn your fingers, but could reheat your heart" Stéphane Théri

Next stop was a wonderful surprise. At the Collegiale St Michelle in Lautenbach, there was a performance of a bagpipe group, Babuesk as part of the celebration Lutherie Dancerie mit Musique a Lautenbach.  

Collegiale St Michelle, Lautenbach

bagpipers in concert in the church

Our final stop for the day was the top of the Vosges, Le Grand Ballon, the tallest peak in the Vosges, but one that is "easily" hiked to. It's advertised as 30 minutes round trip. However, we don't know what counts as the starting point. And it certainly isn't ours.

Top of the Vosges

Ron & Judy starting out

Judy at halfway point - she turned around here and walked back to the car. It's hard to believe Judy could make it this far with her bum knee.

Le Grand Ballon up on top

Mad and Chris on the rocky path

This war memorial reminds of the WWII battles at the top of this ridge of Vosges mountains

Chris, Mad, Ron at the top of the world

Back home it's another day, another apéros.

Its hot, but the patio is inviting

2026-05-22 Colmar

 Today's agenda is an explore around Colmar. Dave drove right to his usual parking spot near Little Venise. After exploring Little Venice, we walked along the canal to the covered market. 

Little Venice

Mad & Chris outside the covered market

Next door was a park with a children's playground and benches where we ate our picnic lunch.  I particularly was impressed with the climbing frame made of wood with all sorts of ways to climb around it. `

Judy taking a seat on the bench

The climbing frame I liked - not a very good picture. There were other places to climb and slide.

After lunch we wandered the old city center, killing time until Lynn's doctor appointment at 3:15. With the increasingly hot weather, Lynn's asthma was interfering with life. There is an emergency number (not for calling police or ambulance) the pharmacist had given me should my asthma get worse. After talking to 5 different women who passed me from one agency to another, I was told I had an appointment at a Colmar address at 3:15 that afternoon. (Surprise ending below photos)

The former customs house (Ancien Douanes)

This man was playing classical violin in the gallery of the Ancien Douanes. He was really worth listening to.

Pfister House

Sculpture in courtyard of Bartholdi museum

Surprise ending: I arrived early for my doctor appointment - right doctor's name, right address. When I checked in with the receptionist, I was told that, no, I didn't have an appointment that day or any other.  They had no record of my name. Since Dave had dropped me off to go buy groceries, I called him to have him come back to get me. Sheesh. Someone's not talking to the right  person.....  Oh well, time for aperos on the porch.

Cheers!

2026-05-21 Route du Vin (Sigolsheim & Kientzheim)

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Once more along the Route du Vin, this time starting at Sigolsheim and then looking for interesting towns along the way.

Sigolsheim was the site of some serious WWII action when the French and Americans fought on December 26-27, 1944 to liberate the town of Sigolsheim from the Nazi army. Today, there is a memorial at the knoll of the hill where the battle was fought and further up the hill is a French National military cemetery. Remains of French soldiers who fought in the Colmar Pocket were gathered from common graves and interned individually in this new cemetery, inaugurated in 1965, the 20th anniversary of these battles. Similarly, Arab soldiers who fought alongside the French in these battles were commemorated with gravestones.

WWII Memorial at Sigolsheim battlefield

looking up toward the French National Cemetery

Christian casualties

North African casualties were Muslim

The views today are magnificent, looking out over the Alsatian plain now covered in vines and villages. But the WWII view must have been quite terrifying.  Hitler's army, embarrassed by their retreat across France, found a stronghold along the Vosges from Basel to Selestat. Entrenched in the top of these hills, the Germans had easy targets as Allied soldiers were exposed on the open Alsatian plain. Called the "Pocket of Colmar" fierce battles in late 1944 and early 1945 were joined in order to clear the Germans out of this last stronghold west of the Rhine River. 

looking out from the Memorial

looking out from the cemetery

looking out from the cemetery

On the road again, headed west  toward Kaysersburg, our ultimate destination. Kientzheim is the next village to Segolsheim, only 3 km to the west. We decided to stop there for lunch and a quick look around, but....well...this is a really cool town.

We found a lovely picnic table next to where we parked, across the street from a vineyard, and outside one of the city gates.

Judy, Mad, Ron, Lynn, Chris enjoying our picnic lunch

vineyard across the street from our picnic table

After lunch, we decided to explore outside the ramparts where we could see the former moat now used for gardens and barbecues. 

We found the main gate to the village (Porte Lalli) with the carved head that was meant to scare away any attackers. We entered anyway. Charming streets and squares invited us to look and linger. And we did.

Porte du Lalli

Lalli???

Place Schwendl

We found the Chapelle St Félix et St Régule

Chapelle St Félix & St Régule

...and this lively fountain

fountain on Place du Lt Dutilh

...and the fire museum in the town hall.

In the town hall

old fire equipment

The parish church, Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs, (Our Lady of 7 Sorrows)  was open and inviting. Elements from the 13th to 18th century gave a patina of age to this church.

Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs

Tombstones from the Middle Ages in the parish church of Lazarus von Schwendi (died in 1583) and his son. There are many Schwendi monuments in this area, so the guy must have been pretty wealthy and well-known

This is how the mail is delivered in Kientzheim

By now, we've run out of time, so Dave pointed the car towards home. Kaysersburg will have to wait for another day.  We're home in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Sunset reflected in Dave's sunglasses

Sunset in Logelheim