Bonjour/Guten Tag

After Champagne, we drove into Alsace-Lorraine. Our first brief stop was a high-altitude sunset-picnic dinner in Dabo. In Strasbourg, we were lucky enough to see the stunning cathedral first by night and then by day. While visiting the city, we stayed just over the German border in Kehl. The lovely woman (along with her adorable cat, Lilou!) who hosted us let us borrow her two bicycles, and we toured Strasbourg by bike the next day. We visited Petite France and strolled along its beautiful cobblestone roads. We got lost on our way back to Kehl that night. Luckily, we met Andre, an elderly man, who kept us company on his bike until we reached the border. Ari didn't quite understand everything Andre was saying -- he just nodded along, agreeing emphatically as Andre swore left and right at a couple of pedestrians who got in our way.

The next day we visited the beautiful town of Riquewihr. (Thanks, Francois, for recommending it!) The town was like something out of a storybook. Almost looked staged in Ghinwa's opinion :-). We continued to the Massif des Vosges where we spent two days hiking, and one night camping on a cheese farm. On our second hike, from the top of the Kilnzkopf peak, we got a stunning view of a good swath of the Vosges mountain range and the Alsace Plain.

Nach Deutschland!

Ghinwa alongside the church at Dabo, overlooking Alsace.

Strasbourg cathedral by night.

Strasbourg cathedral by day

Biking towards Petite France.

Where do we go from here!?

Ari and Lilou: the beginning of a new love story

Scenes from Riquewihr:

The Vosges:

Conquering the world, one Vosges summit at a time.

Camping out on a fromage farm.

Jean-Martin and Astride show us their mushroom bounty.

The top of Klinzkopf!