Walking in Alsace and the mud

Disappointingly, after the six hour walk on Sunday, Pat's feet were not up to a very long walk, and she was restricted to wearing sandals. We set out to walk to Bernardville, armed with another lunch from André. However, first we had to find some Muscat wine! At the start of the asparagus season, we had discovered that our cellar had only one bottle of Alsace Muscat - the perfect wine to complement asparagus. Our usual vigneron, Jean-Pierre Rietsch had also run out so we needed an alternative source. Fortunately we had enjoyed the carafe of Muscat we had drunk with our asparagus menu on the first night and set off to find the maker Jean Wach (pronounced as Bach but with a V not a B). We didn't have far to go and 6 bottles were soon stowed in the boot of the car.

While we were in Andlau, we took photos of the picturesque houses.








Bernardville can be reached by a track which goes over a steep hill from Andlau, through a wood, then out into the vines. The initial track is well worn and has obviously been used for centuries.







The track is a part of one of the many routes to Santiago de Compostela.



The vines are not yet flowering, but soon will be.





Bernardville is small and purely residential, so finding somewhere to eat our lunch was difficult, but we spotted a picnic spot next to the graveyard and ate our lunch while we were waiting for a taxi to come to pick us up (saving Pat's feet for later).

The steep wine field next to us had also been used to grow a sort of barley, you can see the light coloured straw between the vines - it made a pretty pattern but according to Jean-Pierre it is planted primarily to stop soil erosion.




After a rest at our hotel, we set out for a wine tasting with Jean-Pierre in Mittelbergheim. The clouds were threatening, but we just managed to get indoors before the heavens opened and heavy rain and hail continued for about an hour. We enjoyed a range of wines including a Sylvaner and a Muscat that have yet to be bottled and we hope to order some of these when they are ready.

We had decided to eat in Mittlebergheim at the Gilg hotel. We have been there many times before and were welcomed by the owner.





The small hotel which is in the centre of the village was built in 1614 and is unspoilt. We noticed that the menu had changed and were very pleased with the meal and the changes to the dishes (less fat).

The rain had stopped when set off to walk back to Andlau. The first sign of problems was when we met the firemen pumping out someone's cellar. Then we found our road was blocked by a lake of water and mud. Where the vines had been replanted, the soil was loose and after the rain, the road was full of mud. Pat managed to lose a shoe in the mud (temporarily) and so it was a soggy walk home. When we reached the hotel at 10:10 pm the door was locked! We didn't have the code and the phone was only going to answer machine ... What to do?

Fortunately, there was one light on in a bedroom and after some effort, we managed to attract attention and were let in by a kind guest. The storm then returned and we went to sleep to the sound of a river of water running down the roof outside our window- very relaxing apart from the occasional loud peal of thunder.

The next morning we left the hotel, armed with yet another André lunch, stopping first at Mittlebergheim to load the boot with wine and then heading for home. There was pretty much continuous rain for our 8 hour drive so we stopped only to change drivers. The rain had stopped when we got home so we could unload in the dry, before setting out to our local Resto to eat.

The blog resumes on June 1 when we take a village organised day trip to Arles.





Pat and John on tour

Walking in Alsace - Sunday

We arrived in Alsace on Saturday evening.

Our first stop was our winemaker in Mittelberhheim, Jean-Pierre Rietsch and the family, parents Pierre and Doris and sister Anne-Lise. We arranged a tasting for Monday and then carried on to the Kastelberg hotel in the next village, Andlau.





We have been visiting this part of Alsace for more than 20 years and it's very much like returning home. We visit the same restaurants, hotels and vigneron and look around to see what has changed so the first thing was a walk around the village. There had obviously been plenty of rain because the rivers were full.

We retired to the hotel terrace for a beer before dinner. We were very much hoping that Andre, owner and chef of the Kastelberg, would have his asparagus menu available, it being the right time of year - we were not disappointed. We started with asparagus soup followed by asparagus wrapped in ham





and then creme brûlée to finish. The restaurant was full and the staff were kept busy. As with our vigneron, the hotel is a family establishment with father and son, Andre and Phillippe in the kitchen, and wife and sister-in-law, Nichole and Joelle serving.





When we first visited this hotel, we noticed that one table, tucked in the corner, that was always reserved for guests known to the owners. Usually it was an older couple and we assumed that these were regular visitors. After so many years, we are now included in the class of regulars and are seated at this table and brought a complementary aperitif.

The next morning, Sunday, we set out for a walk armed with a packed lunch from Andre which would feed an army! We had no particular plan in mind, so set out in the direction of Barr which is the other side of Mittelbergheim, through the vines and into the forest. This photo overlooks Andlau with the plane across to Germany in the distance.





In the forest, we passed the Chapelle St Anne, or what is left of it





The forest here is always fascinating and rather Tolkeinesque to me.








Heiligenstein was our next stop where we know that Jean Pierre has some vines.



The grape grown in this small area is Klevener de Heiligenstein, also known as Savagnin Rose. The grape is only allowed to be grown in a small number of villages near here.






We then turned towards Barr on our way back and where we stopped for a late lunch.





We paused in Barr for a cup of tea and admired these impressive ice cream cakes.





By now, Pat had developed a blister and so we returned to the hotel and ate there that evening.






Pat and John on tour

Lincoln's Inn London

While Pat and Helen were shopping in Oxford Street John met with his cousin Linda de Klerk during her lunch break at a cafe overlooking Lincoln's Inn Fields - a small park near to Holborn. John bored Linda with family history stuff. The de Klerks have great archives of Hall and Taylor history which they have shared with him. Linda is charming and the time passes quickly and she has to go back to work. Linda works for a lawyer in Lincoln's Inn. This historic legal centre (Inn of Court) dates from the fifteenth century and its buildings survived the WW2 blitz. As John walks her back to work Linda gives him a quick tour of Lincoln's Inn. You enter through the gatehouse which dates from 1521 and is the oldest building of this Inn of Court.



Inside the gate there are squares, gardens and many historical buildings away from the bustle and bustle of central London.


The chapel dates from 1620 and has been rebuilt at the end of the 18 and 19 centuries.


Close by were open archways where babies used to be left in the hope that they would be better cared for than their poor mothers could manage. The archways were beautiful but such a sad place. The Great Hall and current Library were built in 1845 - the library is on the right of the photo.



The Library is a working part of the Inn of Court and so is off limits to the public. However, it is much loved by Linda who negotiated a quick viewing. John managed a discreet photo with his iPhone.



Lincoln's Inn is a lovely oasis of tranquility and well worth a visit.

Pat and John on tours

At Helen's

We stayed with Helen and Nick from Monday night to Friday afternoon.

The plan had been that Helen would not be working for 3 of the days that we were there, but it didn't quite work put that way....

Helen has been taking an evening course in Landscape Architecture since September, but the other than her own, she hadn't designed a garden. She entered a BBC Gardeners' World garden design competition and is one of four winners! Her garden will be constructed at the NEC in Birmingham and will be on show from June 13 to June 17. Naturally, this has added to her work load and so most of the time that we were there she was very occupied with the planning and with a site visit to the NEC.

We kept ourselves busy with shopping and pottering around the flat, potting plants, cooking and shopping. While we were there, Pat and Helen went shopping for fabrics for Pat's next projects: a roman blind for the nursery and a play mat. We also looked and baby transport systems; Helen has a shortlist to see before buying. It really is much more complicated now than when we bought a pram for James.

John arranged to meet Linda in Lincoln's Inn. Linda is the daughter of John's second cousin, Georgina, who we plan to visit in South Africa in early 2013. John will post photos later.

We left Helen's on Friday afternoon heading for Folkstone. South of the Blackwall tunnel, on a crowded A120, we ran over some nasty metal rubbish, probably dropped from a lorry and resulting in a puncture. There was a slip road to hand and so we pulled into that. Fortunately, being in a french car that is equipped for driving in Spain, we had all the kit, warning triangles and hi vis jackets. Pat stood in the slip road by the triangle, ready to jump out of the way if necessary, while John changed the wheel all too close to fast moving traffic. It was all very scarry! The deed done, we then needed to get to a garage to deal with the damaged tyre - we have a sporty sort of car that has just a 'get you to a garage' spare. By now it was rush hour on a Friday but we didn't have far to go and were soon on the road again.

We spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express close to the Channel Tunnel. It was perfectly adequate for a stopover and we met an interesting couple who were walking from their UK home in Shropshire to their apartment in Italy over a period of 6 months. It's one way to avoid the Olympics, I suppose!

We are now speeding through France towards Alsace. It is 22 degrees and the motorways are empty compared to the roads we drove on yesterday. The wild roses on the central reservation are in flower. We have driven this route many times before and know it well. We will spend the next three nights in Andlau and hope to do some walking, weather permitting. We will also visit the winemaker that we have been buying from for more than 20 years.


Pat and John on tour

Cambridge

On Saturday we drove to Cambridge to see our house in Trumpington, meet with the current tenants and catch up with friends. This took most of the day.
In the garden, we have a tree that James grew from a horse chestnut. For many years it was confined to a pot, but when we left Cambridge, we put it in the ground. This is it now



Towards the evening, we drove to our friends Rachel and Brian in Bar Hill and then ate at Sycamore House, our favourite Cambridge restaurant. As always, we had a super meal.

On Sunday, we went for a walk in Hayley Wood, an ancient wood near Little Gransden in Cambs to see the bluebells, cowslips, purple orchids, wood anemones, oxlips and other spring flowers.
























We had lunch with the Blanning family and a couple who live partly in the US and partly in Cambridge. After lunch, we went out for a walk on Jesus Green and Midsummer Common with Nicky, our godson Tom, his sister Lucy and her friend Libby and Harry the dog who is a Patterdale Terrier.





It was interesting to see how the children have grown since we last saw them.


After all the rain there has been lately, the grass is very green and the ground is waterlogged in places.



On Monday, there was a celebration at the University Computer Laboratory to mark the founding 75 years ago. We had extended our stay in Cambridge so that Pat could attend.

First, we called in to see our neighbour Simon, who has a coffee shop in Gwydir Street. It was very busy with about 25 people in the cafe on a Monday morning.





We then headed for the city centre and some shopping - we had a list of items to take back with us to France before taking the bus to the Computer Laboratory at West Cambridge.

Pat really enjoyed seeing ex colleagues, some of whom she hadn't seen since her own retirement party.








Our final stop before Helen and Nick's was Colchester to drop off and pick up some bits at Jill and Terry Beacher's house in Colchester. They are friends from Thézan. We spent a happy few hours over supper with them before driving to London through dreadful rain.


Pat and John on tour

Hackney

We are now at James' flat in Hackney. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon to warmer weather than we had expected.

After unpacking some wine, we set off for Sainsbury's and a cup of tea at a little cafe on Kingsland High Street. Because James has had a lodger in his spare room, we hadn't stayed with him for about a year and so hadn't been to the cafe. We received a warm welcome and the staff even remembered our order! The Enjoy cafe is almost more of a community centre with its regular customers who spend many hours there. It is run by a Turkish family and provides roast meals, breakfasts, puddings, etc plus delicious Turkish flat breads (Gozleme) filled with spinach, cheese or potato or combinations. of these. The flat breads are made in the window of the shop and also sold as takeaway, especially at lunchtime. The prices are very reasonable and eating more that £10s worth of food is a challenge.










Our way back from Sainsbury's to James' flat takes us through Ridley Road market. The market caters for the Caribbean, Asian and African communities in the area so there is plenty of fruit available. The market is always busy.









Pat and John on tour

En route to the UK

On Monday, May 8th, we set off for our annual car trip to the UK. As usual, the boot is filled with wine for James and Helen and this time, the back seat of our little car is taken up with the Moses basket which is on its way back to the UK, refurbished for Helen and Nick's baby.

May 8th is a fête (bank holiday) in France celebrating the end of the war in Europe in 1945. In towns and villages, everyone gathers at the monument du morts (war memorial) at 11am and children carry flowers which are then place on the monument.

Lorries are banned from the roads for the day and so our journey was much more pleasant than normal. The service areas on the motorway were packed with lorries waiting to be allowed to drive again..

We left a colourful terrace and 21 degrees prepared for the cold and wet in London.





We followed our normal route up France along the A75 over the magnificent Millau bridge (which we have crossed so many times that we don't bother to slow down any more) through Orleans where we leave the motorway for a while and stay the night at Chartres in a convenient hotel with private parking.

We had rain for a lot of the time that we were driving, but fortunately it stopped before we reached Chartres and we had some blue skies for the photos.

After a rest, we set out for a walk and dinner.

For once, the square wasn't full of sculptures and so we had an unusual view.





Nearby is the old Post Office




As always, we stopped to take photos of the Cathedral. Can you believe that the American army was ordered to destroy this magnificent building?



Thanks to the bravery of one man, it is still here for us to enjoy.





This is the south face with its buttresses and the sundial











It was near to closing time, so we didn't go inside on this occasion, thought we have visited before.

The old part of the town is well worth a walk round



This is the Maison au Saumon (House of Salmon) in the Place des Poissoneries with a detail of the salmon below







This is the Escalier de la Reine Berthe with a detail below








This house is very close to the Escalier




We then set off to find a beer. This proved to be rather more difficult than we envisaged. We only found one bar open, and as you can imagine, it was full. On our travels, we passed the Logis Claude Huve which is in a narrow street and is so tall and thin that we were unable to fit all of it in one photo.








We ate a splendid meal at Le Tripot, a small restaurant that we had tried to eat at on several occasions, but had only succeeded once before.

Today, Wednesday, we travelled from Chartres to Calais and took the Eurotunnel. We are now on our way to James in Hackney where we will stay for 3 nights..

Pat and John on tour