September 11, 2011
We head out of Strassbourg to the recommended nearby town of Obernai. We realize it's September 11th, and it feels a little weird to be away from home on this day. It's a crisp September morning with clear blue skies like it was on the morning of September 11, 2001. It's hard to believe it was ten years ago. And, since we are traveling abroad, I recall that my grandparents were also away from home when that happened. They were on a tour in Ireland and their flights home were delayed for a couple of days before they came back to a forever changed USA and world. Grandmommy and Papooh, my grandparents who both passed away very suddenly--Papooh in June 2010 and Grandmommy in March 2011, were world travelers and always valued travel and its experiences. I definitely got a lot of their values watching them work hard, save and invest their money, and then spend and splurge on travel. They cruised at least once or twice a year, went to the beach, took European tours. Each time I see a bus load of gray-haired (although Grandmommy never had gray hair--she was stylin'!) AARP types, I think of them and have to smile.
Maybe the day will come when Scott and I are too tired to rent cars and use GPS and maps and find seek out recommended restaurants in our travel adventures, but for now, a bus load of folks who are just like us and all eat dinner at a pre-arranged buffet isn't our style.
So, off we go to explore Obernai!
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| Driving into Obernai. What we've learned so far: if you find the hôtel de ville (city hall) or the church in the town center, you're on the right track. Usually, there's public parkingin a deck or underground...park and get out for a walk around the ville! |
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| Gorgeous painted shutters that I'd like to take home with me for wall art or put them together and make a little table! Think they'd miss them? |
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| a fleuriste...très élégant...I'll have a one or two of those cool twig lamps too, s'il vous plaît! |
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| Hand painted advertisement for this store...a grocer |
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| And this painted sign for this boucherie (butcher)--the pig with the Alsation head scarf is pretty funny |
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| Half-timbered building with turquoise shutters with heart motif and overflowing flowers in the window boxes, and shop on the first floor...very typical Alsace. I love it! |
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| Obernai, France |
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| Statue and fountain in town center with a church and town hall facing into the main square. |
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Obernai, France
The tourist information center where I ran in to get information on a good winery open for tastings...score! Off we go! |
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| We drive about 1 km to Robert Blanck Winery... |
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| We go into their tasting "room" and we immediately spot...the kiddie picnic table with crayons, markers, books, legos, and a Papa Smurf! Colin is so happy! I tell you, these Europeans have it figured out--if the kids are occupied and happy, the parents will come and stay and spend money! |
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| Let the sampling begin! |
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| And let the coloring and playtime begin! |
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| Robert Blanck Wines...sadly for us, not exported to the U.S.A. |
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| Also for sale was their house made jams and fruit liqueurs. |
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| dégustation (tasting) room...check out the huge display of the Crémant d'Alsace, the sparkling wine of the region made in the method of Champagne |
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| Wine barrel seating with a cushion...I could use a couple of these in our house for extra seating! |
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| We sampled their range of wines--Pinot Gris, Gewurtraminer, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Rose', and my favorite, the Crémant d'Alsace (bubbly!) |
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| Colin sampled all their toys |
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| And he sampled their grape juice. It was REALLY sweet. I'm telling you, these folks have it FIGURED. OUT. |
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| Wish I could afford to have cases of this stuff shipped home! |
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| In the boutique...I'd buy more if I could get it home. |
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| Need to try to recreate this at home--half framboise half l'orange marmalade--my two favorite jam flavors in the same jar! So pretty too. Mmmmm |
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| Merci! Au revoir, Robert Blanck winery! |
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| Bad picture of a beautiful storefront...I was loving all the lamps and tables and home accessories. Most shops are closed on Sunday, except for restaurants, a few bakeries, and souvenir shops. |
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| Here's a boulangerie that sells pretzels (Bretze in German) and looks like you can get your French/German bread needs for the day met here--a French baguette and German pretzels. |
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| Jewish synagogue in the town |
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| Time for lunch...we are roaming the streets looking for our next meal... |
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| A pretty building that has delicious smells coming out of it... |
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| They sell all types of macaroons, the typical kind you may know in the US, with coconut and maybe some other flavoring. We got a sample and Scott was all in--he loved his grandmother Mimi's macaroons! We sampled and bought... |
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| Other confections...so yummy, so pretty! |
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| Large kugelhof cakes for sale too |
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| Decisions, decisions... |
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| Someone is ready to go... |
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| We walk around the corner and into a park...then come back out toward the town to find our meal... |
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| Temporarily happy and coopertive boy! |
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| Thought I was ordering a raspberry soda...it was raspberry syrup in flat water...not so great...wah wah! |
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| A French beer, Meteor, for Scott and juice and a puzzle and Thomas for Colin |
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| I have a salade with my tartine (French open faced sandwich) with fresh cheese, mushrooms, and local ham. Colin gets most of my ham...and he has an apple which he dips in strawberry flavored applesauce that I swiped from the hotel breakfast. |
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| Tarte Flambee with muster, lardon, and onions for Scott. It was good but a bit over flambee'd. |
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| Cooking the tarte flambee's.... |
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| This is our sweet tarte flambee with pommes (apples) and calvados (apple liqueur). |
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| Their "oven" for the tarte flambee cooking. Scott said he'd like to tell them that it's a 50 gallon drum they're cooking in, but they wouldn't know what that was (not metric!)...guess it'd be a 100 liter drum? |
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| Colin playing tug o war with a cute little French girl old chain on a post in the town square. |
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| Les Halles aux Bles, Obernai, France |
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| That's my face and part of Colin's in the wooden cutout of a man and lady stork.... |
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| Checking out the old town well...time to roll out of here! |
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| Church in Obernai, France |
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| Obernai, France |
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| Obernai, France |
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| Another pretty antique carousel we've seen this weekend. This one in Obernai, France. |
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| Lingerie shops were plentiful in Strassbourg, Colmar, and here in Obernai....a true French stereotype? |
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| And then we saw this sign...the French version of Hooters? I'm just speculating....rolling out of Obernai! Au revoir! Peace! |
So, after a long three day weekend, we're coming back into Munich and the weather is still really nice, so Scott suggests we head to a biergarten since there's not much to eat at home and Colin has had a nap so he could play, and we have a car so we could go to my favorite out of the way, neighborhood biergarten with my favorite weissbier...twist my arm...why not?!? I'm trying to mentally stockpile as much gemütliche as possible.
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| Franziskaner weissbier is my fave! |
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| Colin's Crocs and a rock...I'm such a mommy of a boy...rocks and sticks (not this time) and stinky crocs (yes, crocs can get stinky, I assure you!) |
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| One last time on the slide... |
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| Cute little public Bavarian house we pass on the way to the Franzikaner Biergarten |
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Random--this polar bear is painted on the side of someone's house...and you know what I think it looks like that polar bear is doing? Um, yes, I have toilet humor and enjoy it. This cracked me up!
What an amazing weekend...do you think "normal" life may be a little too boring for all of us when we get back?
Guten nacht...home to bathe Colin, unpack, download pics, crash! |
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