Kaiserstuhl: The German Wine Road

Kaiserstuhl is in the same general area as the famous French Alsace (just across the Rhine River) and thus shares the same micro-climate that supports dozens of wineries. We had a beautiful weekend and decided to take a hike through the vinyards. Each village in the area has serveral wineries, but they are usually only open to the public during the week. We did find one that gave us a personal wine tasting, Gleichenstein - we liked everything we tried, but narrowed it down to two bottles, made our purchase and then headed over to the Oberrotweil Wine Festival (there are TONS of wine festivals in the fall so when the mood strikes it's not too hard to find one =) We also stumbled onto a local specialty: zwiebelkuchen (literally onion cake) which was actually quite good. Check out the pictures here!

France: Yvoire (6/6)

Yvoire France is a beautiful medieval village located on the south banks of Lake Leman (a.k.a. Lake Geneva). We went there to visit their famous Garden of the 5 Senses, but stayed long enough for Robert to photograph the entire town. We had a lovely lunch over-looking the lake. It was a relaxing end to a fantastic vacation.

St. Bernard Switzerland / Aosta Italy (5/6)

Today we wanted to see more of the region and had several things on the agenda. First stop was gorges de la diosaz which was a 1.5 hr hike into a beautiful gorge only 10 minutes from Chamonix. Next we took a bit of a regional driving tour into Switzerland and had a nice lunch in Champex high in the mountains on a lake. Next up, St. Bernard Pass. This pass is famous for three reasons: 1) Saint Bernard and his charitable work, 2) the Grand St. Bernard Pass and the many famous people who have used the route and 3) for the dog breed St. Bernard which is said to be the product of an unknown cross between a mastiff, Great Dane and/or Newfoundland in 1708. The pass has a terrific museum that outlines the history of St. Bernard and the treacherous pass and also sports a kennel full of cute, sleeping, floppy St. Bernard dogs (only 1700 CHF if you want to purchase one). They had one dog out ‘on display’ that you could pet – a true gentle (drooling) giant. Read about ‘Barry’ – the famous sire of the breed. Our last stop was in Italy – Aosta. After reading about the Romans coming over the St. Bernard Pass, it’s not hard to imagine that there are several sights in Aosta where the Romans left some remains including an amphitheatre. The town had a lively festival going on (patron Saint Gratis day) while we were there and we also enjoyed a terrific Italian meal before heading back thru the Mont Blanc tunnel (31.50 Euro or about $44.00!!) back to Chamonix. See some then and now Italy photos as well as Switzerland photos.

France: Annecy (4/6)

Annecy was really a great find. It is located on a beautiful lake and has a wonderful old city center. We were able to stroll through a huge farmer’s market along a picturesque canal and visit the old city castle as well. They have several parks along the lake where the city has planted representative garden plots for different areas of France. The one thing about France that Nancy especially hates are the public toilets – one look, ladies, and you’ll see what I mean. One thing about France that Robert especially hates is the meat as it is usually string, chewy, fatty and generally tasteless. A truly enjoyable day (except for the bio breaks and mystery meat) – check out the pictures!

Nancy Turns 40!!

Well, it finally happened on September 5th – I’m 40. After almost a complete year of Robert razzing me about the big 4 – OH…I can now put it all behind me. We were in Chamonix, but Robert had given me my present before we left – two terrific paintings from a local Swiss painter. He was able to hang them in our dining room after we returned from our trip. I just love them! Now that I’m older and wiser I still wonder whether it’s true that for every grey hair I pluck out if two grow back in its place. Robert reminds me that I will be 41 before he even turns 40…FAB-ulous.

France: Chamonix - Mont Blanc (3/6)

Ski-town xtraordinaire with a fancy price tag to go with it – Chamonix does not disappoint. We stayed at a FANTASTIC chalet with views of the mountains in two directions, 5 minutes walk into town and 5 minutes walk in the other direction to the ski lift. Mont Blanc being the main attraction – the first day we took a hike along the south rim offers unsurpassed views of Europe’s tallest mountain. The second day we rode to the top of Aiguille de Midi, (see video) and took a tramway to a glacier (Mer de Glace), and ate lunch a-top the south balcony. Take a look as Robert’s great photos!

France: The French Alps (2/6)

The French Alps start close to the Canyon of Verdon and wind north east until they spill into Switzerland and Italy. We decided to drive thru the mountains to get from the canyon to Chamonix which took us over 4 passes and into a very beautiful part of France. We didn’t know it until we were passing thru that we were on the route of the 2007 Tour de France (see Briancon) because of all the writing on the road from fans encouraging the riders. We even passed through Albertville (1992 Winter Olympics site) on the way. The trip took a total of 11 hours (compared to 5 hours on the tollway). See the terrific photos!

France: Canyon of Verdon (1/6)

Also known as ‘the petit grand canyon’ the gorge/canyon area is in a remote part of southern France. We stayed in a great little hotel which overlooked Lac St. Croix and were able to participate in several different activities over three days: canoeing, hiking, and white water rafting. The water is incredibly beautiful in both the lake and the gorge (see video) and it was a delight to be in it as well as look at it from the steep hiking trail. The canyon is very large and has a road along a jagged rim which offers lots of different views. A paradise for hikers and anyone who enjoys the out doors. We also visited some nearby towns: Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and Castellane. You won’t believe how beautiful it is until you see the pictures!