A Day in the Vosges

One great advantage of having international classmates is that you always have people with whom you can "play tourist." This was precisely what a few of us had in mind for one sunny, September afternoon. With a Thomas (German) as chauffeur, Graeme (Australian) as navigator and Nadja (Danish) as backseat conversation buddy, I was off to visit the Vosges mountains!

Strasbourg is situated in the flat land between the Vosges mountains (to the west) and the Rhine river/Black Forest (to the east). Drive 20 minutes outside of Strasbourg and you will stumble upon quaint villages, endless vineyards and fields of cabbage (destined to be sauerkraut) tucked into the rolling, green hills of the Vosges.

In the car of Thomas' host mom, we explored Mont Sainte-Odile, a former Catholic pilgrimage site with quite a view...



...Haut-Koenigsburg, a mountaintop castle...




...the tiny village of St. Hippolyte and its annual wine festival with traditional Alsatian costumes and dancing...





...and the picturesque Ribeauvillé where we savored "Choucroute Garnie" (translation: a pile of sauerkraut with heaps of meat). I finished the day with a marvelous crème brulée. Mmm...


The day could not have been more beautiful!