What is the Boating Community Like? Friends and Visitors on the Canal.

One of the best things about living on this boat:

The great community we've got going here.

It's so easy to wander by someone's boat. 

Get involved in a conversation. 

If they're up for it, a glass of wine.
A cup of coffee. 

Or one of Stan's famous salads. 

And - it's also easy to say no.
Come by later.

It's all so close.
And casual.

Ron came by with a kilo of shrimp.

"They had a 2-for-1 sale at Intermarché.
-Want a kilo of shrimp?"

Patrick brought us a sack of freshly picked green beans.

Luc brought sweet onions from his garden.

And then invited us to a paella party.
On the towpath.

So many of them are talented musicians. 
Artists. 
Writers. 

They aren't all French. 
We have a wide variety of nationalities.

There's always a lively discussion going. 

They aren't all "boat people".
They're also from the village itself. 

Anton and Hugues. In Hugues' wine cellar.

Hugues called down to us from his terrace: 

"Isn't it time for an apéro? 
Yes? 
Okay, I'll bring the wine!"

And he clambers down the canal bank with a chilled bottle of good rosé.

Turns out, he's a wine distributor, who's become a friend. 

Lives in the house where his grandmother grew up. 

A friend with a LOT of good wines. 
Right next to our mooring.

This is very handy.

The owner of the local top restaurant came by. 

Would Stan consider playing guitar for the National Fête de la Musique? 

Bien sûr. 
Of course.

We wound up dancing - again.

There are village festivals.
Celebrations.
Events. 

Plus - people come visit us. 

Which inspires us to explore even further.

Wolfgang and Monica came from their ranch in New Mexico. 

Bob and Sharon visited from Albuquerque.

Oddly enough, we even went to a snail farm (!) during their visit.

And last year, Chris and Tim. 
Charlene. 

All the kids.

It's great.

Yes, some of the people on boats take off.
They throw off their lines and go up the canal for a week or a month.

But eventually - they usually return. 

Each boat needs to have its official mooring spot.
A place where it belongs.

Ron and Fiona pass by us on "The Swan".

I don't think I've had this good a social life since college.
Can that be true? 

Whatever it is, it's fun. 

The connection with people. 
It's one of the very best things about being here. 

-Or maybe - that's true anywhere.

The Wine Route of Alsace

Welcome to Alsace!

Along the "Route des Vins".

The Wine Route, with brother Tom, visiting from Bordeaux.

Wineries everywhere.

Each town looks like a postcard.

 

There's a "wine route" - from Strasbourg to Colmar - which we drove (it would make a great bicycle trip, too-), stopping in various villages where Tom had set up appointments to taste wines. Riesling, Sylvaner, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris - completely different from the wines we'd just enjoyed in Burgundy and Provence. 

 

This is a beautiful corner of France!

 

It feels almost German, and of course, it was part of Germany.

France and Germany seem to hand it back and forth over the course of history.

 

The building style, and even the food feels more German than French. 

Strasbourg - lovelier than I remember. For several years, I lived a couple hours away in  Germany.

Strasbourg also has an AMAZING cathedral. At night, the outside is illuminated.

Tom arranged quite a number of wine tastings. 

We estimated we tried 49 different wines from Alsace! 

I love the buildings, and took dozens of photos. I've always been a fan of the "Fachwerk" style of exposed timber buildings. I lived in one while I went to college in Würzburg.

These days, the buildings are being appreciated again - and are well maintained. 

(In the 1970's, they were often thought hopelessly old-fashioned.)

We explored the entire region, from the wonderful old car museum in Mulhouse, through all the villages along the "Wine Route" - back to Strasbourg. 

And all along the way - stopping for a glass of wine.

A bit of a tasting. 

Especially good with the local brats and sauerkraut.

Wonderful Wines of Burgundy

I love Burgundy wines!

I don't know if I really knew that before.

In fact, I'm not sure I knew exactly where Burgundy was in France.

I didn't know that all Burgundy whites are Chardonnay, which I thought I didn't like.

But I like these.

I didn't know that Burgundy reds are Pinot Noir.

And, unlike the Bordeaux, they aren't blends.

Now, the names actually MEAN something to me.

Côte de Nuits. 

Rully. 

Côte de Beaune. 

Mâcon Villages. 

Puligny. 

Maranges. 

Montrachet. 

Pommard. 

Chitry. 

Meursault. 

And oh, man - they're REALLY GOOD.

Even up to Chablis, and down towards Côtes du Rhône. 

Flinty, silky, delicious.  

I didn't appreciate them enough while we were there. 

When we returned home, I tried to buy some of those names in the US- whew! Pricey!

And somehow - just - not as good. Probably just not the same atmosphere...

Traveling by bus and by train, we stop in various villages in France. 

We stay in a renovated bakery. 

In a medieval tower. 

In the attic of a 12th century abbey. 

In a small village near Santenay. 

Everywhere we go, we ask - 

"Where should we go next?" 

And then we go. 

No guidebook. 

No suitcase. 

Even walking is easy. 

And that senior train pass is a pleasure.

The towns are perfect Asterix towns!

I had no idea they were so wonderfully crooked!

Even though Burgundy wines are so well known, most of the villages and towns here are pretty sleepy. 

Rivers run through them. 

Bicycles are perfect. 

The buildings are old, and the people are delighted we came to visit. 

We're off the beaten Burgundy trail.

When possible, we borrow or rent bicycles and explore. 

It's exactly what I hoped to be doing.

At lunch time, there's always an excellent meal. 

With some delicious wine.

In the supermarket, there's an entire aisle for "Premier Cru" and "Grand Cru" wines only. 

In addition to the generous "regular" wine selection elsewhere in the store.

(As my Dad used to say - "Not too shabby.")

My Brother's Wine Cellar in Bordeaux

In Which:

Trish and Stan Learn New Things About Wine 
and Have a Great Time Doing It.

The French know how to live well. 

(Didn’t I say that before?)

The villages in Bordeaux are jam-packed with vineyards. 

There are 7 bottles on the table in front of us. 

Three of the people with us are winemakers. 

These are their wines. 

I love ALL of them.

There is a massive body of water in front of us, the Gironde estuary.

Where the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers meet.

We're in Blaye - near Bordeaux.

An old stone fortress - UNESCO Citadel of Blaye - on top of the hill.

A few excellent restaurants within its walls.

Below this building, my brother Tom has a wine cellar.

It's stocked with delicious wines:

Ones to drink now, keepers, magnums - reds, rosés, whites.

Upstairs is his apartment. 

Lovely, old stone and modern fixtures.

On the OTHER side of the big river is the Médoc. 

The more famous wines are there, the premier grand crus: 

Châteaux Latour, Lafite, Margaux, Mouton-Rothschild. 

I’ve learned I prefer the right side of the river.

Son Mikey checks out the current selection.

These guys are INTO wines. 

We swirl and sniff.

Discuss the world in a mixture of languages and vintages. 

Even the barrels and the corks are a specialty subject. 

Then the meals - delicious!

There are a few glasses on that table...

Course after course,.

Each paired with bottles of wines that we bring along under our arms. 

Everyone knows each other here. 

Twice a week, there’s a market.

The fruits are ridiculously beautiful and delicious. 

The cheeses are handmade. 

The seafood was swimming this morning. 

The sausages handmade, stuffed with olives, truffles, chanterelle mushrooms. 

(The one with the olives is my favorite.) 

Every vendor is an expert, and INTO what they do.

Did I even mention the oysters?

It's kind of a Sunday morning tradition. With champagne.

We learn about cheeses. 

Crêpes. Mussels. Oysters. 

And of course, wines. 

We tour wineries.

Some are family affairs, and we wind up sharing lunch under a tree. 

Then Stan plays music and he and Tom send off Tom’s drone in the vineyards. 

Lunch cooked by the winemaker on the open fireplace. 

Others are rather grand affairs.

What they all share is an incredible passion for making good wines.

Brother Steve from DC joins us, and Mikey and Iris from Berlin.

It becomes a family reunion. 

-Bring on another magnum and a couple dozen oysters! 

Don’t forget the fresh warm baguettes!

Did you know that Bordeaux wines don’t give you a headache the next day? 

Something to do with biodiversity, no sulfites, natural. 

But I’ll vouch that it’s true. 

Did you know it’s forbidden to water or fertilize or even to cover Bordeaux vines from hail? 

Nothing added. Nada. Niente. Nichts. Rien.

During the day, we take bicycles along the “rails to trails” system. 

The "Greenways".  Les "Voies Vertes".

Being old railway tracks, the trails are almost flat. 

This section is part of the Santiago de Compostela trail. 

Through vineyards and towns from the middle ages. 

Always with a good bakery and a few good restaurants.  

And somewhere, a bottle of good wine.

Maybe even a picnic.

Absolutely “magnifique”! 

Thanks, Tom!