Neither Germany nor France… Alsace

When I first learned that Idyll was to begin their newest Untour in Alsace, France, it took me a while to make the connections in my memory. The narrow strip of prime real estate between Germany's Rhine River and France's majestic Vosges mountains was hardly in the news during my lifetime, and I’d spent years mastering the art of half-listening to my dad’s ‘war stories’. So when he had mentioned being in the Alsatian region during World War II, I managed to catch only the points that were interesting to me; such as the curiousness of the shrapnel that is to this day embedded under his skin and the stories of abandoned casks of wine discovered during late nights of exploring. Of course I now regret my selective listening.

Upon arriving in Alsace last spring, I was visually struck. At home in the States, I sometimes forget to mourn the fields and wooded areas that have become mini-mansion developments in my New Jersey hometown. Seeing the towns in Alsace reminded me that a community can come together to create stunning architecture and landscaping and preserve the beauty that has survived time.

Some Alsatian towns have been re-created from the ground up after being leveled during the war. These towns have combined historic architecture and a modern aesthetic in a delightfully European way. One church was rebuilt with a stained glass steeple that uses the noonday sun to cover the congregation in a mystical purple light. In the towns that managed to evade the artillery, the historic cobblestone streets are still perfectly intact. The half-timbered houses rise above the narrow streets with colors that catch the eye and blend with the beautifully cascading flowers in the window boxes. The fountains still flow, and often have well-tended flowerpots built into the artistry. There are benches in the town square, where the wise old members of the town can sit, relax, and watch the community grow around them. Their gossip flows with an Alsatian dialect that plays tricks on your ears; at first you think it’s German, then you’re sure it’s French.

One of the retired couples in Bergheim has offered their beautiful apartments for our use. A bottle of their own wine and tastes of German fruit-flavored beer were imbibed during our talks about the history of the area. They grew up together as children in Bergheim during the war. They went to the same school, but he was taught in German and she, being a few years younger, was taught in French. A few years difference encompassed an entire cultural shift. They now chat with each other in the local dialect. What they say is true: German nor French, Alsatians think of themselves as Alsatian.

The Alsatian communities do have strict guidelines regarding any changes made to the buildings and land around these historic towns. Simple changes, such as an extra entrance on the outside of a house, may be forbidden if the door alters the façade of the town. The result of these attentions to detail is a beauty that is fairytale perfect: European to the ‘nth’ degree. I asked a local whether Alsatians are born with green thumbs, they laughed and agreed that it seems to be a prerequisite. The flowers and vineyards are tended with such loving consistency; the beauty is there for everyone to enjoy.

The sense of local kinship is evident even down the sloping hills of grapevines. The vineyards are divided into many different plots, so that one vintner may have five different plots in five different places. This arrangement serves to offer different selections of grapes for the making of the incredibly delicious Alsatian wines. It also promotes the cooperation and communication of the townspeople by taking away the corporate ownership of large areas.

Missing were the high fences with ‘keep out’ signs. At first, I was nervous to take walks through the vineyards. But when I realized that no one person or company owned the large areas, I was no longer self-conscious to be walking amidst the rows and rows of graceful vines. The fear of being scolded by a cranky farmer was replaced by a peaceful joy to be welcomed into the heart of these ancient communities. Alsace has completely won me over and I’m sure it will do the same for our first year of enthusiastic Untourists.