Vance Roy is well-known within the IdyllChat community. As a dedicated Untourist in the 70's and 80's, he fell in love with Switzerland. So much, in fact, that he packed up his things and moved there! We lost him as a customer, but are happy to keep him as a supporter of the Untour concept, and an experienced advisor for new Untourists. On idyllchat, Vance regularly posts opinions and comments on travel and current Swiss events.

When Idyll President Hal Taussig was putting together the new Alsace Untour in Spring of 2000, he invited Vance to come along to "kick the tires" a bit. Hal knew that Vance would be perfectly willing to speak his mind as to the suitability of Alsace as an Untour destination. Vance didn't just come along for the ride, he wrote a full report on his experience in Alsace, which he posted to IdyllChat. We have posted his reports here for those who would like to learn more about Alsace.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I cleared out of Sachseln on a train bound for Basel by way of Luzern at about 1000. At the Basel Bahnhof, I caught the PTT bus for the Basel airport about 10 minutes away. Once there, I cleared customs to the french side and picked up my rental car that Idyll had waiting for me. I then drove toward Colmar on the expressway. As I left Colmar's suburbs, i could see on my left the Vosges mountains. These reminded me of the Smoky mountains in my home state of Tennessee. Old mountains that are distinctly non-alpine in character. The eastward slopes of these mountains get little rain and are perfect for grape vines. The vineyards are lush and green and the mountains behind them even more verdant.

I was to meet my landlady in the village of Bergheim a few kilometers north of Colmar. I turned off onto a small country road leading to this medieval small town and was there in a few minutes. It was past noon when I parked the car on the side of a narrow cobblestoned street barely wide enough for two cars to pass. Before I began to look for my contact, I decided it was past lunch time. I went into a bakery that advertised sandwiches and asked for one. The lady asked if ham was OK, and when I said yes, she took a baguette, cut it in half and went into the back room emerging in a moment, with a homemade sandwich which went down easily. After my lunch, I got directions to the tourist office. Since it was after 1400, I found it open and met the twin sister of my landlady, who was expecting me. She hopped into her car and I followed her to her home in Ribeauville a few kilometers away. her home contained the apartment that was to be mine for the next week. She gave me a quick rundown on the mechanics of the place, brought me things to drink for the refrigerator, got me set up with the TV, etc.. There will be more about the apartments in later reports.

With my arrival, I found a message from Hal giving me the address of the Jaeger apartment and inviting me to meet him along with Ellen and Dodge from Idyll in a nearby village of Zellenberg that evening. First, I had to make a run for the grocery store. The landlady had mentioned a large one in town, so I headed down to the center of Ribeauville to the tourist office. There I found a pleasant and very helpful lady who spoke english with an enchanting french accent. I explored the Grand Rue a bit which I was to do many times during my visit and then headed to the edge of town to the grocery. The grocery store was a marvel much like a large one would be anywhere. It is called LeClerc and is filled with all sorts of wonderful goodies. I loaded up with some of the good foreign beer and wines, fruit, cheese, bread, olives, and a variety of pre-packaged things to eat. I also found some Boudin, the wonderful country french sausage that i had once eaten in Lyon on another trip. Boudin is one of those things that is delicious, but one does not want to read the ingredients.

After stowing my eatables in the apartment, I set out for the 2 kilometer ride to Zellenberg to meet Hal. Zellenberg is hard to describe. One lane streets, ancient facades on houses, a fountain or two, and practically no one about. I would not have been a bit surprised if a knight had rounded a corner on his horse at any minute. The only symbol of modern time were the cars parked here and there. It sits on a hill and has most of its medieval wall intact around it. I found the Jaeger apartment and met my friends from Media there. Shortly after, the lady who is to become Madame Idyll in Alsace came in. She is Vivian Baller, a vivacious and highly intelligent woman who came to Alsace from Springfield, MA when she married an Alsatian anesthesiologist some twenty years ago. Vivian has tourism interests in Alsace and can give great information on just about any aspect of life there. Where Hal digs these people up, I'll never understand, but Vivian is destined to be another Max in Provence, Baron in Germany, or Agnes or Berit in Switzerland.

We all followed Vivian to another nearby village named Riquewihr. more about Riquewihr later, but it does have a wonderful restaurant in a secluded little street best reached on foot called Le Sement d'Or (I think). this means something like The Golden Vine. This turned out to be the fanciest meal of the trip with all of us having a marvelous repast lasting so long that we were the last to leave except the service personnel.

It was past midnight when I plopped my jet lagged head (I was one day back from a USA trip then) onto a pillow.

After our late night out, recovery from my jet lag due to the USA return flight was still a thing to anticipate. Hal and I had decided that we wanted to do a walk in the area. We had discussed that with Vivian the night before, and she had advised us on what maps, etc. to get. I found the map and a walking guide in the tourist office in Ribeauville, so we were off after a somewhat late start.

Really, we were lost from the beginning. The guide walked us through the Grand Rue of Ribeauville with directions toward the ruins of two ancient castles. Suffice it to say, that we found ourselves making progress out of town on a road toward the castles above but never really sure of just where we were to enter the forest. After a stop at a vineyard office, we headed off into and up in the forest on a walker's path. I have to say that hiking in a woods is not my cup of tea. I find it boring as a rule.

Above the tree line is better for me. However with Hal to keep up the chatter and his cardiac pulse meter beeping either when we were too slow or too fast, we had a nice stroll. We came to the huge ruins of what was an old abby, I guess. It was an old church with assorted buildings called Notre Dame de Dusenbach. Being intent on these other castle ruins, we just briefly checked it out and moved onward and upward. We paralleled a creek most of the way called the Dusenbach. The forest was filled with nice new spring growth and flowers. One could also see much evidence of the hurricane damage done here 26 December, 1999 as well as in CH by the storm called Lothar. A lot of clearing of downed trees remains to be done, but these didn't hinder the way very often. After several pit stops for water and chocolate (they have lots of the good CH stuff in Alsace), we got to a point where we wondered if we were ever going to see these castles. We were on an obvious path but map consultation did little to reassure us. After some discussion about if we were on the right path and where in the world we were going, all of a sudden we were in a four path junction with good signage. Unfortunately, the signs pointed to villages and not castles. By this time the hour was moving on, so we didn't care. We just wanted to find a way back to Ribeauville. We had no desire to get to another village only to have to walk or hitchhike back to our car.

Still, we were hale and hearty. No damage done, but no castles seen. We left this area toward the village of Ribeauville. A very short time later a fork in the path appeared with no signs. To the right a footpath, to the left, what appeared to be a wider way. I think Hal would have taken the footpath, but I prevailed that the wider way was best, so off we went. It was a downhill that soon became a very steep downhill. So much so, that one had to hold to branches so as not to tumble down. It then became evident that what we took as a path was just an area where logs had been moved downward in clearing the storm damage. The ground was dry but soft, the footing not very good, and we were flat out lost big time now. We agreed on that, but not what to do. I voted to return upward. Hal looked and said in this small voice, "I can't do that". So, what to do? Leave this Icon of Idyll Untours and go alone? He with this cardiac beeper on? No way was I going to do that. Besides it was "my" path that we had taken. We continued downward, over and under piles of logs, but always downward.

At this time, Hal begins to regale me with stories of his life in the Rocky Mountains and his reunions with cousins, etc.. He assured me that from his experiences being lost before, that if one followed the path that water follows (or some such), that one would reach an outlet to a path home. His tales of being lost before, spending nights in inoperative rental cars, and other adventures didn't ease my concerns very much. At least he had been lost before and was still here! He did say at one time, "We are a little bit lost." I had to remind him that some people have always accused him of being a "little bit lost" on a long term basis. He could see my point on that too.

Since I am here to tell the tale, it becomes obvious that we did find a veritable four lane autobahn out of this forest eventually. We began to meet others who assured us that we were going to Ribeauville, and we walked by a man tending his bee hives for some of that wonderful French honey (the kind you put on biscuits). By 1400, we were back on the Grand Rue of Ribeauville, where Idyll sprang for a cold beer and some lunch. That was really good beer! Hal was then off to a dinner with someone, and I headed back to my apartment for another beer, a shower, and a nap.

To top the day off, I sat on my balcony and watched people strolling up the very path that we should have taken. You could see the way from my apartment. If I had looked out that morning, I might have seen where to go. Then, I wouldn't have a war story to tell though, would I? the next time i will get to those ruins!

On day three of my Alsatian visit, I started out in Bergheim. Bergheim looks like a village that never left the middle ages. As I have said, without the cars in the streets, the whole of this area looks from the outside much like it did five or six centuries ago.

I wandered the streets making some pics, and then, lo and behold!, where did I find myself but in the tasting room of the Thirian vineyards. What to do? Well, taste of course! I did this and bought a bottle of cremant and a bottle of Mirabelle eau de vie. Cremant is otherwise known as champagne outside the area of Champagne, and Mirabelle is a type of plum that I understand has no US equivalent. My bottle of cremant is as yet, a virgin, however, the Mirabelle has been violated here at home. It is a delicious brandy. It was interesting that when one buys eau de vie, one is given a confirmation allowing the transport in a car of up to 3 liters of spirits. This is in case of a police stop. Wines do not fall under this rule. Another thought about tasting is that the legal driving limit in France is 50 mg% so a glass of wine could put you over the top unless you are eating and waiting some time before driving.

Finishing with my purchases, I then decided it was time to get up to a castle. I took off in the direction of the village of Thannenkirch and passing through this small hamlet, made my way up to the Haut Koenigsbourg. This is visible for miles and reached in about 15 minutes drive from the valley via a winding road. it dates from about the 12th Century and has been bounced around through wars, family fights, destruction of parts of it, etc. since then. This leaves one with a huge castle, but one that looks like it was constructed by a committee of blind architects. On a mantel in the castle is an inscription by the German Emperor, Wilhelm II, "I did not want this." The castle and area about it are great for walking, and the views from this area down both sides of the valley are spectacular. It was well worth my visit.

After returning to the valley and Ribeauville, I decided to do some shopping and looking along the Grand Rue of this pleasant village. I was pleased to see that the prices for basics were in line with those of the supermarket on the edge of town. The street is full of people and is car-free on weekends when there are the most tourists around. The shops carry the usual souvenirs, but the stores with pates, spirits, and other foodstuffs were of most interest to me. I bought pate and the spicy Gewurztramier wine to bring home. Mostly, I just gawked at the wares available. There is even one store exclusively devoted to nothing but beer from all over the world.

On this day, Hal and I were together again, but we did not get lost. We did take a wrong turn or two though. Hal was going to travel to Switzerland and had to catch an early afternoon train from Colmar. This seemed like a good opportunity to see Colmar again. I had been there many years ago and wanted to see the Isenheim altar panels at the Museum Unterlinden once more. There is also a museum of works by Bartholdi, who created the Statue of liberty. That will have to wait for another trip.

The trip from Zellenberg to Colmar can be made on the expressway or by taking some small country roads. We went first the small road route, and I came back by the expressway. Colmar is a city but not one hard in which to drive. A parking spot right across the street from the train station was available. There was a four hour limit, but the two hours at noon don't count. Therefore, we got six hours of time for our money. A short walk got us to our goal for the day.

The Unterlinden is hard to describe. It is a former convent but has been a museum since 1850. There are many other works in it besides the altar panels. We surveyed lots of Alsatian folk art, paintings, etc. before coming to the panels which are the heart of the treasures to be found in the museum. The panels are in the former convent chapel and are accompanied by diagrams which explain how they could be opened. There are benches upon which one can sit to contemplate these magnificent art works. Some of the pictures do more than I can to show the beauty of the paintings.

After the museum, we visited the tourist office across the street and then wound our way back to the train station for a lunch before Hal's train time. I had a wonderful Alsatian dish there called Flammekueche. This is a wafer thin dough sheet covered with cream cheese and onions, and then flamed to come out similar to a pizza.

After Hal's departure, i got the car and made a trip back toward the countryside. Upon leaving the expressway, I found myself on small two lane roads going through acres and acres of vineyards. One frequently sees picnics in progress as tourist simply pull over to sit among the vines for a lunch of bread, cheese, perhaps foie gras, and of course, wines. One of the sterling aspects of Alsace for me is the ability to travel short distances and see things change so much. All these little medieval places could easily warrant a half day at least in which to walk, wine taste, sight see, and eat.

Since Riquewihr had been covered with tourist traffic yesterday, I decided to go there early today. Riquewihr is said to be the most visited town in Alsace, and I believe it. It is one of the most picturesque also. The streets were almost empty this day until about an hour later when the tour buses arrived. It gave me a chance to wander around a bit.

The houses are decorated with as many flowers, if not more, than most houses in CH. This and their colorful paint jobs make the whole village seem as a flower itself. I found the shops to be only marginally more expensive than other villages. Guess competition is the reason. I prowled around until a decent hour to have a glass of wine. Then I settled at an outdoor spot and had a glass of the best Gewurztraminer that I have ever tasted.

It was there that I learned about the older variations of this wine, the Vendanges Tardives. They are pricey, but absolutely the most spice laden wines that I have ever tasted. I made a vow to take some home right then. Right next to the outdoor cafe was a souvenir stand with a guy who played a really good clarinet. Having Benny Goodman and Alsatian wine isn't a bad way to start a day. All in all, Riquewihr is not to be missed. Go early so you can park close to it.

My next stop was Kientzheim, a tiny spot on the way to Kayserberg. As I drove by a tasting cave, the man gave me a wave, so I parked and went in. It was there that I made a purchase of the Gewurztraminer to bring home.

After reaching Kayserberg, I parked and walked over the bridge to the main part of the village. I found the Albert Schweitzer house and museum. This was an interesting place showing how this native son of this tiny village had made such an impact on humanity in the primitive African continent. It is full of momentoes and pictures of the man and his works. While walking along the streets, I found a bakery and decided on the lo cal special lunch of one chocolate eclair and one blueberry tart.

A disappointing trip to La Poutroie ended the day's sojourn. I had hoped to get some fruit brandies and Munster cheese there, but this was a closed day for the distillery. On the way back to my apartment, I passed a great sidewalk store run out of a van in the village of Mittlewihr, with huge loaves of bread and good cheese and sausages. Dinner was a success that night!

Day six began with Dodge Amaral and Ellen Peters. I asked them to show me the Idyll apartments that they had secured for next year's Untour of Alsace. So, off we went in our car to visit the villages and see the apartments. Of course I had seen the Zellenberg apartment where Hal, Ellen, and Dodge had been, as well as my own in Ribeauville. The others in Bebelheim and Bergheim were visited, and several of the landladies were out to greet us.

As I left Dodge and Ellen to their other pursuits, I drove down the hill from Zellenberg to be greeted by a stork taking a casual stroll right down the middle of the road. Two small boys were guarding the bird and making sure that traffic was diverted.

I then made my way to Hunewihr, a small less known village that isn't in some of the books on Alsace. It still had a non-touristy atmosphere with great old architecture and the ever present vineyards nearby. The next stop for me was St. Hippolyte. I had a purpose in that visit. This village is a good spot to taste and find the red wine produced in Alsace.

Since reds are rare here, I wanted to try some and maybe take some home. St. Hippolyte has narrow street with little tasting areas stuck off and behind some of the buildings but with signs as to how one gets to them. I found a spot that looked good and rang the bell. A very nice lady invited me in and I had my first tasting of an Alsatian red. I bought two bottles, and she took me to the warehouse to fetch it. I tried to speak my german with her, but her english was excellent.

As I left St. Hippolyte, I took the road up toward the Konigsberg castle arriving in a small village called Kintzheim. Taking a left there one finds the way to Velerie des Aigles which is a park where shows are given in the afternoon featuring eagles. I had no time to wait an hour or so, but it looked like a good spot for a picnic and entertainment.

Backtracking a little, I found myself in Chatnois at lunch time. I settled in at La Vignette for a late lunch of another flammkuechen and a bowl (yes a bowl not a dish) of creme brulee. Talk about sinful! Then it was time to push on for home with groceries to buy on the way.

Today, I decided to head for the heights. I drove up in the Vosges mountains above the vineyards and villages toward a place called St. Marie aux Mines. The road is full of curves and climbs steadily, but the traffic is sparse. This town (bigger than the usual villages below on the plain) was a textile and mining center in past years. It now seems to have many enterprises. It has a mineral museum, but at noon it was not open, so I drove on back toward the valley. I took a cutoff road that I had seen on the way up to a tiny hamlet called Abure.

Abure is a few buildings, a chapel, and a combination kiosk/restaurant where I had lunch before driving back to Ribeauville. The cemetery at the church is beautiful and out of character for such a small place. One should not miss going up into those mountains. They are filled with shady drives and cool on a warm day. I passed many walking paths where one could park and take a stroll also.

Since day 8 was a travel day, there was not a lot to say about the drive back to turn my car in at the Basel airport. I had determined that I was way over my limit with wines and spirits to try to fool customs where I re-entered Switzerland, so I was going to bite the bullet and pay duty on the excess. I strode through the red door of "items to declare". Not a soul in sight! Coffee break? I just decided that I certainly wasn't going to ask them to let me pay duty, and I scooted onward home free.

A few words about "my" apartment might be of interest. Brian had said that I would be in a small place suitable for one person. So much for that! I was in a spacious place with two levels. It had at least room for six. There is a nice patio behind, a balcony for evenings, and a garage. There was a nice kitchen with a stove that had both gas and electric eyes. There are more plates, etc. and cooking utensils than in some restaurants. The bath is more than adequate, but if six stayed there, some sort of protocol would be needed for that. The sleeping areas have skylights that open but that also have shades to close out the daylight if wished. The TV has german, french, and english channels.

My landlady, Jeanine, is a twin sister of Frau Gosskost, who is a landlady in Bergheim and who will be a mainstay of Idyll's support in Alsace. Jeanine spoke great german but determined that I should learn more French, so I tried. She was very gracious.

OK, here is my prediction: I think Alsace could well become another Switzerland as far as popularity goes. I believe that it will also become a great third add on week for folks taking Untours in France, Germany, and Switzerland . Despite my lack of real French enthusiasm, I plan to make my own return trip there soon.