Hi Sue,

> I'm afraid to drive in Germany or Austria!

Off the Autobahns, it is almost exactly like driving in France. Road signs, directions, etc are uniform all over the EU.

Driving on the Autobahns is not something to fear, but it requires paying close attention when you want to pass.

Unless you are in a high-powered car, like a Benz or BMW, your car is likely to be underpowered, so you have to get ready fairly early to downshift, get up to speed, go around, get back in lane.

If you see a car in your left-hand mirror, don't pull out until you are sure that it is safe.

BTW, the mirrors in Europe give a much better view than those in the US.

I think that the worst drivers we encountered were in Alsace. They have the Germanic love of speed, coupled with a French flair for spontaneity.

Such a wonderful trip report, Ira!

"Their beer is Stiegl – excellent – a head like whipped cream, tiny bubbles and very good balance between malt and hops."

In 2003, DH and I spent a long weekend in Salzburg, your description of the beer is so good I can almost taste it!

Could do without the Hag, however, lol. DH and I both would have massive headaches from the lack of caffeine.

The food descriptions have made me hungry.

Thank you for taking me along on this journey with you, your report is a wonderful read!

May 23 Weather: Beautiful
Checked out of the Zum Hechten and headed ofr Linderhof Palace. Found the B17 with no difficulty. Took this to the B179 South, where my Viamichelin directions said to exit at Reutte. It didn’t mention that there is a Reutte North and a Reutte South. The South turned out to be the correct one.

We followed Krecklemoosstrass (love the name) to Germany, where it became ST 2060, with signs pointing to Linderhof. This is a very pretty road, especially the part that runs along the Plansee.

We both think that Linderhof is the best of Ludwig’s fantasy palaces. The Venus Grotto is well worth the climb up the hill.

We left Linderhof about 2:00 PM and arrived in Mindelheim (recommended by Budman as a rest stop) about 5:00 Pm, having passed through Oberramergau (pretty, painted buildings), visited the Wieskirch (well worth the detour), and traveled the byways around Steingaden, Ob, Thalhofen, Pforzen, and Lauchdorf, among others. Very pretty, bucolic scenery and some pleasant old villages.

At Mindelheim, we stayed at the Hotel Stern (www.hotel-stern.org), which is much nicer than its website depicts. It is actually a 3* - 70E/nite dbl with bkfst. We recommend this for a nice place to stop along the Romantic Road.

Their beer is Memminger – VG. The dunkle is much like a UK bitters, and the Premium is VVG.

We had dinner (32E) on their terrace (much more pleasant than depicted):
Spargel with Venison steak, Spinach crepes in tomato sauce, salads, and a bottle of Austman Zweigelt 2004 – a very pleasant red, not unlike a Beujolais.

After dinner, we wandered around the pleasant Old Town, and so to bed.

May 24 Weather: Hot high of 31
After breakfast - a very nice spread including lachs, many kinds of meats and cheeses, as well as the usual fare – we headed off for Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

We followed the B16 North to Donauworth, where we picked up the B2 to Treuchtlingen and then the ST2216 through Wassertrüdingen and Dinkelsbühl (along with little farm villages) before taking the B25 North to the A7 and RodT.

Scenery was very pleasant - prosperous farm country with rolling hills. We found Dinkelsbühl interesting (Michelin gives it a star).

Arriving in RodT, we easily navigated our way to the House Karin, missing the turn only once. (See www.haus-karin.de/engl.htm and http://www.bensbauernhof.com/hauskar...enburgodt.html)

Mrs. Karin Weiss is a very peppy, older woman who takes care of her guests with great joy. There is beer (she prefers Oettinger), juice and water in the fridge whenever you want some. Her breakfasts are substantial, and she is willing to prepare (within reason) extras for the guests.

We were given a mini-suite on the first floor. Queen bed, sitting area with couch and two arm chairs, a table that could accommodate 4 and a separate, private bath – 46E/nite dbl w/bkfst.

We very highly recommend staying with her. Before you leave, do be sure to return the guide book to RodT that she gives you.

House Karin is about an 8 min walk into the heart of the old town. Upon her recommendation, we walked over to the Altfränkische Weinstube for dinner. A pleasant place, with acceptable food, but nothing notable. Wandered about for a while in the pleasant evening (it had finally cooled down) before returning to Haus Karin, and so to bed.

May 25 Weather: Very hot High of 35C
After breakfast we visited the town in the relative cool of the morning. Toward noon, we stopped in at Käthe Wohlfart because it’s air conditioned, but found ourselves intrigued by the displays and the goods. (www.wohlfahrt.com).

Found a café with an awning for a couple of brews and a snack, but had to return to our room about 3:00 PM because of the heat. Mrs Weiss brought us two Kaffee Eis. Yummy.

As the sun began to set, and the temperature dropped to a reasonable level, we walked down to Mittermeir for dinner.

This is a find. www.mittermeier.rothenburg.de
Michelin gives it two red crossed spoons. I think that it is better than that.

The hotel has two restaurants: Die Blau Sau (The Blue Sow), an enoteca with an Italian menu (German translation), below the terrace, and the Gourmet Restaurant, on the terrace and indoors. The décor is subdued and very pleasant.

We were escorted to a table on the Terrace, with a view of the Wurzburger Tor, and offered aperitifs. We chose a Hoffman Rivaner (very dry) and an Alter Weingert from the house vineyard (fruity, but dry).

Amuse bouche: a little cup of horseradish mousse topped with a cassis aspic. Individually, the mousse was too hot, and the aspic was too sweet. Together, it was an excellent stimulus to the tastebuds. Excellent idea.

There are only two menus: 4 courses for 79E or 5 courses for 89E. Of course, you can mix and match or order a la carte, but if the chef has prepared a menu I think that one should give him a chance. So we took one of each.

To save time and space, I’m skipping the full description. Both menus are shown on the Mittermeir website.

It should be noted, that after dinner I worked with thr maitre d’ on converting his much-too-literal English translations into menu-English. For example, “with lemongras steamed dearsaddle” became “Lemongrass steamed saddle of venison”, and “souflée of low fat curd cheese” was turned into “Soufflée of farmer’s cheese”, which I think sounds much tastier.

In addition to wines mentioned above, I had 2005 Silvaner Spätlese – floral and woody aromas with tastes of Kräuterbutter (an herb blend); an unoaked Chardonnay from the family vineyards – just right; a very pleasant Pinot Blanc; a Trauberschwarz with the venison – light and fruit-filled, yet dry; and a Schmitt’s Kinder Rundersackerer Sonnenstuhl Scheurebe Auslese 2003 with dessert – Honey and herbs, good body and lovely color. All of the wines came from within 75 km of RodT. Best food we had eaten in almost a week. 250E with tip.

Very well satisfied, we returned to Haus Karin, and so to bed.

No, we didn’t go on the Night Watchman’s tour. It would have required having dinner before the tour (much too early for me) or after the tour (much too late for LW).

Great Report Ira!! Thanks so much for all the information and the great description. It's a pleasure to read your trip reports.

Excellent report, Ira. Love the Pepys sign-off; that always makes me smile. And of course thank you for all the mouth-watering descriptions.

Ira! Did you say 35c in Rothenburg in May? Say it wasn't so. Hoping, J.

Maximum was 30C on the 25th and 11C on the 28th. May was "not so good" except for the days Ira was here. Don't know, how he does it!

hi again, Ira,

I'm glad that your guess about what "brustige" means was better than your knowledge of makes of coffee.

"Hohenschwangau is interesting. Ludwig lived here as a child. It is possible that this is why he turned out to be somewhat weird."

if you have toured buck House, you may feel that it also explains a lot.

regards, nn

PS - my experience with my friends who live in the Pfalz is that the serve a particularly tasty potato slald with fish, not sauerkraut.

perhaps they just had a lot over from the day before?

May 26 Weather: Clear and sunny high about 22 C
After breakfast, we packed up and headed for Schwäbish Hall, taking the A7 South to the A6, and then West to the B19.

Arrived, just in time to see the last of the market stalls packed up and taken away. Oh well.

Schwäbish Hall is interesting, but I suggest visiting it before Rothenburg.

We took the B19 South to where it met the A7, and followed that to Lindau. The B19 was a pleasant rode to drive.

Arrived Lindau about 3:30. Got lost for a while, because I didn’t go far enough West to the train station. Reoriented myself, and found the Schrier very easily from the train station. (www.hotel-schreier.de)

Note on the difference between Austrians and Germans: When you are going the wrong way on a one-way street, Austrians blink their lights and politely tell you that you are going the wrong way, Germans blink their lights and then yell at you to turn yourself around, “mach schnell!”.

Note on cars: Lindau is a small, very popular, crowded island. There is little parking. The Schreier had 5 spaces assigned to it at a parking lot nearby. Other hotels’ reserved parking took up about half of that lot.

The Schreier is located on the Seepromenade at the Färbergasse. Excellent location opposite the harbor. The staff was very nice, the hotel is spotless, the room was large, with a garden terrace overlooking the lake and beautiful view of the Swiss mountains. We were greeted with chocolate and a half-bottle of wine in our room. My Lady Wife was very pleased.

We checked ourselves in and plopped down on our terrace to drink all of the provisions in the mini-fridge and watch the passing scene. About 6:00 PM, a small demonstration gathered outside the hotel. After the speeches, we were treated to an hour or so of ‘60s protest songs, jugglers and other entertainers.

The hotel manager suggested that we have dinner at Zum Sunfzen, for a traditional Bavarian meal. Since we had already done so, I complimented her on her perspicacity.

It pays to make reservations. It was the Whitsunday weekend, and everyone was on holiday. We, however, were given a table for 4 under an umbrella, with a real table cloth. Their beer is Meckatzer. The Weiss Gold was very good.

We had the Sunfzenglück for 2, which surprised me as Roberta doesn’t usually do sauerkraut with game and sausage. Zum Sunfzen gets its game from its own preserve, butchers its own meat and provides fish from the Bodensee. Very, very good, substantial, hearty fare and very good service. Dinner with a half liter of wine and a liter of beer, 55 E.

After dinner we strolled about before returning to the hotel. And so to bed.

May 27 Weather: Sunny and hot
Arising early, I wandered about taking pix in the quiet, almost empty town before returning to the hotel and breakfast with my Lady Wife.

This was served at the Eis Café. Hotel guests had a reserved section on the terrace, with table cloths and real napkins. Classy. The usual fare was served. Coffee was particularly good.

We checked out of the hotel, retrieved the car, and headed West on the E54. It was my intention to avoid driving in Switzerland, as I am too cheap to pay 35E for less than a day’s use of a ‘vignette’.

Beautiful drive along the Bodensee to the A81, and then onto the B31 heading West. This was a very scenic road. We followed it to Titisee, drove around the lake (avoiding tour buses as much as possible) and transferred to the B317. Here we ran into rain, wind and fog. The temperature dropped to 11 C. A very welcome relief from the heat.

Once again, we had no difficulty with mountain passes. The only time we encountered a possible problem, it was so foggy that Roberta couldn’t see the precipice. I couldn’t either, but had no problem tootling along at 20 kph.

Skies cleared as we approached Basel, skirted the city and enterd France. Here we picked up the D419 toward Altkirch and Belfort. This was a very nice drive through pleasant farm country.

At Belfort we took the A36 West until Exit 2.1, where we shifted to the N73, bypassed Dole and entered Beaune on the D973. This brought us directly the the Hotel Grillon.

Eagerly waiting for this portion our your report!

The Grillon (www.hotel-grillon.fr)is a pleasant old building situated behind a gated fence in a pleasant residential neighborhood near the edge of Beaune. It shares the property with a restaurant, Le Verger, and what appears to be a private residence. It was recently renovated.

Our room was of a reasonable size, with a full, modern bath, overlooking the back. Roberta says it should have had more closet space. You can also have a similar-size room facing the street (11-15) with shower only at a lower cost. It was about a 15 min walk into the center of town. We can readily recommend this hotel.

After checking in, I headed off to find one of the two local supermarchés that I had noted. Unfortunately, I left my maps in the room. I proceeded to get very lost. As storm clouds gathered, I got to see parts of the city that the tourist rarely finds.

The secret to driving in Beaune is to remember that the peripheral road goes counter-clockwise around the town. Don’t go through town. It’s all one-way streets going the wrong way.

Finally got back to the hotel in a pouring rain.

Never did find the supermarchés.

Dinner at “Le Verger”. This is a very nice room, done in the Art Moderne style. Service was peasant and very discreet.

After our aperitifs, white wine for LW, and a Campari soda for me, we had an amuse bouche of tomato juice made on premises and served in a graduated cylinder – an amusing conceit.

Roberta had the 25E menu – escargot en crooute, salmon fillet, ice cream. I had the 39E menu – marbré de foie gras, Bar (fish) with a slice of sausage and black rice risotto, 5 cheeses out of 12 offered, and a gaufre (waffle) with a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Wine was a Premier cru Chablis – 34E.

Before our coffees, we were given a small beaker of an infusion of herbs along with a tuile cookie that looked like a slice of salami, but wasn’t.

That night there was a birthday party, a table of 12 on a business trip, and 3-4 assorted couples. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. All of the men wore jackets.

A very nice dinner. 120E with tip (just round up – this is France)
And so to bed.

May 28 Weather: dreary and rainy in the AM, very nice in the PM.
Had a very nice bkfst, usual fare of rolls, croissant yoghurt, etc. If you like boiled eggs, you can cook your own to whatever doneness you like.

As we tried to decide what to do, the rain lifted, and we set off for a drive in the countryside.

We visited Autun – well worth a few hours, Saulieu – interesting, Bligny sur Ouche – charming, but the steam train wasn’t running and returned to Beaune.

We had a snack at a local bar – half pitcher of aligoté was very fresh, clean and fruity – and went off to the Marché aux Vins. The exhibit is arranged as a tour through a chateau’s cave. Wines to be tasted are set on candlelit barrels. You use a tastevin (provided with the admission fee) to taste each bottle. There are recorded guides to the history of the region and its wines along the route.

It was a pleasant experience. We thought that the wines weren’t bad. They were certainly overpriced.

Wandered about a bit, returned to the hotel to change and went off to “Le Pommard” in Pommard. I’d chosen this restaurant because of my original plans to spend the day touring Burgundy as far north as Tanlay and stopping there before oing back to the hotel, but decided that 8:30 hr on the road was not a good idea.

The resto is in the cellar of a wine shop attached to a vineyard. A narrow circular stair leads to a small, white-washed, vaulted room that is rather charming. Three local couples were also there. Service was good. Food was OK. Wines, from the vineyard, were OK.

LW was a bit put off, because the other diners kept staring at her. I explained that it was because they had never seen such a classy dame before.

If you are ever in Pommard, this is not a bad place to stop.

Returned to hotel, had a nightcap from room service, and so to bed.

May 29 Weather: overcast, chilly slight drizzle
After bkfst, we headed off to Dijon, where Coco had been nice enough to invite us along while she took Rob and Harriet to the market at Les Halles.

Took the byroads through various villages and arrived at the Pl Darcy garage. Took the ticket from the machine and entered. Followed the signs down, and down, and down, and down until we finally found a spot on Level L. It goes down as far as N.

All the way, it sounded as if our car had developed a major problem. Each time I turned to the right, there was a harsh squeal. Upon parking, I inspect the tirses, etc, but found nothing. Shortly after, another car came down the ramp, making the same noise.

It turned out to be the no-skid finish on the ramp surface.

We took the elevator up to ground level, called Coco to tell her we were running late, and arrived at our meeting place without difficulty. Coco was a wonderful guide. Her apartment is very, very nice, and well located. We had a terrific time. You can see the video at http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35015626

After saying fond farewells to our Fodorite friends, we walked some of the Owl Trail (They have little owl plaques embedded in the sidewalks.) and returned to the car. Remember to take your parking ticket with you, you have to pay at the automatic machines before you go back to your car.

We followed the wine route back to Beaune, stopping for a couple of sips along the way, and our hotel. There we spent a pleasent hour or so killing off a haf-bottle of Nuit St. Georges and some cheese that we had acquired along the way before going into town for dinner.

We parked at the Pl Madeline and walked over to Pl Carnot. La Gourmandin being full, we chose what looked like a reasonable resto with terrace seating, La Concorde, and had the Menu. This is a Belle Epoque restaurant, LW had the escargot, Sandre in lobster sauce, tarte aux Pommes. I had the roast chicken in tarragon. Half-pichet of rouge and 1/2 pichet of rosé, 2 large café crème. Reasonably good food, not unreasonable price – 50E.

As we walked back toward the car, She Who Must Be Obeyed developed a desire for a Cognac. We rejected the first two clubs – much too noisy – and chose a small bistro – Le Cercle – near the Pl Madeline. This was “a clean, well lighted place”. The coffee, Cognac, Armagnac and Eau de Vie were very good. Several regulars in the place spoke no English, but were having a great time bantering with the owner – sometimes about the tourists – a group of 4 Brits and us.

After the British folks left, a gentleman asked if he could sit with us. He was 1/2-French and 1/2-German, married to a Swede and living in Denmark. He was in Beaune on a business trip. Very interesting fellow. We bought each other a round or two, and headed to our respective abodes.

Back to the Grillon about midnight – Madam at Le Cercle reminded her husband that they don’t stay open all night – and so to bed.

Thanks for all the helpful info presented in an engaging manner. Your were kind enough, Ira, to reply to an inquiry of mine a few months ago and give your planned route from Salzburg to the Bodensee. Now that you have driven that route, would you change any of the "legs" of that plan? You mentioned one pass being fogged in. Would you have any hesitation about driving that route in late October? I am worrying some that we might have to deal with snow. If that is likely, I should probably opt to train across lower Bavaria. Thanks for any info any of you want to pass along. PJK

Hi PJ,

>You mentioned one pass being fogged in. Would you have any hesitation about driving that route in late October? I am worrying some that we might have to deal with snow.<

Sorry, I don't have enough experience on that route to know if you would have a problem with snow and ice in Oct.

You might want to post the question for a general response.

If you rub the stomach of the owl on the church, it is supposed to bring you good luck. Students at the Universite de Dijon do it before exams all the time. I took a summer class at the Universite de Dijon many years ago and have kept in touch with the family I stayed with ever since. My daughter visited with them when she did her junior year at the Universite de Montpellier.

I have to say I really enjoyed your trip reports, as I have visited many of the places you visited and driven all around the Bodensee/Lake Constance. I have done home exchanges in St. Georgen (Black Forest) and Scheidigg in Allgau (Bavaria). I am sorry you did not get to the Marionnettentheater in Lindau. What the Germans and Austrians do with marionettes is truly amazing. They do operas with them and you would swar you are watching an opera on TV the marionettes are so lifelike.

I am about to go off on another home exchange--this time in Vienna. We have reservations for the marionettentheater at Schoenbrunn! I will be seeing "The Magic Flute" for the umpteenth time with marionnettes, but my girlfriend (meeting me in Vienna for part of the trip) has never seen this, so I had to do it again!

Of the places you visited, I have been to Fuessen, Lindau, Titsee, Beaune and Nancy. I have never been to Salzburg and probably will not get there this trip as I am going to do a side trip to Budapest.

Thanks so much for the wonderful trip report and video!

Good to know you found a "clean well-lighted place." Good story from Papa. PJK

Hi PJK (sorry ira),
We've visited Bavaria, Austria and Dolomites, including many alpine passes, in mid to late October four of the last six years. Haven't encountered any snow, ice or any winter type conditions. Actually, the weather was quite comparable to here in NJ. My opinion, I wouldn't hesitate to drive if these are your concerns.

Paul

May 30 Very nice 7C in the early AM, high of 20C
Arose early, as is my wont, and thought to take a tour of Beaune before it became busy. Quietly tiptoed form our room, down the corridor and out the front door. Drove the car to the entrance gate and entered the pass code. Nothing.

Checked the code – correct number. Checked the front door – code worked. Retried the gates – nothing. Considered climbing the fence. Decided I was more likely to knock it over than to climb over it. There I was, trapped on the hotel grounds - a prisoner.

Went back in and read fashion magazines until about 07:00 when Mr Grillon activated the front gate.

Went into town and took a few pix, drove out of town and took a few pix, stopped off at an intermarché and picked up an almond and a chocolate croissant (just to have something different) and returned to the hotel.

After breakfast we visited the Hotel Dieu. Very interesting. “The Last Judgement” by Weyden is an amazing piece. The detail is so fine, that they have installed a large magnifying glass that traverses the entire painting so that one can be awed by it.

Spent the rest of the day following the Michelin town walk, wandering about and people watching. Took a 1/2 bottle of Vosne Romanée Premier Cru – 2004 (13E) and some cheese back to the hotel, where we spent the rest of the afternoon sipping, munching and reading in the garden. A very pleasant day.

As we prepared to go to dinner, rain clouds appeared. Even though we took our umbrellas, it rained. Intrepid travelers that we are, we drove the 6 km to “Les Paulands” anyway. (www.lespaulands.com)

Dinner was served in a pleasant, glass-walled room overlooking the garden and the vineyards. It was very pleasant watching the rain come down, while we were dry and comfortable. Although they advertise menus starting at 26E, all that was offered this evening were the 59 and 76E menus for two. Since we couldn’t agree on either, we ordered a la carte.

Amuse bouche: Liver paté on toast and a gougere.
Mise en bouche: A very good cucumber and horseradish soup.

LW had: an excellent gazpacho with a sorbet of pimento (fantastic) and crème fraiche, the Coq marinated in Chardonnay accompanied by a spinach soufflé and the 3-ice cream assortment (choose from about 6) – vanilla w/Bourbon, vanilla w/Marc and lemon sorbet – these were accompanied by various fruits.

Ira had: a very good foie gras, Red Snapper with fennel and assorted veggies, and “Le Crumble”, an apple crumble with various fruits and a tart lemon sauce.

Dinner was accompanied by a Ch. Paulands Puligney Montrachet, which was excellent.

Our waiter was very good: pleasant, helpful with the menu choices and wines and discreet. A very pleasant, quiet dinner. 145E with tip.

The rain stopped, just before we left to return to the hotel. And so to bed.

May 31 Weather: Clear with fair weather haze
After breakfast, we packed up and headed for Kientzheim (near Colmar). We took the A6/A31 toward Dijon, skirted Dijon on the A31 and took the D70 toward Vesoul, easily navigated through the industrial area on the outskirts of Vesoul (very proud of self) onto the N57 toward Remiremont.

We made a pit stop at the Ruchan Hypermarché in Luxeuil les Bains, and had lunch at the Sun 7 self-serve buffet across from the supermarket. I hope that these folks are successful. The room looks like a McD, but they offer hot and cold platters, beverages and desserts of good quality ant reasonable prices.

A cheese plate and bowl of fresh fruit, marinated herring with a roll and a pitcher of rosé cost 9E.

Fortifies and gassed up, we continued on the N57, and picked up the D417 to Gérardmer. I had intended to take the D8 out of Gérardmer and head to Kientzheim on the N415, but we missed the turn.

Rather than go back, we continued on the D417, which turned out to be very serendipitous. The road climbs up and over the mountains, but it was not so precipitous that it caused Roberta much discomfort. We saw Lac Longemer. Made a quick detour to La Roche du Diable. Drove through beautiful mountain scenery, and then came out of the woods above the Munster Valley. Absolutely spectacular!

We dropped down into the valley, continued on to the outskirts of Colmar, followed the signs to Turkheim, Ammerschwihr and Kaysersberg, and were in Kientzheim in no time at all.

Kientzheim is a small, walled village that looks very old, but isn’t. Although the town dates back to the VIIIth Cent (Conesheim), a major battle (Poche de Colmar) in the closing months of WWII destroyed much of it.

We stayed at the Hotel Schwendi (http://perso.orange.fr/schwendi/index.htm), a very nice hotel with all modern amenities housed in several old buildings. Our room was in the new Annex (a XVIth Cent forge), with a balcony overlooking a courtyard. We were very pleased. The hotel is run by the Schille-Giese family, who also have vineyards and a winery.

After settling in, we went down to the square, where we enjoyed several glasses of wine from the region before dinner. Dinner was good. Afterward, we took a bottle of Schille-Geise Reisling up to our balcony and shared it with another couple who brought along a bottle of the Pinot Grise. Both very good.
And so to bed

Ira,

Another great trip report!

You write so well. I know that you're a professor. Are you an English professor?

Ira,

Enjoying your report...reminds me of the first trip I made to Germany, which was also in May, the height of Spargel season. I can still almost taste the Spargelcremesuppe today!

Was hoping to see that you made it past Andechs for lunch, and what I think is the best beer I've ever had, made at the monastery there. If you've never been, put it on your list for the next time you're in Bavaria. Stiegl was also a highlight during my visit to Salzburg. I also seem to recall a particularly nice Dornfelder trocken Rotwein I had somewhere along the Weinstrasse.

Thanks for the time and effort in the details!

Hey, Ira! Looks like you were following us! Not only in Dijon, but in Alsace as well. We were on many of those same roads just a day before you. We passed through Kientzheim on our way back to Grussenheim on Wednesday May 30 and were back in Kaysersberg on May 31. Maybe we should tie a Fodors flag to our cars so we can recognize each other on the road!

I'm enjoying your report. Wish I could write as well as you.