Thursday, September 20, 2012

A Corner of Germany and One of France

With our visitors here and a rental car at hand, we thought we would go and see a bit of Germany and hop across the border to France just because it is right there. So we headed south along the Rhine towards Koblenz. Andrew had been here before, so he served as the guide.

We strolled through the old town to the giant Kaiser Wilhelm I (the grandfather) statue at the Deutsches Eck (German corner), where the Moselle and the Rhine meet. Having been bombed and destroyed during the War, the controversial statue was re-erected in the early 90s and now serves as a memorial to German reunification. 
 The view from the monument: Mother Moselle on the left and Father Rhine on the right.
 Fortress Ehrenbreitstein on the opposite shore of the Rhine - the second largest fortress in Europe still standing.
 What a place for a picnic! We felt some envious looks around us. 
 With our tummies filled, we strolled along the shore to the electoral palace. It housed no doubt some of the finest public bathrooms in the world. 
 Then it was time to climb back into the car to head further south through the Palatinate (wine everywhere) across the border to Wissembourg, France. A little medieval town only one kilometer into the Alsace, but what a difference. 
 After much research, we picked this restaurant for our big French meal out. We had been daydreaming about these dishes for weeks. It turned out that it was a good choice.
 Anticipation
Enjoying a wonderful meal!
How about that for dessert? Crème brûlée, calvados, profiteroles and armagnac. 
Somebody was slowly getting tired though. Sophie has been so good and is clearly enjoying the company.
Nanny and Pops in France.


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