Ostheim, France

     We made a side trip to the village of Ostheim.  Ostheim is a martyr town of World War II.  It's residents were evacuated and the town was completely destroyed by shelling from November 1944 to January 1945.  This action allowed Allied forces to cross the Fecht River and proceed with the battles of the Colmar Pocket, a campaign to defeat the Germans in the last part of France that they controlled.  The United States funded the rebuilding of Ostheim which was completed in 1960.

This wall is all that remains of the old village of Ostheim.  When the storks returned to the nest atop the wall in March of 1945, villagers took it as a symbol of life.  They decided to preserve the wall as a monument. 

This plaque honoring the dead of World Wars I and II is placed at the wall.

Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle

     Europe is where you find castles.  In the 9th and 10th centuries, European lands were divided up and given to many lords and princes.  Up to the 16th century, the nobility built castles as a base of control in their areas.  We visited Haut-Kœnigsbourg, a restored castle, and we saw many smaller castles, now in ruins, on our way.

Castles were built in strategic locations.  Haut-Kœnigsbourg sits high in the Vosges Mountains overlooking the Alsatian plain.  The first castle on this spot was built in the early 1100s.  It was destroyed in 1462.  The castle was rebuilt in 1479 and stood until 1633 when it was destroyed in the Thirty Years War.  After the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), German Emperor Wilhelm II rebuilt Haut-Kœnigsbourg.  Having recently annexed the Alsace-Lorraine territory into the German Empire, Wilhelm II hoped that restoring the castle would strengthen the bond between Alsatians and Germany.  Wilhelm II hired Bodo Ebhardt, an expert on the reconstruction of  medieval castles, to supervise the reconstruction.  Ebhardt's finished product is fairly close to the original, but some have criticized the style as inauthentic and too much of an homage to German nationalism at the time.   

Looking Down at the Alsatian Plain.

This model shows the castle's original configuration.

The dining room might not be true to the original ...

... especially the mural on the ceiling depicting an eagle, a symbol of the German Empire.

The Chapel

This room contains bedroom furniture, but it was not originally used as a bedroom.  The "rule" of castle architecture was that a sitting room had windows to let in the light during the day when people occupied the room.  There was also a fireplace for heating.  Bedrooms did not have windows because they were occupied after dark.  They had only a fireplace for light and heat.   

Ceramic stoves provided a steady source of heat for hours after the fire went out.  This stove is from the 15th century.

This well is outside, but there is another well inside in the heart of the castle.

The windmill provided power.

This is how waste from the toilets was handled.  Toilets were located on outside walls.  Gravity took care of the rest.

We saw markings on stones throughout the castle.  There are three types of markings.  This simple marking, from the original stone ruins of the castle, tells us who carved the stone.  On payday, the guy whose mark looked like an arch got paid for every stone he inscribed. 

This stone was carved during Wilhelm II's restoration.  There were eight marks during the eight year restoration which designated the year the stone was carved (1901-1908).  

This is the third type of stone marking.  It's grafitti!

I managed to photograph these castles as we zoomed past in the car.  They are the three castles of Eguisheim.  The one in the middle (Wahlenbourg) was built in 1006 and destroyed in 1026, then rebuilt again.  The one on the right (Dagsbourg) was built in 1144 and destroyed in 1197, then rebuilt.  The one on the left (Weckmund) was built in 1226-1227.  All three castles were destroyed in 1466.

Storks in Alsace

          Storks are a symbol of fertility and good luck in Alsace.  For centuries they spent their summers in Alsace where they mated and hatched their young, and in winter the family flew off to warmer climes in Africa.  The birds were on the brink of extinction by the 1970's.  They were electrocuted in the many new networks of power lines that were built after World War II along their migration routes.  They were poisoned when they ate insects that lived in fields treated with herbicides.  During periods of unrest in some African countries, they were killed for food by starving people.  In 1976, the Renaud family established the Center for the Reintroduction of Storks.  Today the birds are back in numbers high enough that conservationists can let nature take its course in most situations.  

Why do they stand on one leg?  I read an article about flamingos standing on one leg.  Flamingo anatomy is such that the stance is more relaxing than using both legs to stand.  Maybe it's the same for storks.  Storks do not vocalize.  They make sounds by clapping their bills.

Storks mate long term, and they return to the same nest every year.  The male comes first, and he performs repairs on the nest while he waits for the female.  When the female arrives, mating begins.  If the couple do not produce offspring during a summer season, they will usually find other partners by the next year.  

Sometimes the birds use these special platforms to set up housekeeping.  Other times they build on chimneys or directly on the roof top.  Nests weigh about 1,000 pounds.

The female usually lays four eggs.  The pair take turns incubating the eggs.  The eggs hatch in 33-34 days.  The young can leave the nest after 58-64 days.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_stork  

 

In the autumn, it's time to migrate.  The birds fly over land, circling the Mediterranean Sea, either traveling through Spain and across the Straight of Gibraltar or through Turkey and the Levant into Egypt.  They cannot cross the Mediterranean because there are no thermal updrafts to help them fly.  Many storks now winter in Spain instead of Africa.  The climate in Spain is favorable, and towns with dumpsters provide plenty of food.  BTW, storks are carnivores.  

Riquewihr, France

     Riquewihr has been named one of the most beautiful villages of France.  It was barely damaged during World War II, so it looks almost exactly as it did in the 1500s.  This walled town of 1300 people is surrounded by vineyards.  The Association Les Rêveries Vénetiennes (Venetian Reveries Association) held a Venetian parade on the day we visited.  Eighty costumed members of the society strolled through town posing for pictures.

  

Mike looks down what used to be one of the town's wells.

I wonder if they ever lower the gates these days.

In business for 378 years - that's a long time.

It was impossible to know who was inside the costume.  I was able to determine that the character in black was 11 or 12 years old, the next generation of Venetian revelers.  

These are exceedingly elaborate costumes.

This was a tall man.  He must have been nearly seven feet tall wearing the headpiece.  I couldn't take my eyes off the rhinestone knee ornaments.  

Coy

The revelers never made a sound.  They communicated with hand gestures.  

The Venetians pose in front of the Dolder Tower.  This tower was built in the 13th century and has served as a fortification and a prison.  Among other things, it houses a torture museum today.

The green stemmed wine glass is traditional in Alsace.

Tarte Flambée or Alsatian Pizza
Tarte flambée is thinly rolled bread dough topped with fromage blanc, onions, and lardons.  I had mushrooms and an extra layer of cheese on my "pizza." 

 

Rixheim, France

     My cousins Marie-Paule and Christian took very good care of us during our stay in Rixheim.  We got acquainted with the town on our first day.    

Hotel de Ville (City Hall)

City Hall is straight ahead.  Offices of the wallpaper manufacturer Zuber & Cie are on the left.  The Wallpaper Museum is on the right.  Check out this site for information on the Zuber company:
http://eyefordesignlfd.blogspot.com/2014/02/decorating-with-zuber-scenic-wallpaper.html

The art, science, and mechanics of wallpaper production is on display.  Jackie Kennedy used Zuber's "Views of America" to decorate one of the White House's reception rooms.  She recycled it from a farmhouse that was torn down.  The wallpaper was of such high quality that it could be removed from the walls of a farmhouse and installed in the White House looking none the worse for wear.  

Mike and I enjoyed a walk around town.

This enormous lavender plant grows near my cousin's front gate.  It buzzes with bees and it smells terrific.

This wine press makes an attractive yard ornament since my cousins no longer make their own wine.

Grange à Élise, Rixheim, France

     After visiting Luxembourg City, Mike and I went to Rixheim in the Alsace region of France.  We stayed at a fabulous bed and breakfast, the Grange à Élise (Barn of Elise or Elise's Barn).  This was our base of operation for the rest of our visit in France.

While one barn was converted to a B&B, another remains a barn - for sheep.

Pretty Disrepair.

I loved the crystals.

Our room faced the back of the property.

Our Big Bathroom

Sometimes breakfast was served inside.

We ate outside on sunny days.

The downstairs sitting area (which contains the only television) is heated with this huge wood stove.

There is another sitting area in an upstairs loft.

A View from Our Window

Everywhere you look, there is some ornament ...

... or beautiful flower ...

... or another object that delights the eye.