Auf Wiedersehen

Friday 16th May

Had a great day today exploring this far northeast corner of France. You could be forgiven if you thought you were in Germany. We drove through some very German looking villages on our way to the village of Hunspach. Very different to a lot of the French villages where houses appeared to be mostly terrace houses and built right on the street frontage. I presume these would have small backyards but not too sure. On the other hand the houses in this area seem to be on a block of land as a detached dwelling - front yards, garden, fences, driveways and garages. 

Hunspach - a lovely village, and they had a walking tour map pointing out features in the village. A couple of notable features - properties are typically built around a courtyard with house on one side and stables/barns around the rear and other side; a lot of the houses have convex glass windows which stop people being able to look in from outside, but still allow the owners to look out. A lot of the houses in this village were dated in the mid 1700s. 

Hard to photograph but these are the convex windows.

The girls out for morning tea.

This was one half of the home built in a U shape around a courtyard.
The upper house was probably used for servants or farm hands. 

This is the other half of the property
with stables and farm buildings.

Protestant Church in Hunspach.

   

This house dated 1757.

Typical water pump.

We had morning tea in the village and the lady in the boulangerie was very hospitable - coffee in China cups, cake on china plate, a knife to cut the cake, and all on a tray for us to take to the park across the road.

Onwards we went via the villages of Seerbach and Steinseltz, to Wissembourg. We were headed to the centre of Wissembourg to find lunch, but ran out of signs pointing us to centre ville, so we followed our noses out of town, intending to turn around, but, oops, we were in Germany. Spotted a hotel on the side of the road that seemed to be doing a roaring trade (couple of tour buses) so decided, why not have lunch in Germany. Totally clueless about the menu but google translate helped us order lobster bisque (very nice), schnitzel with mushroom sauce and ham and cheese omelette.

This pillbox was just on the edge of the town of Steinseltz
on the corner of a farmers home.

This was our lunch venue in Germany
- just 2k over the border from Wissembourg. 

This bus was doing winery tours.

Back to Wissembourg and the centre ville signs from the opposite direction found us in the centre of town. This town was full of eating places and lots of people out enjoying food in the sun. Another lovely village with the half timbered houses. We visited the office de tourisme and picked up a map of the Alsace wine route and its wineries. Now armed and ready to taste!

Wissembourg cathedral.

The central square of Wissembourg  - lots of choice to eat.

Just a few scenes from Wissembourg. 

 

This house - 1569.