Along the Route des Vins

Alsace is a remarkably beautiful region of France with the rivers, mountains, forests and vineyards and along the wine route there are many wonderful towns with narrow streets, and colourful houses.

One such town is Berghiem which is in the valley below the château du Haut Koenigsbourg. It is a quiet little town surrounded by vineyards.

The gate tower stands at one end of the main street and while there is no gate to bar the way now the town has a defensive wall and moat and the houses that encircle the town have stood for centuries.
 

Fly Past

 This incredible bird's piercing cry could be heard every day as it flew along the valley in search of prey.

Most often it flew some distance away but occasionally it came close enough to get a good look and just once I had my camera ready for the shot as it swooped overhead. Not only did I hear its cry but also to powerful rush of air as it flapped its wings above me. 

A Step Back in Time

 

This is Kaysersberg, a small town in Alsace, France. Not far from Strasbourg and Colmar, and close to the border with Germany. The heart of the town is comprised of cobbled streets and beautiful half timbered houses that date back more than six hundred years. It is a town that embraces its heritage and during my recent visit towards the end of November the town was preparing for its annual Christmas fair. I was pleased to be there before the crowds of people arrived because it was quiet and the charm of the place was unspoiled.

Surrounded by the hills of the Ballons des Vosges and the famous vineyards this is a wonderful place to visit at any time of year but in the winter with the clear crisp air and the smell of wood smoke there is a special feeling of calm, it is almost magical, especially with the Christmas lights.

The buildings are brightly coloured but as these pictures were taken during the evening and the light was poor I have chosen to present them in black and white. If it were not for the TV aerials and the fairy lights you could easily think these were pictures from long ago and that perhaps very little has changed here over the centuries.

Number 56

I know that it is Christmas Eve and these pictures are not really Christmassy but they are from a beautiful village in Alsace called Bergheim that I visited earlier this year on my roadtrip but I had visited previously just before Christmas and it had a lovely Christmas atmosphere so although ypu wont get that from these images I get all sorts of memories flooding back and that is good enough for me...

Merry Christmas everyone.

Well Well Well!

Here are a few more shots form the Chateau at Haut Koenigsbourg.

The first shot shows an ornate well in a courtyard hidden away at the top of the castle. The second shot shows the detail of the ornamentation on top of the well. It is a French infantryman, he is looking down on the courtyard with a bit of a sour expression, perhaps because he feels a bit foolish stood on a pineapple.

The final shot is a view from a tower looking along the top of the curtain wall and across the wide expanse of the Haut Rhin region of Alsace towards the border with Germany. It looks like the land is quite flat in the distance but in fact there are gentle hills and slopes which are home to the many vineyards and orchards the produce the regions famous wines and Eaux de Vie.

Medieval Masterpiece

There is a certain fairytale quality about the Chateau de Haut Koenigsbourg in Alsace. Perched high on a rocky hilltop it was apparently the inspiration for the design on the Citadel at Minas Tirith in Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings Trilogy.

It is a marvelous castle, with turrets and walkways in the walls, spiral staircases, a deep will and beautiful tiled roofs as well as some amazing decorative murals and painted ceilings.

Old Spiral

One of my favourite pictures that I have shared previously is of a spiral staircase in the Palace of Versailles (http://chipster63photos.blogspot.com/2014/09/spiral.html) and when you look at it I hope you can see why I like it so much.

Today's images are of a slightly less fancy but no less wonderful staircase in the Chateau de Haut Koenigsburg in Alsace. I had to wait a while for the train of visitors to pass so that I could get these shots. I love black and white photographs and so I knew that I would shoot in both colour and black and white to show the contrast between the two and while I think the second image is my favourite of the two I think the first shot is also really effective with the warmth of the colours in the bottom half and the colder greys towards the top. 

Can you tell from these pictures whether you are looking up or down?

I suppose the light gives it away and you are looking up...

Like a Fairytale

So here we are, the last stop of our road trip. We're in Turkheim, Alsace. Nestled in the Vosges mountains not far from Colmar and Strasbourg. There has been a settlement here since the 8th century, established by the monks at the nearby  Abbey in Munster. Even then they were producing wine on the slopes around here and the region is famous for its wines and eau de vie.

You can see from these pictures that it really is a beautiful place with wonderful medieval buildings all enhanced by so many colourful flowers. I love it here and I am so glad that we chose this as our last stop. It is a real gem and while everywhere that we have been on this trip has been wonderful there have also been crowds of people but here it is much quieter and more relaxing.

Tomorrow we will be visiting a chateau and then driving through some other picturesque villages, maybe picking up a few last minute gifts for family and friends and no doubt I will have my camera to hand...