Gothic Quaint

Gothic quaint in Ribeauville, FR

If you wander away from the main drag in Ribeauville, you'll find some quaint buildings and quiet churches scattered throughout the town. I can't remember the name of this small Gothic-style church, but I love how my photos, using my Apple iPod Touch, turned out.

Holy Mother a la Apple! : Ribeauville, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/11

Travels with Charlie: The Alsace

 From Charlie's POV : Pine Cones : Ribeauville, FR

After visiting the Alps and staying in Lauterbrunnen for two nights, we took friend Sheryl R. to France's famed wine region, the Alsace. Again, I have a bazillion pictures from this area, so instead I snapped a few photos using my Apple iPod and took a couple of photos from Charlie's level. Here's how the world looks from eight inches off the ground! Personally, I think Charlie has a pretty good eye! LOL.

Charlie, a little contre jour,  in the tall grass and dandelions gone to seed : Bergheim, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/11

People Watching, Ribeauville-Style

Tending Geraniums : Ribeauville, FR

Ribeauville is a great place to go people-watching. There's a melange of tourists and visitors, shopkeepers and restaurateurs, laborers and townsfolk all mixed together. Pour it all out and you have interesting faces and interactions. Here are three of my favorites from our recent jaunt to the Alsace.

Benched : Ribeauville, FR

All the News... : Ribeauville, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

In the Window...

Duvet in Window : Ribeauville, FR

Some of the photos in my Picasa Web Album will look familiar. They're repeats of some of my favorite sites in Ribeauville. The two featured here, though, are new views I captured by looking beyond what I normally see.

Wooden Rooster in Window : Ribeauville, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

100 Strangers: John of Lebanon

John, the owner of Les Mille et Une Nappe, and friends Diana and Nicole :
Ribeauville, FR

This is John (and my friend Diana and her friend Nicole) outside of his shop, Les Mille et Une Nappes, in Ribeauville. We each bought tablecloths and napkins. I snapped this photo of John and am featuring him as another of my 100 Strangers. John is originally from Lebanon and was quite a lot of fun. He has fabulous linens for indoor and outdoor tables in a thousand styles, colors, and sizes. If you're interested in uniquely Alsatian pieces, this is also the place to go. Below is a photo of the table on our terrace and the oil cloth I bought for it. I also have napkins to match.

New oil tablecloth on the table on the terrace :
Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/10

100 Strangers: Lilo

Lilo Peil with her dogs, Monty the Bulldog and Amy the St. Bernard : Ribeauville, FR

We went to Ribeauville in the Alsace-Lorraine for the sole purpose of visiting a shop called Les Mille et Une Nappe (A Thousand and One Tablecloths.) I'll have more on that later. After making my purchase, I went outside to hang out with friend Scott and the dogs in front of the Hotel de Ville (City Hall). While I was waiting, a couple arrived with a little French bulldog and a HUGE St. Bernard.

This is Lilo Peil. She's from Höchenschwand in Germany and was quite happy to let me snap some photos of her and these two beautiful dogs. The bulldog is called Monty and the St. Bernard is Amy. The latter recently gave birth to eight puppies! Lilo says, if you're in Ribeauville next weekend, there will be 200 of these dogs in town. If it wasn't my birthday and I didn't have guests coming, I would totally drive the three hours to Ribeauville to see 200 of these dogs in one place.

No small dog here! Amy the St. Bernard : Ribeauville, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/10

Ribeauville in Detail

Pied Piper at the Patisserie : Ribeauville, FR

These are the last of the pictures I'll feature for Ribeauville. Like Bergheim, I have so many I could show, but I guess I have to draw the line somewhere, right? So, here are three more and a slideshow. The carvings and signs around the Alsace were charming and added to the timeless atmosphere so many villages in Europe possess.

Rouge et Bleu : Ribeauville, FR

This photo is for my friend, Scott, who wanted me to see and photograph this scene. I'm not sure I managed to do as well as he hoped, but like him, I liked the contrast of the pink and blue buildings.

Ave Maria Gratia Plena : Ribeauville, FR

That's it for Ribeauville. Tomorrow: photos from Basel, Switzerland!

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 05/09

Scenic Alsace

Scenic Alsace : Ribeauville, FR

Seems like around every corner and down each street in Ribeauville there's a photo op! I especially enjoyed the view of the castle on the hill just under the arch. One of the castles in the area (there were two that were noticeable on the hills above the villages) was once owned by Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm. Apparently, he used it as a hunting retreat. If I go back to this region before my stint is up, I'll stop and check it out.

Sweeping Silhouette : Ribeauville, FR

One of the things I often do when I'm in a new place is look up. It's amazing what you find when you glance beyond street level. When I lived in Austria, I use to see for-real chimney sweeps. When I saw the metal silhouette on this chimney, I just had to snap a picture.

Red, White, and Blue : Ribeauville, FR

Finally, no village is complete without a stork! This one had a brood of three or four chicks. Aside from the beautiful architecture, good shopping, and numerous restaurants, this was probably the most popular attraction!

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 05/09

Ribeauville

Metz Freres Vins d'Alsace : Ribeauville, FR

Just down the road from Bergheim is the village of Ribeauville. There are some tourists in Bergheim, but there are a ton in Ribeauville. We were just four more tourists amid the hoary masses!

Metz Freres Winery in the heart of the village of Ribeauville
in the French winemaking region of the Alsace-Lorraine.

Here are a few photos of the Metz Freres Winery in town and here's just a little information I was able to find in English about Bergheim and Ribeauville. Of course, there's always Wikipedia: Bergheim and Ribeauville.

Bottled libations at Metz Freres : Ribeauville, FR

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 05/09