the vosges mountains are also part of the region alsace in the east of france, right next to germany. we decided to venture out of our area ( lorraine ) and visit a very old little town called kaysersberg. the inner city is full of medieval houses, bridges, & squares. i've never seen such an authentic display of a medieval town. the houses are still in use today, you can find shops, restaurants, cafes or museums and of course, the houses are still lived in! it was full of tourists (like us), though, but when you try to ignore them, everything is so idyllic. i made lots of pictures, and that's why today's post is so huge. i have also included a few pictures of our last day in the vosges. it was a holiday in france that day and we met up with our friends and landlords to lunch and to visit hohneck, one of many mountains in our area. it was a windy and rainy day, but it was so lovely nonetheless. we ate blueberry tarte on the top of the mountain, drank hot chocolate and it felt really cozy. to say goodbye to such nice companions is as always very difficult. i must say that these people are very dear to my heart now. we exchange letters, cards and e-mails constantly :)
kaysersberg is also well-known as the birthplace of albert schweitzer, a multitalented doctor ( he was a much acclaimed philoshophist, organist, theologian and even received the nobel peace prize ).
frederick II was one of the holy roman emperors of the middle ages. he fortified the town so of course he deserved this memorial plate.
soap cakes. they looked so delicious, but unfortunately not edible at all :)
my most loved insects: ladybugs. my mother refers to me as a coccinelle now ;)
the church sainte croix was so beautiful. the interior was so old, you could BREATHE it. it catapulted you right back into historic times.
the square in front of the church.
the little shops were amazing. french shop owners seem to have 'the eye'. so detailed and original! it made me want to buy my very own kougelhopf pan, but alas, i didn't. maybe next time!
doves peeking out of the church cross.
the entry portal of the church.
the christ figure was quite graphic.
the altarpiece is from 1518.
little creepy skull figurine.
i love gargoyles! this one is eating plants :)
in the distance an air balloon made its rounds over kaysersberg.
little back alleys.
signs of autumn and halloween.
timber-framed architecture everywhere.
another wonderfully decorated shop.
the little windows were quite charming.
remnants of the old castle.
the evening set in. a little view on the river weiss.
and another view onto schlossberg castle.
these pictures are from our hohneck trip with our french friends.
mountain architecture is so exciting. no mountain is the same. as everything is, of course.
view from hohneck down onto the valleys.
my dad being brave by the mountain abyss. it was really stormy up there and the wind blew hard. we couldn't be outside for long.
mom bundling up. and this is the last picture of our adventures in late october, early november. the vosges mountains are as exciting in autum as it was in summer. our trips there will be memorized deep in my brain and hopefully we'll be back some time in the future!
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