It has been a few days since the last post. We were blessed with one beautiful sunny day last Saturday, and headed into Strasbourg again. This time Chablis and the fly kept our minds focussed, and managed to get lunch and coffee times correct. Lunch at a little place that serves the best soup and ‘tartines’. Fly had cauliflower soup. Who would ever have thought that could be divine? Fly also bought new shoes – they are lace-ups like the ones the nuns used to wear, only more saucy, which are very fashionable now. (Things are accumulating here - already consulting the rules re overweight baggage at QANTAS).
The Grands Crus tasting at Kientzheim Chateau on Sunday did not disappoint. The setting was magnificent – three huge rooms, all thick timber beams and pink stone, in the Chateau, which is now the premises of the Association of Alsatian wine-growers. The walls of the stairwells were hung with large portraits of the various presidents, decked out in religious-looking regalia with a huge gold chain of office – like our own Lord Mayor wears when dressing up.
For an entrance fee of 10€ we each received a tasting glass inscribed with Vins d’Alsace and a book listing all the growers and the wines and the type of soil in the field in which the varieties were grown etc. There was a full page for writing comments for each wine. Chablis was ecstatic. She tasted everything and made copious notes. Fly wrote “too sweet” against a Gewurtztraminer, upset a wine-grower by using the word “sharp” with reference to the wine, and then became absorbed in observing the somewhat ungraceful art of using the spittoon. It soon became apparent that there is a degree of one-up-man-ship going on – who can hit the spot from furthest away. Spittoons here are in themselves art pieces. I would love to bring one home, but too heavy.
There was a very hail-fellow-well-met atmosphere amongst these grands crus wine-makes. Our friend Deiss was there and Chablis had a long talk with his son. (Son has spent time in South Australia working the vintage with one of the big names there .) He really does have huge status in the industry here – when we moved from the Deiss stand to another, the woman was embarrassed about our tasting her wines directly after the Deiss. Even though her vineyard itself has grand cru status. (It is the vineyard that has the grand cru appellation).
No cheese was provided, too much competition for the taste buds I suppose. But there were baskets of thinly sliced bread to nibble for clearing the palate.
There was one notable chap, very tall, stalking around in a driza-bone and outback hat (only person in the place who did not remove his hat). I could not determine if he was Australian – he was speaking perfectly fluent French.
The Peugeot took to the German autobahns again on Monday, driving Chablis up to Heidelberg. She will leave for home from Frankfurt later in the week. Heidelberg is just a beautiful city, situated on the Neckar River, with its Schloss keeping watch from the hillside above the town. It has been in a state of disrepair, but there is restoration work going on. I watched one poor workman trying to lay stones to rebuild a round tower, in the -2 degree temperatures. There were students on bicycles in all the cobbled streets. It must be an idyllic place to study.
On Wednesday, the fly and the Peugeot tackled Switzerland. It was a quick trip, to check out the airport at Zurich. Flyspring No 2 arrives there next week, and it seemed a good idea to find out how things work there. Zurich is only a couple of hours from here on the autoroutes. A surprise at the border however – a fee of €40 was required to “drive on the autobahns”. Toll-roads have been encountered before, but usually about €4-8. Some surprise, but then some relief, when the woman stuck a little electronic tag inside the windscreen and said that would last until January. One feels an obligation to drive around Swiss autobahns a bit to get the money’s worth.
The chocolate box imagery of Switzerland has evaporated. The country appeared to consist of autobahns and tunnels. It seemed that as much time was spent underground as above. Massive system, all very efficient and well signed. Found the airport and located the arrivals area etc and got out again very smoothly. A slight misunderstanding involving fly, the Swiss signage, and the Voice resulted in the peugot travelling through Basel instead of past it. Then into St Louis, which is really the other half of Basel, but in France, and then eventually back onto the French autoroute, which felt like coming home!
Another trip to Strasbourg on Friday. Messages day. Tickets to London for a week in December, when fly and Flyspring No2 will meet up there. Post Office to send home some packages. Again, surprise to find that it costs much more to send goods to Australia from Strasbourg than it did from Amboise. The postal service looks as though it is national – same livery etc here as in Amboise. But a parcel of the same weight cost €40 from Amboise and €70 from Strasbourg. Odd.
The soup shop again. Broccoli soup, but made with coconut milk. Too sweet.
They are still decorating the Christmas Tree in Kleber Square - week 3 now. And in the Cathedral Square a huge covered stage has appeared, where a Christmas Show was being reheared. Visitors wanting to get a good shot of the front facade of the Cathedral in the next two months will be frustrated.
And finally, the University Library. To find it is closed, undergoing a major facelift. No doubt the collection and staff are distributed across various other university locations. It is a wonderful building and will be magnificent when finished.
The Place de la Republique, onto which the Library faces, is the site of four of the most stunning trees in autumn foliage that I have seen. Beyond magnificent. Quite transcendent.
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