Kaysersberg, France

The Best Random Stop Ever!!!

 Kaysersberg, France

Have you ever just stumbled upon a random little morsel that turns out to be a completely whole, wonderful experience you would have never expected??  This post is all about that, as Kaysersberg was what all three of us voted as the best surprise on our trip.  

While perusing our hotel's lobby, I came upon numerous brochures of things to do in the area.  For whatever reason, one in particular caught my eye---a glass blower that uses centuries old methods in a remote village 40 miles south of Strassbourg.  Brian punched it into our GPS and it only added 12 miles to our route to Switzerland, so we thought, "Why not?  Maybe there will be a cute cafe for lunch and we can watch some guy blow glass for a bit." So, we left Strassbourg mid-morning and began our way there with no further expectations.

It's difficult to describe the feeling we had when we entered this gem of a town. This heavily German influenced area is situated within the Alsace region. It's known for its fantastic wine, and many of its ancient vines date back to the 16th century, having been transported from Hungary.  It has a very medieval feel with quaint, cute shops and lovely homes.  Here, it's just easier to explain with pictures......

This was the first street we explored, and quickly came about its central square.  In the background is a fountain with a statue of Kayser, the emperor of which the town takes it name.

The glass blowers making vases.  Neal was doubtful that we would even find it, but we stumbled upon it within 10 minutes of arriving.  We WIN!

The gallery of all the various vases, decanters, candle holders, and countless other pieces.  The three of us bought numerous items.

We stopped at an outdoor cafe for coffee, chocolate croissants, and salmon broccoli quiche. The French truly know how to do all of these things right!

After spending a couple hours here, we made a collective decision to somehow live here someday.  We played a game, where we each picked out the house we are going to buy.  It only occurs to me as odd now as I write this that Neal and I will be living in separate houses.  Just ignore that small detail for the moment.......

Here's Neal's:

This one is Brian's (we may have to arm wrestle for it one day, as not only is the color fantastic, but it is also on the canal):

This one's mine.  Isn't the green lovely?!? Plus, the back side is built as part of the old fortress that used to surround the city.

Just a couple more pics of us wandering the streets....

Me pointing out to Brian how long of a walk it would be from his house to mine to get together for wine and cheese.  :-) Notice no screens on the windows = no bugs. Another reason to love this place.

This is just a shot of one of the streets along the main square.

The strange part about this is there is no mention about this place in any of my Rick Steves' travel guides, and it doesn't show up as a destination on any google hits when researching the Strassboug area.  However, now that I have been there and have specifically researched Kaysersberg, it is listed as one of the most beautiful places in the Alsace wine region.  All I know is, this is a place we WILL be visiting again.