Alsace.

Alsace is a part of France that is new to us and it is very pretty. It is also very Germanic, which is not surprising, as it borders Germany. Alsace has been fought over and swapped between France and Germany for hundreds of years. In Colmar, just 30 miles from the border, you could hear plenty of German being spoken as well as French. The German might not actually have beenGerman at all, but "Elsassisch" or Alsatian, which apparently comes from a high German dialect and is still spoken by the locals. We are on the "route du vin" which follows lots of small wine towns and villages along the eastern side of the Vosges mountains from Colmar to Strasbourg.
We have been very lucky to get places at the campsites at Colmar and Obernai during the busy holiday period. The site at Colmar was particularly nice as we had a view of the river. One evening we watched a heron catch a huge fish. On two evenings a stork flew in and came quite close to the van. It was fairly calm in the face of all the tourists taking pictures of it. There are a lot of storks here. They nest on chimney pots and spires in the towns.
The humans were interesting too. One evening six men paddled up in rubber dinghies. They wore baggy old clothes and berets. They got out, put up a tarpauline over a rope and settled in for the night, before setting off again the next day. It was like a scene from a gentle retro French film.
We really loved Colmar. You would think that by now we would be sick of medieval half-timbered buildings, but Colmar was exceptionally beautiful. By the canal the former homes of fishermen have been restored in bright colours. It was such a nice surprise when we came upon it. It's a tourist trap, but very picturesque.
We joined the locals in the market again, and bought fresh pasta and salad for tea, which was a treat, as cooking with the grill in the hot van has been a bit overwhelming.
One of the highlights of Colmar was the art gallery, where we saw the Issenheim Altarpiece. This is apparently quite famous. Anyway, it was very powerful in its depiction of the crucifixion. It was painted in the 15th century, but it looked quite modern in its realism.

Obernai.
When we moved to Obernai, I thought it would be very similar to Colmar, and it is. However, its charm lies in the fact that it is smaller annd quieter than the other towns. As we walked into town, we saw children on an old fashioned carousel. Then, when we came around the corner, we saw the old market place, which was beautiful in the sunshine. Yesterday we enjoyed walking around the town, and today we strolled around the ramparts which still surround the town. This little place remained unscathed by two world wars, which accounts for its authenticity and beauty.
We are hoping to post a last blog from Strasbourg, before we head for home. But this depends on the latop battery life. Love to all, family and friends.