A few days in Alsace

The last few days have flown by as we've explored the area around Strasbourg, and as we've been embraced by new friends. On Saturday we decided to have a quieter day and only drove into Strasbourg in the afternoon, after enjoying a brisk morning in Brumath.

We went to Strasbourg to visit the pastor of one of the Lutheran parishes in Strasbourg. Most of the French Lutheran churches have entered into full fellowship with the reformed churches without having resolved any of their theological differences. A small but faithful group have held firm to their confession and make up the Lutheran Free Churches. Pastor Schaeffer has served one of these parishes for the past 23 years and he and his wife welcomed us warmly into their home and then into worship on Sunday morning.

The sanctuary of the Lutheran Church in Strasbourg

The church we worshipped in at Heiligenstien

After worship we headed out for the rest of Sunday, exploring the medieval villages and touring the Alsace wine route. Beautiful country with village after village of jaw dropping beauty. We made a stop at the baguette vending machine - a must for a country where most shops are still closed on Sunday! We also got to drive up the mountain upon which the Koenigsburg Castle is situation - amazing views and an incredible building.

Around Alsace it seems every second intersection has a life sized crucifix sculpture

Laryssa said to the kids, 'Keep looking out your windows! You don't see a castle on every hill!' To which Darcee responded, 'But there's one there, and there, and there....'

Sunday evening our hosts, Andre and Fabienne, had asked us to join them at an authentic Alsacian (that's how they spell it here but I suspect we'd spell it Alsatian) restaurant. Andre picked us up in his Citroen C4 and we had a wonderful night feasting on the local food that friends traditionally share - flammekuche - and enjoying local pinot noir and great company. We've been so blessed to get to know these dear people who have bent over backwards to make us feel welcome.

Today (Monday) we headed into Strasbourg to visit the famous Christmas Markets that have been held in the city continuously since 1570! The French certainly know how to acknowledge Christmas with nativity scenes everywhere you look, decorations even in the smallest villages, Christmas carols (not the trashy, commercialised ones) playing loudly, and these markets reminding you that something special is upon us. We took a cruise around Strasbourg Island and wandered the streets, cruising home tired but with even more memories in tow.

The European Parliament