If you don’t know the Alsace region (see our recent sentimental journey): here are some shameless but well-deserved plugs. If you like the image above, love hiking and need some peace and quiet, you can stay at Les Alisiers, a charming family-run hotel tucked against a hillside, and watch deer and fox emerge from the forest while having dinner. In the daytime, either hike around the rural countryside or buy some of the best Alsatian wines at our old favorite Jean Sipp in historic Ribeauvillé or at our new discovery Albert Klee in nearby Katzenthal. And that ends this commercial break.

We started our stay in France some five years ago tucked away in a small and messy hotel in Strasbourg where we had to put the bed up against the wall each day to be able to walk around the four square meters we had to our disposal. Nonetheless, we have fond memories of both the city and the Alsace region and so we went back on a four day sentimental journey, this time enjoyed some good hotels, had wonderful meals, strolled through the countryside, visited our favorite wine growers and drove back to Paris yesterday rested, happy and with 120 bottles of wine in the trunk of our car to make sure the happiness will stay with us for some time to come.