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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Champagne, Alsace Wine Houses & Black Forest Cake

Spring Arrived!
After my father and brother returned to Canada we decided to take a trip to the Alsace region. With a few additional days off work and a rental car we headed south.  The Champagne region was along the way so we broke up the drive with a night outside the small town of Epernay. We stayed in the same Campanile as we did with my Mother and Granny Jill, nestled between the Jacquesson vineyards.


We also toured the Canard Duchene Champagne house. It was fun to see a smaller operation, compared to the larger Tattinger Champagne we toured on our last visit. The Carnard Duchene grew out of the marriage between the Carnard and Duchene family and has remained in the small village of  Ludes since its creation. 




In the Alsace region we stayed in the region's capital, Strasbourg. The first day we spent wandering the city streets and sampling the cuisine highly influenced by its proximity to Germany. For diner I even tried a pork’s knuckle. While Andre had the choucroute garnie; a sampling of meats and sausage with sauerkraute, I hadn’t taken the translation jarret de porc, to be literal. But I managed to get through it, especially once I had removed the wrinkled skin of the knuckle. 




         

The second day we took a daytrip touring the route des vins along the rolling hillsides, visiting small villages and stopping in for a wine tasting here and there. 








We returned to Arras the next day, but were able to hop over to Germany and see the small city Baden-Baden situated in the Black Forest, where we purchased some Kirsch to make a real Black Forest Cake.


             


Our Rhine river cruise (notice the GPS)
Back in Arras I registered for my French classes in Lille and ate the most delicious Black Forest Cake courtesy of my favourite Bob.

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