Will you play a little game?

For those of you who have followed my blog for a little while

Can you guess where I have been?

Wishing you all the very Best. 

Gina 

Zell. the picture perfect Mosel Valley town.

The picturesque Mosel River is one of the Rhine River tributaries.

You will find many historic sites along the way, you can even drive right through an old castle near Zell.

One of the nicest places to stay is in the small town of Zell where you will find the lovely
"Hotel Schloss Zell".

We were given an unsolicited upgrade. 

In fact, while traveling throughout Europe this time (and we have been there more than forty times) in all cases we were given "the best room in the house" and at no additional cost. 

 I am so glad that when they renovated this old Schloss that they left these beautiful ceilings intact.  

Lovely sites at every turn. 

An abundant breakfast was served in lovely surroundings. 

These hand made, from fine fabrics, bride bouquets always make me sad.  I want to know the rest of the story.  Who is the bride who wore this bouquet more than a hundred years ago? 

More wonderful windows.  I may have to paint these charming characters.  

It rained the day we left.  We will visit again.

Have a great week dear friends.  

Thank you for your visit.  It is so appreciated.  

Gina 

The Year that was - Part II

Never imagined that I would be so fortunate.

And travel to Europe every year.

All ceramics by Gina

To paint ceramics at the Scuola d'Arte in Deruta, Umbria, Italy.

If you have always wanted to do something special, this might be the year for you...I hope that it is.

Gina 

Have you been to Kientzheim?

What about Ora, Italy?

 Kientzheim, where the streets are lined with half-timbered houses and Storks build their nests on top of chimneys.

When traveling by car in Europe, you sometimes end up in the most unexpected places.  Kientzheim, south of Strasbourg, in the Haut-Rhin region of the Alsace, is such a place.

Something happened with our rental car. 

It  needed to be hoisted onto a flatbed and taken in for repairs. 

The Hostellerie Schwendi, in Kientzmeim, was recommended for an overnight stay.  It turned out to be a fine Hotel with an award winning Restaurant. 
http://schwendi.pagesperso-orange.fr/


This was not the only incident with our rental car.  (I'll save that for another time)

Now on to Ora, Italy

Ora (Italian)  Auer (German)

See those stripes on the wooden shutters.  I used to know their meaning.  I think that red and white striped shutters designate a Hotel.  Green and white or blue and white  stripes mean something else.  Very convenient when you're out in the country side. Maybe my readers know the real scoop.

Ora, Italy with an incredible restaurant with an impossible name,

Tschurtsch.

Ora is a tiny village in the northern Italian region of the Trento Adige, not far from Bolzano.  Often, we travel to Europe in September and October.  We rent a car and set out with no particular plans except we usually make a round trip from Paris to Umbria, Italy,  and back to Paris. 

That is how we found Ora.  Our  modus operandi is always to start looking for a place by about 3 or 4 in the afternoon.  We head for a very small village and locate the village church tower.  That is where you find the best lodgings.  Lodgings which have provided a good meal and bed for many travelers through the centuries.

Strolling through Ora we came upon this intriguing looking Restaurant. 

Would you have gone inside?

If you had, you would have been served one of the finest meals in all of Europe.  

http://www.tschurtsch.it/de/essen.htm

Have a look at their very unusual Menu.

Have a great week my dear Blogging Friends!

Gina

Addendum Please note: Ownership of Tschurtsch Restaurant has changed.  For now, I can not recommend it. January 5, 2014. 
1/4/2018 Not recommended.

 

There is a place

Tucked away in the most northeastern corner of Italy

A special place called Südtirol

Where the cows go to green pastures and come home every evening to be in their cozy barn, where each cow has a hand painted name plate and her own window to look out from.

This is also the place where I buy my hand knit sweaters.
(The black sweater on the left is my newest acquisition).

From a special shop by the name of Trachten Stueberle

Where every balcony is  adorned with the most impossible and

luxurious flowers.

And where an elderly gentleman, of nobility, lives behind these towering walls.

He lives there, by himself, hidden.

In this enormous castle.

And every year I ask the locals: 'what do you hear from the old Gentleman' ? 

And always, a shrug of the shoulders follows.

And every year, I am hoping, that the elderly Gentleman will see me from his window, and send his manservant to invite me to have tea with him. 

And then I will sit quietly and listen.

Where is this magic place, you ask?

It is called Toblach/Dobbiaco in the Südtirol, where both Italian and German is spoken.

Each year I discover a little more and one day I will know everything.

Gina  

Holy Toledo

What a Cathedral!

Only this is in Reims, France,

not in Toledo Spain.

Do you see the people in the left bottom corner?  That will give you an idea of its enormous size.

Reims is just a 2 hour drive east of Paris,
in the famous Champagne Region of France.

Have you ever wondered how they work on those tall Cathedral Spires?

As you enter Reims, you are welcomed by an Ancient Triumphal Arch, The Porte de Mars, 115 feet long and 43 feet tall.

A few kilometers South and West of Reims, in
Épernay, you will find the famous champagne house of
Moët & Chandon. 

While visiting there, you might also want to purchase a few bottles of  Perrier-Jouët.

Many stately buildings line the streets of Épernay.

Yes, please, I'll take all of them!




The night before our departure we like to stay near but not at one of the airport hotels. 

Only 30 minutes from CDG airport we discovered the beautiful and medieval town of Senlis with Roman Gallo Walls and the lovely Hostellerie de la Porte-Bellon.

The Hotel has ample parking, a lovely Garden Restaurant, beautiful rooms, fantastic breakfasts and in the evening, fine dining. 

This may have been our best trip ever, but still, it is great to be back home.

Gina