France's Alsace: Travel Details
This is a quick and handy source for details on the sights, hotels, tour guides and restaurants featured in the "France's Alsace" show. For much more (and updates), see this year's edition of Rick Steves' France guidebook.
Restaurant Le Rapp
Hôtel-Restaurant le Rapp is a traditional place to savor a slow, elegant meal served with grace and fine Alsatian wine by Laurent and his team. While menus start at €20, if you want to order high on the menu, this is a fine place to do it (closed Fri, great baeckeoffe for €16 that makes a whole meal, good salads, they take their vegetarian options seriously, air-con, 1 rue Berthe Molly, tel. 03 89 41 62 10, SE).
Maison Jund
Maison Jund offers my favorite budget beds in Colmar . This ramshackle yet magnificent half-timbered house, the home of an easygoing wine-maker (André), feels like a medieval tree house soaked in wine and filled with flowers. The rooms are simple but adequately comfortable, spacious, and equipped with kitchenettes. Most rooms are generally available only April to mid-September, though three rooms are rented year-round (D-€29, Db/Tb-€40-45, no breakfast served, 12 rue de l'Ange, tel. 03 89 41 58 72, fax 03 89 23 15 83, www.martinjund.com, martinjund@hotmail.com).
Ossuaire de Douaumont
L'Ossuaire de Douaumont is the tomb of 130,000 French and Germans whose last homes were the muddy trenches of Verdun. The artillery shell-shaped tower and cross design of this building symbolizes war and peace. Park at the rear, look through the low windows for a bony memorial to those whose political and military leaders asked them to make the "ultimate sacrifice" for their countries. Enter down the steps and start with the thought-provoking 20-minute film that seems particularly relevant today (€3, ask for English headphones — you can adjust volume). The little picture boxes in the gift shop are worth a look if you don't visit Mémorial-Musée de Fleury. Climb upstairs and experience a humbling and moving tribute to the soldiers who were convinced that this war would end all wars and that their children would grow up in a world at peace. The red lettering on the walls lists a soldier's name, rank ("Lt" is lieutenant, " Cal " is corporal, "St" is sergeant), regiment, and dates of birth and of death. Skip the 204 steps up the tower unless you need the exercise and a decent view (daily May-Aug 9:00-18:30, April and Sept 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:30, mid-Feb-March and Oct 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-17:30, Nov 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-17:00, Dec 14:00-17:00 only, closed Jan-mid-Feb, tel. 03 29 84 54 81).
Moet and Chandon
Moët et Chandon offers tours with three tasting possibilities (€8 for single tasting, €17 for 2 tastes, €21 for 3, no reservation needed, daily mid-March-mid-Nov 9:30-11:30 & 14:00-16:30, closed weekends in off-season, tel. 03 26 51 20 20, www.moet.com). From the train station, walk five minutes straight up rue Gambetta to place de la République, and take a left on avenue de Champagne (how fitting). According to the story, it was near here in about 1700 that the monk Dom Perignon, after much fiddling with double fermentation, stumbled onto this bubbly treat. On that happy day, he ran through the abbey shouting, "Brothers, come quickly...I'm drinking stars!"