Alsace is France's smallest region and you'll find it in the top right-hand corner. It's sandwiched between the Vosges mountains to the West and the Black Forest mountains across the Rhine in Germany. It's a classic example of "horst and graben" geology from the Oligocene era (about 30 million BC.) Think of a Black Forest Gateau that's been heavily leant on. The good news is this makes Alsace one of France's driest regions, because er, the rain only rains on the hills and er, sorry Sir, can you explain that bit again?
The half-timbered houses of Alsace are one of the region's most striking features. For most of its history, much of Alsace was flooded on a yearly basis. ( But I thought you said it was one of the driest regions in France? Oh, ok it doesn't rain much but the Rhine floods.) In the days before flood damage insurance, the Alsatians (the people, not the dogs) decided that the best solution to this predictable inundation was to build wooden kit-homes, which could be dismantled, moved somewhere drier and reassembled in a day. Having found somewhere dry, you'd think they'd just leave it there, wouldn't you?
The Oaths of Strasbourg have nothing to do with the sort of language you hear today in Strasbourg's rush-hour. They were pledges of allegiance sworn in 842 by royal brothers Louis the German and Charles the Bald. Charles the Bald was, of course, succeeded by Charles the Fat and Louis the Stammerer. It would be another 1000 years before political correctness arrived in Alsace.
À suivre...
La Résidence - THE French Property People
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