Hunawihr, Alsace, Grand-Est France. The Nature Park and the Garden of Butterflies

Dinner at a lovely restaurant in Strasbourg

With our dinner in Strasbourg we enjoyed this wine.  We liked it so much that we went to the winery, had a wonderful tasting with one of the family members, and of course filled our car with Rieslings from Blanck.

Using Strasbourg as  our home base we were able to explore many of the sights Alsace had to offer.  We visited  The Butterflies Garden.  In the tropical atmosphere of an acclimatized greenhouse building we witnessed an unimaginable array of colorful butterflies busily going about their daily business feasting on  all types of lush vegetation.  We had to be careful where we stepped.  The butterflies flew all around us, alighting on plants, flowers, or on the ground.  The butterflies were from brilliant blues, to red and black, to black and white and so much more.  Some were psychedelic as they flashed their colors flitting from flower to plant to feeding trays laid out for them.  Their life span is only about two weeks.  I didn't want to leave this incredible show of nature.  

We were careful where we stepped

We found a place for lunch.  I had my steak haché (aka raw hamburger meat) with an egg yoke to put on top. 

We ate on the patio with a lovely view of a vineyard.  After all, we are in Alsace.

The NaturOparC is the Reintroduction Center of Storks.  They are committed to the preservation of regional biodiversity and are involved in the breeding and reinforcement programs in the wild.  They have done it for the White Stork, the European Otter and the Great Hamster.There we saw storks in their natural environment.  We also viewed various other birds, animals, and fish.  

Two nests of baby storks

This stork was looking for food

There was a wonderful collection of turtles

Mealtime for the babies

There were storks everywhere you looked.  The park was lush, green and a beautiful place to spend part of a day.  Since it was near the butterfly park we saw escapees enjoying their freedom in this next door parkland.

Here is a little idea of what the nests look like in the beginning

Family time

Cormorant drying its wings.

There were other beautiful birds, besides the storks

The Great Hamsters

 

Fort de Schoenenbourg, Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg, Hunspach Alsace France

The entrance to Fort de Schoenenbourg 

 Do you remember studying the Maginot Line in school? It was built between 1928 and 1940 by the French along their border with Germany and in the Alps with Italy.  Unfortunately France was defeated in June 1940.  Many said the Maginot Line had been a failure.  In reality it succeeded in its mission which was to protect the industrial zone of Alsace and Lorraine, allow the mobilization of the French army, and of the utmost importance avoid a surprise attack by the German Army in French territory.  Visiting one of the forts that made up the Maginot Line, which had been restored, was worth the time.  You need to allow a good 2 hours to cover the different galleries all of which are underground.  We saw how the soldiers lived underground.  Fort de Schoenenbourg was a civil engineering marvel.  This particular fort was the most heavily bombed construction of the Maginot Line.  On June 22, 1940 the armistice between France and Nazi Germany had been signed.  But the fort did not surrender.  The French high command had to tell them the war was over after which the fort was abandoned.

They used huge ammunition

Everything was built on a large scale.  The tools were built accordingly

The corridors are 1.85 miles (3 km) long and the fort is almost 100 feet deep (30 M)

Room for sleeping and taking breaks.

These are batteries which we assumed were for standby power in case their generators failed.

Another corridor with narrow gage railroad tracks for moving supplies and munitions.

Tom is showing off his shooting skills on this double barrel machine gun.

An example of the food supplies needed to feed 630 men

Samples of artwork the soldiers painted on the walls.

The land above the Fort

Hunspach is listed as One Of The Most Beautiful Villages of France.  The village has black and white half timbered houses that French refugees and Swiss immigrants built after theThirty Year War.  It is located near the Fort du Schoenenbourg.

Driving through Hunspach

We next visited Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg a medieval castle located in Alsace, France.  It was used by different powers from the Middle Ages until the thirty Years' War when it was abandoned.  From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt by the German kaiser Wilhelm II.  It is noted in history all the way back to 774.  The ruins have been listed as a historical monument since 1862 when the German kaiser Wilhelm II was granted the remains of the castle. His desire was to restore the castle, and reinforce the bond of Alsatians with Germany.  While his restoration is not completely accurate it shows Wilhelm II's romantic nationalist ideas of the past and the architect's work.  

Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg

Entrance

Roof top view

It's always about war and power.  There were big guns here.

Charming courtyard.  One side was for the servants (who were not to be seen), and the other side allowed for the important people to see and be seen.

German Kaiser Wilhelm II left his own mark in this room

Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg is a great city to visit.   It's also an excellent base for exploring the Alsace region.  While we hadn't planned on staying very long, we were so comfortable in the Marina (Port de Plaisance) of Europe Boat that we extended our stay until after two weeks we decided it was time to move on.  While there we took our time exploring a variety of villages in the area as well as tasting some wonderful Riesling wines.  Some of the Most beautiful Villages of France are located in the Alsace region.

We are facing the Council of Europe building with the flags behind us.

The Council of Europe is an international organization founded in the wake of World War II to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.  Founded in 1949 it has 46 member states representing a population of approximately 675 million.  Its operating budget is around 500 million euros.  We were fortunate  in that they were in session when we went to visit.  We listened to a delegate from Belarus condemn Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine.  They pleaded their case to become part of the COE because they claim to share the same goals of democracy and human rights.  Others attending spoke up to say Belarus still has problems with human rights.  Various countries were glad to hear what the representative from Belarus had to say and offered their support.

The dramatic entry to the Council of Europe building

The Belaruse representative addressing the COE

Protest signs outside of the COE building

Cruising into Strasbourg on the Canal du Rhône-au-Rhin we passed the dramatic European Union Building.  The European Parliament meets in both Strasbourg and Brussels.  

Cruising by the European Union Building


Foyer of the European Parliament building

Where the European Parliament meets

We passed by some interesting barges on our way to Strasbourg.  This barge had a nice size swimming pool on the deck under a removable glass roof.

Another pool on a barge

Strasbourg is the capital city of the Grand Est region of France, formerly Alsace.  It sits near the German border with culture and architecture combining both the German and French influence.

The Gothic Cathedral Norte-Dame is a focal point of the city.

Statues to the left of the doorway of the Cathedral

The cathedral is dramatically lit at night.

Stained glass windows inside the cathedral

The cathedral has an astronomical clock with animated figures that come out every day at half past noon.  The current mechanism dates from 1842.

After an amazing dinner in Strasbourg we strolled around the picturesque Petite France quarter.  The millers and tanners once lived and worked in this part of the town.  The half timbered houses date from the16th and 17h centuries.  The sloping roofs open out onto lofts where hides were dried.

La Petite France

Bridge in La Petite France

Covered Bridges

We couldn’t resist buying a slice of nougat candy.  It was delicious.

Mail delivery in France

Saint Paul’s Church is a major Gothic Revival architecture building built between 1892 and 1897