“You and me, we are more than friends. We are like a small travel gang!”

Today was our last full day on the river cruise and we were both in Germany and France. We arrived in Breisach, Germany and toured the town of Riquewihr, France. It is one of the most beautiful villages in France, and appears to have retained its charm, not changing over centuries. The cobblestone streets date back to the sixteenth century and are lined with half-timbered winemakers’ shops and tasting rooms.

We spent a few hours with an educational tour of the city. Much of the town was spared from bombings of the wars and remains unchanged. The main industry is tourism and we did our best to be good tourists and support the local economy. They are known for Black Forest Cake and Black Forest Ham. Woodcarving and Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks are popular souvenirs.

In 1983 France started a program to repopulate the storks in Alsace, and it has been very successful. Today you see storks nesting on chimneys and rooftops and in trees, even in cities. Some small wine villages, also play host to growing numbers of storks. It was a bit of a challenge to get a long distance photo of a non cooperative stork nesting on top of a home!

“Everyone needs this friend that calls and says, “Get dressed, we’re going on an adventure.”

Luckily, we have been blessed with great travel companions, both people we have known for a few years and people we have just met. As we travel on to the next leg of our trip in Switzerland tomorrow, I am grateful for having Barbara, Tom, Pat, Rich, Diana, Lissa, Kim, Gary, Peggy , Ken and Clarissa. Last but not least to our fearless leader Dave for bringing us together, and most importantly to my husband and best friend, Skip, the leader of “Friends of Skip,” who has made our life an amazing journey.

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”

~ Tim Cahill