A Weekend of Wine <3

So it was Mom’s 47th Birthday! And what better way to celebrate than a weekend getaway to a French Winery! So on Sunday morning we headed down to Colmar, France for an afternoon in la Petite Venise… We grabbed some delicious flam-kuchen for lunch… Took a gorgeous boat ride down the river (although it was no comparison to punting in Oxford, of course)… And Drayton and Carolyn managed to give Mom a small heart-attack when they ran 45 minutes late to meet us, because they were too busy eating pizza… Typical. Haha :)

Later that evening we headed onward to a little village on the Rue de Vin (Wine Road) to spend the night at a local winery… This was      our (Drayton, Carolyn, Mom and my) second time in Alsace, France but it was definitely an exciting first for Aunt Laura, Uncle Donald, and the cousins! :) The grapes were in full bloom and what had started out as a slightly rainy afternoon, ended with a beautiful sunset! We got a great wine-tasting from a rather cute French man… Julia, Katherine, and I enjoyed wandering about the vineyards and “snail-hunting” (an activity reminiscent of years past when Gams would pay us by the bucket-full of snails on the farm! Haha)!

Later we had an AMAZING French meal at this little restaurant down the street… The menu definitely challenged our pathetic knowledge of French, but to be honest I knew all the French I need to: le vin and escargot! YUM! Escargot is a testament to the power of butter. Because anything soaked in enough butter and broiled is absolutely  to die for! And of course, to finish it off, Mom got her birthday creme brulee for desert!

With Love from Alsace, France… <3 Mary Elizabeth