Last month, I decided to take some time to get to know my region of France better.  France is divided into 22 regions, which, as the American I am, have started to liken to States in the US.  In many ways they are that, with local governments and very diverse cultures and traditions.  So, I hopped on the train and headed thirty minutes south to the town of Châtenois, nestled on the footsteps of the Vosges Mountains, in the heart of Alsace.

Before that weekend, I had learned quite a bit about Alsace.  My first encounter was in October, when there was a small festival on a main street of the city.  I wandered down, and window-shopped for lunch, finally settling on a tarte flambée. After my delicious meal, I saw a group of about ten adults, all dressed in really colorful outfits.  The men were wearing what looked like lederhosen, sans the leather, and the women were wearing bright, full red skirts, with frilly white blouses and enormous bows on their heads.  One lady was sitting on a stool and rocking out on the accordion, while the rest of the group was doing some sort of traditional dance.  I watched them for a bit and came to the conclusion that it must be a regional thing.  It surprised me that the region had so much culture and identity independent of France.  But after several history lessons from eager Frenchmen and some research on Wikipedia, I am finding Alsace to be quite a character.

First, the history of the region is complex, and starting from the late 19^th century, it was handed from France to Germany and back several times.   This gives it the sort of half-France, half-Germany feel, and has heavily influenced the culture and cuisine.  Alsace holds claim to the invention of the pretzel, or bretzel, and a palette of other delightful dishes like choucroutte, tarte flambees and delicious smoked pork.  The cheese of the region is Munster, a firm, but creamy cheese, with a very distinct smell.  The region is also home to several different vineyards that traditionally produce sweet, white wine and several well-known French beers, like Fischer and Kronenbourg.

Apart from the food (my current obsession), the colorful architecture and lore make the region unique as well.  Buildings with wooden exoskeletons and colorful facades line the streets, and they all have ‘overbites,’ meaning that the second flood protrudes over the first.  My friend Nathan explained to me that the structure of the home was a way to get the most out of their money.  Back in the day, taxes were imposed on houses, but only on the area of the ground floor, so people added a bit of square-footage on upper levels by building out.

The lore is everywhere.  I recently discovered a book entitled Legends and Tales of Alsace.  The introduction explains that most stories have been passed on orally, but the author compiled some of his favorites into the book.  Like most good stories, they are full of princesses and witches, ghosts and enchantments, but I was also impressed at the lengthy description the author gives to locations and places.  He details monasteries that are still standing, and forests that lie in the heart of Alsace.  Being an American, a country that is relatively young, I sometimes forget what a heavy weight the past hold, and it always amazes and surprises me to hear such stories.  The symbol of the region is the stork, or cigogne and they can easily be seen about town in the spring, perched in their nests on churches and houses.

During my trip to the countryside, I noticed one aspect of Alsace that isn’t as apparent in Strasbourg.  The dialect, Alsatian, like the rest of the culture, isn’t German, and it isn’t French, but bears resemblance to dialects spoken in Austria and Southern Germany.  Now it has grown more complicated, for its speakers mix in French and German words as well, allowing me a semblance of understanding at first glance.  It is more common in the countryside than in bigger cities, and Châtenois was really the first time I felt immerged in it.

Coming to France, I was pretty unaware of what I was getting myself into.  I was ready to enjoy a year of typical French living: red wine, cheese and baguettes at a chic café on a river, and I am happy to say that I have had so much more.  I have met people and a region with such a deep culture and sense of identity, I have enjoyed my red wine and cheese, but I have also biked around castles and enjoyed beer at a microbrewery down the street and heard jokes in Alsatian and eaten my weight in tarte flambée.  It’s been a great year.