To give you an example of the simple pleasures we enjoy, I have included a short sketch of our last short trip.

On our last 4-day holiday, we traveled from Stuttgart to Strasbourg by train. The first evening we wandered in the old town and the next day we toured the museum and the cathedral; I noticed the red/pinkish color of the stone. One of the lacy spires was covered with scaffolding, but it was wonderful anyway. Since we had our bicycles with us, we rode through much of Strasbourg and stopped at the zoo and lovely city park. Strasbourg is flat, no hills, so this was perfect for us. On our third day we headed west along the European bike path. This portion of the path followed a lovely riparian landscape along an old canal (swans, ducks, songbirds, wildflowers). The canal houses with the charming gardens and traditional look were an unexpected treat. After 30 kilometers, we stopped in Molsheim (Hotel Diane) for the night. After French food and wine on the terrace of the hotel's restaurant, we were treated to a magnificent lightening and thunderstorm. The next day we rode back to Strasbourg and hope on the Deutsches Bahn. We plan to go back and rent a car in order to explore the Alsace wine villages. jane