The journey starts in Frankfurt after having spent some time in Amsterdam and Frankfurt. I flew into Amsterdam and stayed 3 nights. After that, I took the train to Frankfurt to visit for 2 days. I picked up a rental car in Frankfurt and drove to Wissembourg.
Once on the road, I settled in for an approximate 2 hour trip. The Autobahn is fun. And drivers know how to drive – not like stupid Seattle. About 140 km/hr (86 MPH) is about as fast as I liked it.
The drive was really nice. Scenery was fantastic. There were factories and cities. And when I took off toward Wissembourg for the final leg, there were green rolling hills. It was beautiful. There were lots of grape vines. Corn was the other distinguishable crop. The route was through some very small towns with classic architecture.
Once there, I headed to the hotel; however, when I got to the middle of town, I saw a big Catholic Church, it was open, and there was a parking space right out front. So I popped in. Lucky me, there was an organ recital going on the church’s restored 1766 pipe organ. It was fantastic. After the recital, I wandered about.
The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul dates back to the 1300’s. It was originally a part of an abbey here in town. In 1803 it became a parish. It’s a big beautiful place. There are some frescoes that are amazing. And a tall St. Christopher is painted on the front wall.
So I walk out and there is an ambulance in the middle of the street blocking me in. Up above is a helicopter. Sure enough, the helicopter was coming in for a landing in the square adjacent to the church to do a medical airlift. They were pusing everyone back, and as the helicopter landed, it was whipping up debris and sand. Later I would find sand embedded in my sweat. Since I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, I walked around & looked at the surrounding area. It is so quintessentially German, a real Leavenworth. The town/houses were cute. Just so nice.
They were still working when I got back to the square, so I joined the crowd watching the action. They finally got the guy onto the chopper and left. Everyone went back about their business.
I chose the Hotel LaCouronne because of it being in the center of town. They had a suite for €89 or a double for €70. The suite was a gorgous modern room, but since I don’t plan on spending much time here, I just went with the double. It has a nice large bed in a spacious room. My only complaints are the lack of AC and the small shower – you know the kind you have to step out of to soap up. Other than that, just fine.
I went to look for the hotel. It was another drive around in circles and I kept looking right at it. Anyway, it is right in the middle of town. There is no parking, but you can park on the street by the church no problem. So I checked in. Get settled and decided to walk around and find dinner. I found a restaurant with a salad bar and that was it (Restaurant LaMirabella). Salad bar – some romaine, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, and some pasta salad, a margherita pizza, ice tea and water made me a happy camper.
The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul
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