France charmed me all over again, not that I’m surprised. A nation that takes 2-hour lunches and loves bread, wine and cheese would always have my heart, but she really outdid herself. Wandered medieval villages in Champagne, jogged through electric-green vineyards and soaked in magical Strasbourg. With its half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets and bridges, Strasbourg is Grimm’s fairy tale meets Paris chic with a splash of Amsterdam. I only wish I discovered the city sooner. The food intrigued me with its French, German and Alsatian influences, and there was that unmistakable French joie de vivre, best exemplified by last week’s Fete de la Musique, where the city (like all of France’s cities, towns and villages) shut down and celebrated
In the Petite France neighborhood of Strasbourg, France
