Pinot gris et tarte flambée

At La Maison du Pain d'épices
in Gertwiller

Bonjour m'sieurs-dames!

I admit it, I know nothing about France. I've been to Dunquerque for Carnival and twice to Paris. The first time I hated it, the second I loved it. Clearly, I have been having mixed feelings about the whole country and its people, so proud, so patriotic, so snob, so French (?!)... 

But then we went to Alsace for a weekend...and loved it! All of a sudden France was a beautiful place and the French were friendly, smiling and fun. I swear I'm not saying this under the effect of several glasses of Alsacian wine, though wines, tartes flambées, and a gentle green landscape might all have contributed to make Alsace a very appealing place to us.
Strasbourg and Colmar are generally the most known places in the region, though the Route du Vin between the two cities, passing through small towns and villages is just as pretty and enjoyable. After this trip we certainly want to explore more of France and will probably keep using our Belgian accent just for the fun of it...Allez, hein!

Cars and tennis balls

Gotcha! 

A Few weeks ago at the Brussels Design Market, I remember having seen various metal bars stuck on tennis balls. I didn't get that. Was it meant as art, or provocation or as a form of material culture alien to me...what was it? Then I was told it is apparently a not so uncommon practice to use a tennis ball on the metal hook at the back of the car if the metal ball on the hook gets lost. The tennis ball then prevents (so it went the explanation) the metal to rust away. Somehow I found it quite interesting. So, a few days ago we were driving around the Merode area when I noticed a tennis ball strangely placed at the back of a car and finally really got what cars and tennis balls have to do with each other!