Travel is a Wise Instructor

I can think of no better way to learn than to learn by doing, by experiencing, by seeing the world, tasting the cuisine, hearing the sounds, touching the history, walking along the city streets and taking it all in.

I'm so very thankful that my husband and I are able to show our daughters the world. At least, portions of it. 

Yesterday, we went to the Alsace region of France. Wine country. Gorgeous, historic, culture-rich, Alsace, France. 

Some of our experiences:

Le Montagne des Singes is a sanctuary for Barbary Apes. We were able to interact with them. We fed them popcorn, read their nonverbal communication cues, watched how they interacted with one another, and took lots and lots of photos. 

It was so cool to feel their fingers grab the popcorn, ever so gently, from our hands. 

They seemed to get just as much pleasure out of watching us as we did out of watching them!

This was an experience we will never forget. 

This dude hopped right up onto the bench and sat next to Tuna!

They all look different and all have distinctive personalities. 

This guy wanted to be near people but on his own terms. If you got too close, he let you know with an "O" shaped mouth, which is a "get the heck out of my space" warning. You don't need an interpreter to know that, either. It's obvious. 

It was very neat to see the families interacting. This one just got done grooming one another and were having a sweet cuddle with their children.

We wandered the streets of Centre Ville in Colmar and Eguisheim, France. Just being there was an experience! We learned a bit of French, and said "Bonjour," "Au revoir," "S'il vous plait," "Merci," and "De'viation" as much as we could. That's really all we managed to pick up. French is not as easy a language as German. Very pretty language, though. I thought my high school French would come in handy. It. did. not. It is quite humbling to realize how inadequate the American educational system really is. Living abroad has taught me that even more than I already knew. Kids here learn at least two languages, it seems, aside from their native tongue. 

Bay was so disgusted by her daddy eating escargot. Really, we all were. But that was his experience, and one he very much looked forward to. He loved it. We all enjoyed another regional favorite: tarte flambee, which is a delicious, rustic, sort-of pizza on cracker bread. 

Some of us are more food-brave than others. Tuna always gets fries. She did enjoy some tarte flambee, though.

We all had our very first macarons. Having them in France made them all the more special!

The region looks a lot like Germany. We noticed the similarities right away. It's not far from the border, for starters, and also, it has changed ownership several times.

"Little Venice" was very pretty. We marveled at the buildings, the canals, the language, the vegetation, ever thing. Here, Tuna is holding a ladybug, and Bay, our macarons. 

Simply being here is such an experience. 

Looking for, and trying to name the varieties of, fish in the canal

There is a lovely covered market where vendors sell fresh cheeses, breads, cakes, meats, wines, and more. I loved walking between the stalls. 

Sausages

baguettes

We love looking at statues and old works of art. Tuna gets embarrassed when the statues are nude but otherwise enjoys them as well. Bay especially enjoys the shops. She meandered in and out of almost all of them, speaking to the shopkeepers and admiring the fashion. 

Driving in France is challenging. Deviation means detour, and there were plenty of them around. 

There is not a shortage of vineyards. 

Some of the buildings are just so odd! This house on the corner: look at how narrow it is!

French Coke. We like to look for "American" things in other countries. 

Storks! We learned that their nests can weigh up to 1,000 pounds each. 

This weekend, we're planning to go visit a couple of castles. We've already visited them each once, but we like them so much, we're going back for seconds. That's how Alsace is going to be. I see us going back for seconds. Also on our list: Budapest, Salzburg, Brussels, London, and Paris. We're discussing spending Christmas in London.