Students in the Hamilton in France program recently traveled to the Alsace region to visit Strasbourg, the capital, and a number of picturesque villages located along the “route des vins” running south next to the Vosges mountains from Strasbourg.
The students completed a walking tour of the central island (la Grande Ile) of the city, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, and learned about the history of its particular blend of Franco-German culture and architecture.
By bus, the group toured the districts built by the Germans between 1871-1914 and the buildings of the European Parliament, Council of Europe and International Institute of Human Rights. They then traveled south along the wine road to the villages of Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé, whose vineyards are known for their Riesling and Gewurtztraminer wines. The group attended a wine tasting while in the medieval village Riquewihr. Culinary highlights of the weekend trip included the regional specialities choucroute alsacienne, flammekueche, and kugelhopf.