Dining in the Alsatian Vineyards of Hunawihr

Last night, we ended up just down the road for french-italian which was delightful. The food was incredible, the wine from the grapes surrounding us, and a cool, cold wind descended on us like a dry but flapping blanket as it the breeze has only the vines in their way.

Happy birthday to my love!

Alsatian Pinot Gris (or the Grauburgunder I mentioned earlier in the trip) has an almost-pink color due to the extra "hang time" they give them on the vine

Literally, we could touch the grapes in this wine

Through travels, it's easy to feel vulnerable, defensive, and prickish even based on the situation. The reasons vary but always bring a slight shyness, avoidance of eyes, polite pursing of lips, words of response but not of acknowledgement, and the such. Maybe they think we're together and don't like it. Maybe they think we're together, they do like it, and want to hang out more than we really think is fun. Perhaps it's because were "Texan" or "American" or can't speak very good French or German or even our Fra-Germ-Lish that we adopted in Alsace.

A nice-looking-enough couple dining next to us reminded me of a vacationing couple I'd see in England at Brighton or Blackpool, the lady smoked some long cigarettes while the husband had two packs of camels stacked up. Except they spoke French, drank fine wine, and were surprisingly witty but it took me getting over my own judgements and listening to Ryan to figure that out.

Our server, who seriously reminded me of any server at a trendy farm-to-table restaurant in Austin, struggled a bit with us because we tried to speak French, were ordering everything just fine, but kept approaching us with complex sentences that we obviously wouldn't understand. The dining couple next to us kept smiling, chuckling a bit, and I felt very avoidant believing I was trying too earnestly, or not enough.

Once the second course was delivered (the wine came out by a cute gent who spoke a bit of English to us but not much to talk about when you have gorgeous wine to pour) by our complex-phrase-speaker and she asked how we were liking our food. We didn't hear these words, but it was that time in the meal where they ask and check on the levels of your wine glass.

"C'est Bon" we both replied. I might have started with "Es schmecht mir..." and then switched to French but I couldn't be sure.

The diners chuckled and the server walked to them to top up their wine glasses. The wife said to the server "No no, Alles gut??" and laughed a bit. My ears reddened. Ryan seemed to enjoy the moment. We later talked and the diners weren't making fun of us, they were actually making fun of the server who didn't know enough German, in a region previously owned by Germany and shaped by the "are we owned by France or owned by Germany and really who cares let's make wine" historical dynamics.

The couple left, the wind picked up, but the server returned only once -- to close the umbrellas to give us a bit more light as the sun set. The other server who had brought our wine finished everything up. It goes both ways, I guess, when it comes to feeling afraid to be out in the wild world and having the rest of the world come into your safe spot. Both are good; simply uncomfortable at times of misunderstanding. That's why I'm so glad to have my perceptive husband with me. :)

Enjoying the moment

Tschüß!!!