While planning our trip, we’d decided to celebrate Bastille Day in Strasbourg, and as luck would have it the town of Niederbronn held their fête on the 13th, so we were able to attend two completely different celebrations.

The fireworks were terrific in both, but Niederbronn’s were preceded by a rousing speech and a short rendition of la Marseillaise.

Strasbourg’s, on the other hand, looked like they might be rained out when a rather violent storm started up, but it was over within 45 minutes. The river was lined three deep with spectators for what seemed like miles, so we followed some locals to a more secluded spot.

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About 6 corners of the Hexagon

Back on the road after two days in Colmar, we visited a few more villages on our way north to Niederbronn-les-Bains, in Bas-Rhin, where we would stay for the next two weeks. The timing couldn’t have been better: while the preceding week and a half of traveling had been a lot of fun, we were ready to kick back and relax, swim and write and just be for a while.

We spent the first two days just hanging out by the pool, then explored the town of Niederbronn, which is far bigger than we expected. A driving tour of some typical villages, as recommended by the tourist office, was interesting, and we also did a dégustation of some excellent beers at a brasserie in Oberbach.

A sixth call to the lost and found in Annecy bore fruit – my husband’s wallet had been returned, with credit cards, driver’s license, and 175 euros! Since we can’t remember exactly how much was in it, we’re not sure whether the good Samaritan who turned it in took something for his trouble, but even if he did, he left quite a bit, and we’re grateful for that.

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About 6 corners of the Hexagon

Following a sunrise walk in Amphion-les-Bains’s beautiful Parc des Cèdres, we drove west and did a quick tour of Évian-les-Bains, before continuing along Lac Léman into Switzerland and on around the far side of the lake, then headed back west to Vevey for a paddleboat ride and picnic.

After crossing back into France, we visited the tiny Most Beautiful Village of Lods and regretted not being able to rent a canoe or some other craft to enjoy the lovely stream.

We spent one night and half a day in the beautiful city of Besançon, where we rented an electric boat to do the “loop” around the city. After lunch, we continued north into Haut-Rhin, Alsace and visited an organic wine cave in the Plus Beau Village of Hunawihr before settling into our chambre d’hôtes for two nights in Colmar, one of my favorite cities in all of France – and the world, for that matter.

The next day we took a tour of 5 nearby villages as well as the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg and did a bunch of wine tasting.

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About 6 corners of the Hexagon

Driving north from Hyères, our first stop was the Plus Beau Village of Tourtour. Nicknamed le village dans le ciel de Provence (the village in Provence’s sky), Tourtour has wonderful views over the valleys and a cute, café-lined main street that reminded me of Mougins.

Next we headed to Seyne to spend the night chez our friend Guy. We drove through part of the Gorges du Verdon (one place in Provence that we never got around to visiting) and, later, endless fields of poppies and other wild flowers.

Lunch the next day was a picnic in Barcelonnette, followed by a major map error that added two hours to our trip. Finally arrived in Risoul, where we stayed for three nights. We visited Briançon and another Plus Beau Village, Saint-Véran – at 2,040 meters in altitude, it’s the highest commune in Europe.

Upon leaving Risoul, we drove to La Mure and took the little tourist train to Saint-Georges-de-Commiers, round trip. Continued north and arrived in Annecy, where we stayed for two days. We enjoyed a lovely day of biking and paddleboating and could easily have stayed a week. Truly a lovely city, and one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, my husband lost his wallet with his license, credit card, and, as far as we can remember, about 200 euros.

Two more Plus Beaux Villages: Sixt Fer à Cheval, which was cute but unremarkable – though definitely worth the visit for the beautiful drive, and apparently it’s a favorite spot for hikers. Then Yvoire, which was like a town-sized flower shop – it seemed to be filled and covered with flowers as far as the eye could see. We spent night number 7 in Amphion-les-Bains, on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva).

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About 6 corners of the Hexagon

I am in the midst of planning the vacation of a lifetime, at least for this die-hard Francophile. It’s such an incredible trip that I can’t even say that it’s a dream come true, because I’d never imagined something so extensive: my husband and I are going to spend three months driving along the borders of France in order to visit the 6 corners of the hexagon (one of France’s nicknames is l’Hexagone), not to mention a bunch of other cool places along the way. Continue reading →