A Culinary Pilgrimage in Niedermorschwihr
24 May 2018
We passed through the little town of Trois-Epis, past the large church (that looked like it had something big going on today) and the windy roads that made their way down the mountain. There were some great views over the mountainside! Trois-Epis is home to a few hiking trails that all looked fairly interesting, but we spent so much time in the cemetery and it was beginning to get late. We took the windy roads down to the town of Niedermorschwihr.
There is a legendary shop around those parts, one that is a bit of a culinary destination. Based around the jellies and jams made by Christine Ferber, Maison Ferber Au Relais des 3 Epis also has a large pastry counter, lots of kitchen supplies and books, and many other regional specialties. The draw here though is the confiture.
We managed to get in to the shop not too long before it was closing, so our time was short. The selection was a bit overwhelming in our limited time, but we knew we needed to get something unique. We chose jars of Alsatian Strawberry and Mint Jelly, Orange Cardamom Marmalade, and the incredible sounding Onion, Tomato, and Riesling Jelly. We checked around the shop quick, and while it looked interesting, being late in the day had them sold out of most pastries. Next time we will get up here early for sure, we’ve heard the kugelhopf is fantastic!
We took a walk through the town. It wasn’t a big town at all, seeming to be more of a quiet farm town. In the square by the church there was a nice display of old winemaking equipment as well as a plaque dedicated to the US soldiers that helped liberate the town in WWII. That is something I’ve seen frequently throughout Europe; each town seems to have their own dedication. The town was nice, but as it was getting late and much was closing up, we decided we were going to head back to Kaysersberg for dinner.
We wound down the hill, stopping at places along the way to get some pictures. It is truly a beautiful countryside. Sometimes in travel though, interspersed through the beauty and fun, you find yourself in some unexpected adventures. We pulled over by a vineyard, where they have these dirt patches on the side of the road for cars to pull over. Usually it is just plain packed dirt, but this one had these relatively large rocks set up at intervals, almost like they were separating parking spots. We got out, got lots of pictures of the vines, the hills, even stepped up on the rock to get the village in the distance... it was all so beautiful. We got back in the car, forgetting the rock was there... and as we pulled out, we ran right up over top of it! We hung the damn car by the frame on this stupid rock! Panic came first, those few minutes filled with visions of our travel budget going through the roof, then came calm logic. We were solely hung on the frame and there was no damage to the tires, wheel, or oil pan. That was good. We used the jack to lift off the rock and were able to put the car in neutral and push it back, tipping the jack as the car came free. Once all four tires were back on the ground, we checked again. No damage underneath, it just landed on the frame. Things could have been SO much worse! We made our way back to Kaysersberg, hearts still pounding from the stress and panic, yet thankful that it wound up not being so bad.
All in all, it’s just another adventure in travel!
Just found the site? Click HERE to go to the first post and follow from the beginning!