Work Weekend in Alsace

The really tough side of Ryan's life at work: a late Friday meeting forced a Saturday stayover in Germany, just when Ryan's childhood friend Spencer _happened_ to be in Heidelberg doing scientific collaboraiton with a colleague at the local university.... what a coincidence! We decided to enjoy our day together doing some wine tasting in the Alsace region of France with my colleagues Mike and Deepak. Here we are in Alsace at last: Mike, Deepak, Ryan, and Spencer in the town square of Ribeauville, our first town along Rue de Vin in Alsace.



We couldn't find any wineries! We followed a sign down a side road in Ribeauville with grapes on it, and found a lady in an office to whom we tried to convey our interest in drinking wine. It ends up she was a nun. She called one of her sisters, however, who showed us to the nunneries undergound cellar, where we had a private, English-free tasting of Alsace's wonderful white wines.

At the gate of the walled city of Kaysersberg, with our friend "3pac" (note the hand signal), so named for his #3 position on SAP's "most expensive traveler list"...plus his amazing skills at busting a rhyme. Let's hear it to 3pac and the Algo-rhythms....

Lunch in Alsace: a bottle of Riesling and Torte de Tres Fromage in a sun-drenched restaurant patio

The double-walled gate of Kayersberg.

Ryan and Spencer... our continent #3 for hanging out together!

Time for a hike: we found a wonderful road winding its way up the hills through the vineyard, and filled a messenger bag with bread, cheese, and wine to sustain us for the journey.

3pac enjoying a baguette overlooking Kayersberg.

The hills are capped with ancient casltes... nothing like that in Napa...huh boys?

The grand finale: dinner under the cathedral of Strasbourg. Ryan had to head home early, but tried to make up for a lost day hanging out with Spencer by keeping him up all night back in Heidelberg... we weren't completely successful (thanks to a hotel employee who wouldn't open the hot tub extra-early), but suffice it to say that Ryan slept very well on his 12 hour flight back to San Francisco.... What a fantastic day!