Yes, that is a strange name for a French town, but with the borders so close, this area known as Alsace has changed hands so many times that the people took down the French street signs when the Germans came in and saved the signs to put up again when the French retook the area, then took down the German signs and saved them for when the Germans came back. So Steven introduced the town, as Riquewihr, France-Germany-France-Germany-France! A little of both cultures blended into one. We drove up the Vosges Mountains and could see across the valley to the Black Forest where we had been just yesterday.

First we visited the Centre de Reintroduction de Cigogne Blanche, or you might say White Stork Park. Here they are trying to preserve and help grow the population of white storks which used to be in the thousands. At one point, there were only ten! Now they have over 200. One of the problems is the nesting, which are built on chimney tops. Storks will return to the same nest year after year, not always with the same partner, though, and those nests can grow to weigh up to a thousand pounds. We saw the birds and their nests up close, as they are use to people and are not allowed to migrate for three years, but the birds do not lose that instinct and, when they are let loose, they migrate and return to the park. We saw a few nests in town, but those birds had migrated already.

We saw little red hearts on the crown of some of the houses in the villages we passed. These are symbols to say a single woman lives there. A bottle of wine represents a bachelor. The vineyards are all around the villages, still yellow and green, getting near harvest.

We stopped in Riquewihr for a little walk-about. Two vendors were passing out samples of maccarons, or macaroons in many different flavors. We bought some souvenirs with our Euro coins as we are leaving the Euro zone tonight and will be docking at Basel, Switzerland. The Swiss will change Euro notes into Swiss francs, but not coins, so we did our best for the local economy. Reiquewihr has a quaint cobblestoned town center. Darling shops and cafes, but we had little time to wander, as we had to get back to the boat for our disembarkation talk. So sad, tomorrow is our last day/night aboard the River Rhapsody. For some it is the end of their vacation. For some, they are returning to Hurricane Sandy's effects. For a lucky few, like us, it's off to Lucerne. D&I have already begun packing, sorting things out, as tomorrow is still a full day of sightseeing in Basel, so although we are sad to separate from our travelling companions and Michigan friends who are all leaving for home, we look forward to seeing our Swiss daughter, Paula, in Lucerne.

Tonight is the Captain's Farewell Drink and Dinner and the Crew Show afterwards. The crew is fantastic. So many of them know us by name and always greet us.

TOMORROW: Basel, Switzerland and a Halloween Party!