Vive la Difference!

Anyone who has travelled very much around France knows that one of its many charms is how many completely different regions it has. These vary a great deal in terms of geography, culture, climate, architecture, traditions, culinary specialties, and wines.  Monday when I flew the one hour or so flight from Nice on the Côte d'Azur to Strasbourg in Alsace, I knew much would be different.  I've been to this region in northeast France many times and am pretty familiar with it. For the uninitiated, Alsace lies between the Vosges mountains and the Rhine river which here marks the border between France and Germany.  So, I've now traded rose wines for Rieslings; peach-coloured stucco houses with terra cotta tile roofs for half-timbered buildings; salad nicoise for tarte a l'oignon; and the dramatic Alpes Maritimes for gently rolling hills. However, it doesn't much matter!  It is all still great because it is the magic that is France!