We could hardly wait to spend a holiday in the Alsace region. We drove through wine country and mountains to Riquewihr, which is one of the most beautiful villages in France. With no snow on the mountains, youngsters were taking their mountain bikes up the ski lifts and riding down the slopes. That was a scary thought to me. In Riquewihr, the Hotel De La Couronne, built in 1550 would be our home for the next three nights.

The Hugel family can be traced back to 1639. Over the centuries, they gained an enviable reputation for their wine making skills and for the meticulous way they cultivated their vineyards. In 1902, Frederic Emile Hugel established himself in the center of Riquewihr. Today, the business is run by five members of the family (11th and 12th generations).

The family owns a 65-acre estate. Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Tokay Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir are the grape varieties grown here. The vines are up to 70 years old. No fertilization is ever used. Extensive crop thinning gives low yields and ensures high quality. The harvest is done by hand and always will be.

The wine tasting was fantastic and I kept a listing of the wines we tried. I wrote notes by each one and put a star by the ones I liked best. All of the wines were excellent. So maybe my stars stood for "heavenly".

We decided to take a walk (climb?) through the vineyards. We reckoned they were on a 45-degree slope at the bottom and getting steeper at the top. The rows were laid out vertically, but we were told the pickers work side to side. And that is the way we climbed. Roses and peach trees had been planted. The roses were there to ward off insects and the peach trees gave some shade to the workers.

We decided to take another route back to the town. It was very narrow and winding. We followed the road which ended just outside Riquewihr's city gate. After a left turn, we arrived on Rue 5 Decembre 1944.

Our guide told us that General Patton's tanks came into town on the winding road we had traveled. We were told that the town was full of Germans on the 4th and full of Texans on the 5th. The French had been liberated.

We spent some time in the museum. One of the Hugel brothers had been drafted by the French and one had been drafted by the Germans. I can't imagine brother having to fight against brother. Luckily, they both survived.

Traveling on the Alsace Wine Route highway gave us another look at the region. On this Memorial Day, we stopped to pay our respects at the Sigolsheim 1929-1945 Military Cemetery which honored members of the French army and its American counterpart. There were two monuments, and both were a testimony to the tragic episodes of the French liberation. The red poppies in bloom were a sharp contrast to the hundreds of white markers.

I will always remember and be grateful to the soldiers who gave their lives so that we can be free!