France’s Alsace region!

Step into a fairy tale in

Tucked between the glorious Rhine River and the verdant Vosges mountains, this French province beckons like a beautiful dream. Imagine pedaling along bicycle paths in pine-clad valleys . . . riding horseback on red sandstone cliffs past castles . . . pausing along the Alsatian wine route to nibble Muenster cheese and sip Riesling wine . . . or meandering cobbled streets in Hansel-and-gretel villages!

For a true storybook adventure, cross the drawbridge of Château du Haut-koenigsbourg, a medieval castle on a rocky spur above the Rhine. Pause beneath one of the province’s towering cypress trees to breathe in its intoxicating spicy, smoky scent. As for your taste buds, treat them to a meal of rustic grumbeerekiechle (potato pancakes with bacon) along with the region’s famous sürikrüt (sauerkraut cooked in goose fat).

Stop in the cosmopolitan city of Strasbourg to explore the old city, set on an island with café-rimmed plazas and boasting a Gothic cathedral with jewel-like, stainedglass windows. Turn your attention to Eguisheim, a charming hamlet of historic fountains and flower-bedecked houses nestled in a sunny valley. See yourself floating along the small canals in the “Little Venice” section of the medieval town of Colmar, watching a brilliant sunset light up the distinctive red- and green-tile roofs of the candy-colored cottages—a marvelous memory of a marvelous escape! For centuries, graceful storks have been building their impressive nests and raising their families on rooftops in the middle of Alsatian towns and villages!