I took a year out on a teacher exchange in 1974 and ended up in France’s eastern-most province, Alsace, teaching English in a small school near Strasbourg. It introduced me not only to a new world of French speakers whose first language is a German dialect but a Hungarian dance troupe!

Alsace - Elsaß

A Teacher Exchange

Strasbourg Cathédrale
Strasbourg Cathédrale
Strasbourg vu d'en haut
Strasbourg Palais Rohan
Strasbourg Kammerzell
Strasbourg Kammerzell
Strasbourg
Place des Cochons De Lait
Strasbourg La Petite France
Strasbourg Winstub
Strasbourg Ponts Couverts
Strasbourg Parlement Européen
Strasbourg Parlement Européen
Haut Koenigsbourg built by Kaiser Wilhelm when Alsace was part of the German Empire
Haut Koenigsbourg
Château de Wasigenstein - Alsace is littered with old ruined fortifications
Château de Windstein
Mundolsheim -
the little village I spent a year in
Mundolsheim Ancien C.E.G. where I taught English on the teacher exchange
Mundolsheim Nouveau C.E.G.
Mundolsheim Pignons - houses built characteristically end-on to the road
Mundolsheim - most of the buildings are former farmsteads
A traditional wood-clad interior.
Mundolsheim
Rue Du Général De Gaulle
My home for a year
Rue Du Général De Gaulle
My room was in an old farmstead built round a central farmyard
The Freysz family have lived here for generations
Storks are frequent visitors here in the summer
Obernai
Walled towns with gated towers are commonplace in villages in Alsace
Colmar Rue des Marchands
Colmar Maison Pfister
Fête Du Muguet
Fête Du Muguet
Vignobles
Alsace has an important wine-growing tradition
Vosges Chasse-Neige
The heavily forested Vosges, the sister range to the neighbouring Black Forest
Le Lac Blanc
Point De Vue
Vosges Panorama
Plan Incliné Arzwiller
Plan Incliné Arzwiller
Ensemble Bartok - a Hungarian dance troupe I joined - here performing in a summer festival
Ensemble Bartok demonstrated and entertained across the region.
A reminder that this part of France has a strong German-speaking tradition