April 11, 2007
An Insider's View of France's Best Kept Secret: Alsace
Anne O'Neill
Director of NJ, Alsace International
Minutes of the 27th Meeting of the 65th Year
About one hundred members of the Old Guard of Princeton were called to order for the 27th meeting of its 65th season by President Joseph Giordmaine at 10:15 AM. John Marks led the invocation.
Bill Haynes presented the minutes of the preceding meeting on April 4th, featuring a talk by Shirley Tilghman, President of Princeton University, entitled “Princeton: Present and Future.”
There were two visitors: John Brinster introduced his wife, Doris, and Bill Schoelwer introduced his wife, Jennylou, to a warm welcome from all present.
President Giordmaine announced that minutes of all meetings for the last two years are posted on the Old Guard website and that minutes of our meetings going back as far as 65 years may be found in the library of the Historical Society of Princeton. President Giordmaine announced the retirement of John Marks as Historian of the Old guard and members gave him a round of applause in appreciation for his many years of service. President Giordmaine announced that John would be succeeded by Nicholas Van Dyck as Historian. He also announced next week’s speaker and topic.
Dick Hanson introduced our speaker, Anne O’Neill, Director of Alsace International New Jersey, presenting “An Insider’s View of France’s Best Kept Secret: Alsace.” A graduate of Smith College, Anne also serves on the Business Advisory Board of Mercer County Community College and the Board of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. She is President of the Colmar Sister Cities Association.
As representative of Alsace International for New Jersey, Mrs. O’Neill serves as an ambassador at large, coordinating efforts to promote understanding of the attractions of Alsace: its cities, villages, vineyards and people. She gave an illuminating talk with slides, commencing with a balloon ride over the countryside, showing the beauties of the region, its striking geography and architecture. The area is bounded by the Vosges mountains on the West and by the mighty Rhine river on the East, with three primary cities: Strasbourg in the north, Mulhouse in the south and Colmar in the center. It is an area of mountain vistas in the haze, waterfalls and lakes and fields of corn, yellow colza and vineyards, remarked by Louis XIV: “Ah! The beautiful garden!!”
Alsace has endured a troubled history. Held in early times by Celts, Romans and Franks, it was an intellectual center for humanism in the 15th century, known for its Renaissance art and Romanesque churches. After the 30 Years War Alsace was sustained for centuries as a part of France, giving rise to the observation that “Alsatians do not speak French but their swords do!” Germany reclaimed Alsace in 1870 after its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. Alsace was returned to France after World War I, was re-attached to Germany during World War II and finally returned to France in 1945. One could apply Saki’s comment regarding the Balkans: “Unfortunate Alsace—whose people have always produced more history than they are able to consume locally!”
Whatever its turbulent past, Alsace is now indeed a region of good fortune.
Its people are devotees of food and wine. The region is ideal for wine making: perfect soil conditions and a warm dry climate. The Vosges mountains on its western border cause the rain clouds to rise and leapfrog over the region, settling on the other side of the river in Germany. People are welcoming and eager to show the visitor their caves and to tap their casks. Summer festivals are celebrated in costumes of the region and local artisans handcraft a variety of linens and colorful pottery.
There are 7,800 winegrowers in Alsace out of 1.4 million people. The wine industry is competitive. Although there are a few large wine enterprises, 80% of the winegrowers maintain vineyards on 5 acres or less. There are Medieval fortified villages, in pristine condition—saved from the ravages of German aggression. Kaysersberg is the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer. Strasbourg is the intellectual capital of the region, the site of the European Council and the Court of Human Rights. Here, Gutenberg constructed his printing press and Rouget de Lille wrote the French national anthem, whereupon it was appropriated by visitors from Marseilles.
Colmar is Princeton’s sister city, a happy relationship achieved for Princeton by the irresistible efforts of former Mayor Barbara Sigmund. Colmar is the wine capital of Alsace, with ancient streets lined with flowers and gondolas drifting along the canal. It has a 40-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty, designed by Auguste Bartholdi. Colmar pursues commercial relationships outside its own borders, viewed as engines of economic growth, with representatives even in Beijing and Shanghai.
Colmar has the highest concentration of starred Micheline restaurants in France. Its cuisine is resilient, perhaps highlighted by a distinctive charcuterie washed down with Riesling, followed by a Tarte Flambe. Indeed, after reveling in the gastronomic visions and delights presented by Mrs. O’Neill and imagining ourselves for a moment relaxing in a café on a charming street in Colmar, we should all embrace the Alsatian precept: “On a full stomach sits a happy head!!”
Respectfully submitted,
Charles W Ufford, Jr.
Bill Haynes presented the minutes of the preceding meeting on April 4th, featuring a talk by Shirley Tilghman, President of Princeton University, entitled “Princeton: Present and Future.”
There were two visitors: John Brinster introduced his wife, Doris, and Bill Schoelwer introduced his wife, Jennylou, to a warm welcome from all present.
President Giordmaine announced that minutes of all meetings for the last two years are posted on the Old Guard website and that minutes of our meetings going back as far as 65 years may be found in the library of the Historical Society of Princeton. President Giordmaine announced the retirement of John Marks as Historian of the Old guard and members gave him a round of applause in appreciation for his many years of service. President Giordmaine announced that John would be succeeded by Nicholas Van Dyck as Historian. He also announced next week’s speaker and topic.
Dick Hanson introduced our speaker, Anne O’Neill, Director of Alsace International New Jersey, presenting “An Insider’s View of France’s Best Kept Secret: Alsace.” A graduate of Smith College, Anne also serves on the Business Advisory Board of Mercer County Community College and the Board of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. She is President of the Colmar Sister Cities Association.
As representative of Alsace International for New Jersey, Mrs. O’Neill serves as an ambassador at large, coordinating efforts to promote understanding of the attractions of Alsace: its cities, villages, vineyards and people. She gave an illuminating talk with slides, commencing with a balloon ride over the countryside, showing the beauties of the region, its striking geography and architecture. The area is bounded by the Vosges mountains on the West and by the mighty Rhine river on the East, with three primary cities: Strasbourg in the north, Mulhouse in the south and Colmar in the center. It is an area of mountain vistas in the haze, waterfalls and lakes and fields of corn, yellow colza and vineyards, remarked by Louis XIV: “Ah! The beautiful garden!!”
Alsace has endured a troubled history. Held in early times by Celts, Romans and Franks, it was an intellectual center for humanism in the 15th century, known for its Renaissance art and Romanesque churches. After the 30 Years War Alsace was sustained for centuries as a part of France, giving rise to the observation that “Alsatians do not speak French but their swords do!” Germany reclaimed Alsace in 1870 after its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. Alsace was returned to France after World War I, was re-attached to Germany during World War II and finally returned to France in 1945. One could apply Saki’s comment regarding the Balkans: “Unfortunate Alsace—whose people have always produced more history than they are able to consume locally!”
Whatever its turbulent past, Alsace is now indeed a region of good fortune.
Its people are devotees of food and wine. The region is ideal for wine making: perfect soil conditions and a warm dry climate. The Vosges mountains on its western border cause the rain clouds to rise and leapfrog over the region, settling on the other side of the river in Germany. People are welcoming and eager to show the visitor their caves and to tap their casks. Summer festivals are celebrated in costumes of the region and local artisans handcraft a variety of linens and colorful pottery.
There are 7,800 winegrowers in Alsace out of 1.4 million people. The wine industry is competitive. Although there are a few large wine enterprises, 80% of the winegrowers maintain vineyards on 5 acres or less. There are Medieval fortified villages, in pristine condition—saved from the ravages of German aggression. Kaysersberg is the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer. Strasbourg is the intellectual capital of the region, the site of the European Council and the Court of Human Rights. Here, Gutenberg constructed his printing press and Rouget de Lille wrote the French national anthem, whereupon it was appropriated by visitors from Marseilles.
Colmar is Princeton’s sister city, a happy relationship achieved for Princeton by the irresistible efforts of former Mayor Barbara Sigmund. Colmar is the wine capital of Alsace, with ancient streets lined with flowers and gondolas drifting along the canal. It has a 40-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty, designed by Auguste Bartholdi. Colmar pursues commercial relationships outside its own borders, viewed as engines of economic growth, with representatives even in Beijing and Shanghai.
Colmar has the highest concentration of starred Micheline restaurants in France. Its cuisine is resilient, perhaps highlighted by a distinctive charcuterie washed down with Riesling, followed by a Tarte Flambe. Indeed, after reveling in the gastronomic visions and delights presented by Mrs. O’Neill and imagining ourselves for a moment relaxing in a café on a charming street in Colmar, we should all embrace the Alsatian precept: “On a full stomach sits a happy head!!”
Respectfully submitted,
Charles W Ufford, Jr.