City Mouse and Country Mouse

So after a week here in Alsace I guess I have started to get a feel for the place. Twice I ventured into the countryside to visit vineyards, war memorials and towns from the middle ages. The first time with Dr. Lee and the Allisonians and the second time with a contingent of exchange students from Stockholm (all of which are blonde girls) as well as an Icelandic architecture student (also blonde and female). It's amazing you take the train here for twenty minutes and you're in the most gorgeous town you've ever visited that just happens to be surrounded by field upon field of wine-grapes. I think the weather probably helps. The days being warm but not hot with plenty of sun. On Saturday on the tour we happened to be visiting a town at the same time as some university hazing ritual where the students in all manner of funny attire would shout and shout and shout until people through water on them from their windows. Apparently none of the French people I've met have ever heard of such a thing. This is not unusual, however, as I've been told a lot of little towns have their own traditions and people don't expect that you've heard of their little town and it's own special ways even if you're from France. Today is the first day of classes so it is perhaps the end of my mid-week jaunts to the countryside...alas no more wine-tasting.