Alsace will likely be covered in several posts.  I do so love it there – the storks, the pottery, the linens, the architecture. Just a short drive over the border and yet a world away in many respects.  

I thought you might like to take a look at the famous Alsatian pottery. It is completely different than the pottery across the Eastern border into Poland.  It is primarily in reds, yellows, blues, and blacks with designs painted freehand versus stamped. And no, I did not buy any.  Scouts honor. ; )   But it was cheerful to see in the store windows.  

What I did buy was a small Hansi calendar and some cards to frame.  Hansi, whose real name was Jean-Jacques Waltz, was an artist-illustrator from the early 1900's.  He was caught up in the first and second world wars and the battle between Germany and France for his homeland.  His satirical illustrations of the German occupation drew the ire of the Gestapo. Today, his renditions of daily life in the Alsatian region is widely available in the local gift shops, for which I am exceedingly grateful.  I adore the colors and the simple storybook style.

Another surprise was that this secular calendar still features all the Catholic feast days which you can see if you follow that first link.  You can also see the typical linen patterns widely available here.