Ouch! What a move!

Well, it wasn't exactly like the Beverly Hillbillies, but it was close....a Newport Beach version!  We were driving a new Peugot, and only the bike and the cat carrier,  NOT with the cats in it!...were on the outside of the car!  Bruce did his magic to get it all in the car!  Kitties had very little space, but a potty box was present!   Thank God, they didn't need to use it!  Not ten more inches of space for anything.  I can't move around much, so I just sat there anyway!  One kitty sat between us, over the emergency break, and one sat in a space behind my headrest, that was no bigger than a 12 inch long shoebox!

For those of you who do not know, just before we were due to leave Provence, I fell off my bike, and fractured a rib!  Very difficult!  There was blood in my chest cavity, so we put off our move to Alsace for 5 days!  We went for a second Xray, and well, all good news!  The Dr. Was pleased with my progress!  No new blood in lungs!  Old blood is dissipating.  I Still need rest.  The ride wasn't as long as we thought...8 1/2 hrs. vs. 10 hours.  I'll take any little blessing!  I'm trying not to use pain meds much!

 Anyway, we are here in the little town of Schaffersheim.  The apartment and town are charming!  It feels much more like Germany than France!We are in another small town, but a bit more spread out than Saint Quentin, and fewer people!  The population is only 850 people.  Buildings are newer, (not 16th and 17th century). and there is no town center.  Very colorful, half-timber houses; whereas, in Saint Quentin the houses were all stone!  And, we are surrounded by corn fields!  There are good deal of light industrial business nearby, but closer to the interstate highway, not next door!

The apartment we are staying in is owned by a charming older couple, (anyone older than us is "older")!  He looks like the big beautiful German decent ( Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch) farmers from Bucks County, Pennsylvania!  There are many antiques in the apartment.  So far, my impression is of a beautiful area set in rolling hills of wheat and corn, where most houses are half-timber, and every house has a garden.  There are gorgeous flowers EVERYWHERE, and hearts carved into the shutters!  The house we are staying in was built by the owner's great, great grandfather, in 1830.  It is their home, and has several apartments, and an old Tobacco barn for drying tobacco!  

When we got here, and it was so hot, the poor kitties look like a Salvador Dali painting, the were so melted!  Thank goodness, the heat broke two days later!  Kitties can go out in a fenced garden, so that makes them happy!  Right now, they are getting acclimated, and still smelling everything....sleeping in each spot in the house to see which is cooler, and more secure!

The second day, we went to the larger town of Erstein, about 3 miles away.  We had lunch and headed off to the grocery store.  We are still unpacking.  We stick close to home the first day too, because of the kitties.  They need some extra tender loving care until they get comfortable and secure.

When we left, the weather in Saint Quentin, and here in Alsace, was unbearably HOT!  It was over 100 degrees the day we got here, and the day after it!  The second night, we stayed up until 2:00 am, just to keep the windows open due to a storm that was approaching....it brought cooler temperatures!

The weather has continued to be a bit cooler!  The crops need rain here....not critical yet, but it is
clearly a place that gets more rain than the South of France, and is a bit parched right now.  The nighttime weather has been cool enough to sleep, and last night we even turned off the fan!

It is very Charming and there are many antiques, but they have allot of stuff sitting out!  We like it bit less cluttered, so we are putting things away.  
Here are a few photos of the ride, and our new apartment!