Breisach, Germany
Breisach is a lovely little town at one end of the local train trip that takes you through the Kaiserstuhl vineyards from Riegel-Malterdingen to Breisach. By the time you reach Breisach, the vineyards are basically finished. I only saw one small patch of vineyards in Breisach (see photo).
The beauty of the train trip is thanks to not only the vineyards, but the Kaiserstuhl as well, which is a range of hills in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany with a maximum height of 556.6 metres.
When I alighted from the train at Breisach, I dawdled through the town, having noticed that the cathedral in Breisach, the Romanesque St. Stephansmünster, was perched high up on a hill overlooking the Rhine river. I had to save my energy
Along the way, a man greeted me with a “hello”. Who could such a person be? Did he sense that I am Australian? Or was he simply bored because his wife was enthusiastically shopping in a very mediocre looking boutique?
This gentleman, from Perth Australia, “a vide son sac” (emptied his bag — got everything off his chest), as the French would say. They were doing a cruise along the Rhine. It was great, a change from their usual trips to Bali.
He was upset about the recent national elections in Australia, won by the sitting government of the Labor Party (centre left). I questioned him about the domination of the Labor Party in Western Australia, which leads Australia’s mining industry and is our richest state in terms of GDP per capita.
He claimed the “problem” was due to the inner city wokes who vote Labor. He was so insistent on talking that I did not have to reveal that I am a woke!
This experience left me convinced that I am still too young to be taking cruises. This couple seemed to be more bored than fascinated by European culture and history. I plan to be a wine walker until the age of 80 and hopefully beyond!
Back to Breisach. It is a nice, though not exceptional, little town. The cathedral is very nice, while the view over the Rhine River was beautiful. The town lies literally on the border with France, with the French town of Colmar being just 20 km away. A bridge leads over the Rhine to the Alsatian town of Neuf-Brisach.
Breisach is a town for contemplating the horrors of history and the madness of war. During World War II, 85% of Breisach was destroyed by Allied artillery as the Allies crossed the Rhine.
