Alsace’s Unique Character, Through the Eyes of a Local
By James Ullrich
In a corner of eastern France, a unique, hybridized culture has evolved from two very different sources.
Jean-Claude Schroeder, the kind old man with the French first name and the German surname, looks out over the tree-carpeted Vosges Mountains. The Black Forrest is in the distance. He can see into Germany. Squinting in morning the sun, he lifts a liver-spotted hand and points eastward toward France’s old enemy.