Olivier Nasti may sound like the name of a villainous cartoon character, mean, bony, bitter and solitary, but the Olivier Nasti I met in the town of Kaysersberg in Alsace is a charming, round-cheeked chef and businessman with a strong sense family. Seven miles northwest of Colmar, in one of the small, colorful tourist-friendly towns along the Alsace wine route,…

Colmar, capital of the Upper Rhine department of Alsace, lacked color on the cool grey day and damp night that I visited in February. I hadn’t come here to recommend the season, though, but for a brief glimpse of the town before heading to a small town on the wine route…

The first high-speed train route in France that is not centered around Paris opened today (Dec. 11, 2011), quickening the connection between Burgundy and Alsace and making train travel throughout eastern France more seamless. Known [...]