A Countryside Fairytale in Alsace

A fairytale in Alsace Californian Ashley Sorci took the long way round to put down roots in Molsheim, where she found the perfect blend of countryside charm close to Strasbourg’s international energy…

I first landed in Bordeaux in 2012 to do my sociology degree. Five years ago, I was looking for a life change and chose Strasbourg because it was very different and central to the rest of Europe. I was just fascinated by the international aspect. You have the Council of Europe and the European Parliament there. After living in the city for a few years, I bought a home in Molsheim, a village just outside, because I prefer the countryside but still with easy access to the city.

I love this blend of German and French culture; Alsace really marries the two quite well. There’s a small community vibe, I’ve actually gotten to know my neighbours quite well, but I can get to the city on a train in 15 minutes.

In Strasbourg you have the most amazing cathedral in Europe, the Petit France area is very charming, and Molsheim is on the Alsace wine trail. I can be walking in the vineyard in five minutes. The half-timbered houses are so unique and very beautiful. A fun fact is that Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was actually inspired by the village of Riquewihr. It feels like you’re stepping into a storybook, it is stunning. Colmar as well, all those little villages that make you feel like you are in Disneyland, but this is real. In winter the Christmas markets are fun, there’s tons of castles to visit around here and towards the Vosges mountains where I love to hike. And then Germany is just 15 minutes away, so I can go grocery shopping there, I can go to the Black Forest – and I can enjoy a good schnitzel.

Terrible. I had taken nine years of French and thought I was set. But I remember arriving and I couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying to me. So, it took time, and a lot of trial and error. Eventually I got up to speed, so my French now is fine. I’m able to get along professionally and personally. But it was really an uphill battle, there were days where I’d feel like I was making progress, and then I would fall back, such as trying to tell the doctor what’s wrong.

I’d say it’s like the coconut versus the peach analysis. The locals have the harder outer shell, so relationships take time to grow, but once you’re in their circle, you’re really in. You have fewer casual relationships and more deep ones that take time to grow. At first my neighbours had a lot of questions about a Californian living next to them.

Now we’re invited to have a tarte flambée in the garden, and we’ve helped each other with little tasks around the house.

I’ve had different jobs, but in general a French office environment is definitely more of a hierarchy. There’s more formality and work-life balance, keeping private and work life separate. Of course, now that I work solo and with collaborators it is different.

I work as a relocation concierge, not just for Americans but English speakers in general. I help people in Alsace and other parts of France with administrative things, phone calls, doctor’s appointments. I’m quite busy now because there’s a lot of people who have been thinking about it for a long time, and now they want to make that leap. I collaborate with real estate agents, notaries that I’m putting my clients in contact with. In these five years I have grown quite a network of people.

I wasn’t a big wine drinker, even living back in Bordeaux, but Alsatian wines are the best I’ve ever had. I love their white wines; Gewürztraminer, Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Cremant, you name it. I love a tarte flambée (also known as flammkuchen or flammekueche) – it’s sort of a religion here, everyone has an oven in their backyard, they’ll have parties and everyone can make their own, but the traditional is onion, little bacon pieces and crème fraîche. A new love of mine is Munster cheese, it’s highly recommended, you just have to get past the smell.

Bilingualism. Other areas of France, such as Brittany, also have two languages, but it’s not so much part of their everyday life. Here people speak Alsatian on the street, my neighbours speak it almost exclusively. I was also surprised by the people because they are so warm and friendly once you get past the proverbial coconut shell.

I like the concept of saying “on est bien ici”. It’s not translatable. In English, we don’t say “I’m good here”. It’s this simple, warm way to say: I’m happy, this is good, I’m good right where I am. I think, especially in American culture, we’re rushing, we’re pushing, and this embodies an idea that France in general, but this region in particular, is really good at, of bringing you back and living in the present moment.

To find out more about Ashley’s life in France and relocation services visit chezmoialsace.com

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