Mont Sainte Odile - One Last Visit

Cohn had been talking about the two of us going off somewhere on a weekend trip. He wanted to get out of town and get in a good walk. I suggested we fly to Strasbourg and walk up to Saint Odile, or somewhere or other in Alsace. "I know a girl in Strasbourg who can show us the town", I said.

Ernest Hemingway - The Sun Also Rises, Chapter I

Mont Sainte Odile has been a pilgramage site for over 1000 years. People come to the top of the mountain in droves. Hemingway came in the 1920s and was impressed enough that he mentioned it as background in his first novel. Nearly 80 years later, Theresa and I have been up there more times than we can count. Cindy Eaton had not yet been there. On December 3 we all went up for our final visit before we end our year in Strasbourg.

It was on top of this rock that Sainte Odile founded a convent, high up in the region of Hohwald, or high forest, overlooking the Rhine valley. Born blind, her sight was restored upon baptism and many other miracles were attributed to her afterwards. She is the patron saint of Alsace.

Some pilgrims still come to pray. Some come to enjoy the view. Some come to do a bit of both. Mont Saint Odile satisfies all.

You never know exactly what you will be able to see from Mont Sainte Odile. On a hazy day, you can barely see the villages below. On some days, you may actually be above the clouds and look down to see the valley seemingly filled with cotton balls....as if looking down from an airplane. On a clear day, you can see easily to the Black Forest in Germany and even see the Strasbourg Cathedral, though it is some 15 miles away.

The day we went was clear, but windy and cold. You can tell by the pained looks on the faces of Theresa and Cindy, below.Regardless, the trip to the top of the mountain was well worth it. Every visit has been different. This one was especially different because it is our last before we leave. I hope someday to visit again. I suspect that whether in 5 years or 10 or 20, the view will still be much the same. I suspect that Saint Odile herself would still recognize the view after 1300 years.

Since it is the Christmas season, the final picture below is of a mosaic in the Chapel of the Angels on Mont Sainte Odile. The mosaic shows the visit of the shepherds to manger on Christmas night, with help from a choir of angels.