The Kids of Alsace-Lorraine

We'd just left Switzerland and were now in France, on our way to Paris. Then our bus broke down, and we suddenly found ourselves in a little town called Ransbach le Bas. It was Sunday morning and we were getting hungry - that early breakfast in Basel was a long time ago.

The poor lady in the little town's only restaurant couldn't handle 29 hungry people and a bus driver, so my Aunt Ruth took over the kitchen. Fifty years later, I still have memories of the French lady sitting down on a stool in the hot kitchen, fanning ... (more)

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Our bus broke down just after we'd entered France, and we found...

Dressed in the same outfit she'd worn from our flight to Europe, my aunt...

After eating, we had lots of time to stroll around the village.

Lots of time to walk around the town.

Admiring the unusual walls. We never would have seen any of this if...

Some of us borrowed a bicycle from the restaurant and toured the town.

Before long, we ran into some of the younger villagers. It was Sunday morning...

Nicely dressed up, even when they were taking care of the family cow .

All the young girls we saw were nicely dressed, too.

Their mother didn't mind my taking their picture.

With all these kids coming out to see us, I couldn't resist. My...

Imagine suspenders on any of our kids today!

This young lady looked like she might have just come from church.

And here's the same pretty lady 47 years later! Explanation in the...

A happy boy who seemed glad to see us.

Another youngster who didn't mind posing for the camera.

He stood there rather impressively, posing with his toy pipe.

Happy to oblige the photographer.

Brother and sister.

Brothers, of course.

On the fence in their Sunday best.

I still can't get over how well dressed every one of these kids...

One of our group enjoying the company.

Two boys, one pipe.

Ranspach le Haut is 2 kilometers down to the right. Today the guide book says...

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article published 5/25/2006

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I received this email on September 28, 2006:

Dear Mr. Fairbanks, We make a point to thank you for the photographs you have published on the worldisround internet site relative to a trip you have done in Europe in 1959. During this trip, your bus broke down in a peaceful village of the east of France (in Alsace) named Ranspach le Bas. The young lady who is on the photo number 13, sitting on the pavement at the exit of the Mass) is now my wife. I'm pleased to send you the photography of the same person taken today (it means 47 years later). You will note she have kept all its youth ...

We thank you cordially again because these documents are for us a memory of the peaceful life we had by that time, which is perceptible through the happiest faces of the children you have photographed that day. We addressing you our best greetings from France. Joseph ANDELFINGER - Alsace - France
— Bob Fairbanks, October 7, 2006

Hello, Steve. It is great to hear from you, so many years after I took those pictures! I hope to hear more from you about your father's friends that I met so briefly in that beautiful village 47 years ago. We'll be looking!

I'm flattered that you ask about my life. If you go to my homepage (just go to the worldisround.com homepage, and then type in 'bob fairbanks' where it says 'author'), you'll get my short history and a photo of us. Look down a bit farther and you'll see a number of our travel adventures. There are also some personal stories about my family, if anybody is possibly interested!
— Bob Fairbanks, October 7, 2006

Dear Pat and Bob,

You don't know me so let me introduce myself. My name is Steve, i'm 21 y.o. and i live in France.

Two days ago, i went to my grand-mother. Once there, she show me some pictures somebody gave her. Those different pictures were taken from internet, from your own website actually.

What a surprise when i discovered in some of those photographs pictures of my father, my uncle and my godfather!

Maybe at this stage you already guessed were my grandmother is living?

Actually, she lives in Ranspach-le-bas, a little town in the east of France, a village you know because of your bus incident in 1959.

When i saw the different pictures at my grand mother place, i said to her that i'll try to contact you!

I really want to thank you for this amazing surprise and for those beautiful pictures!
— steve, October 5, 2006

You can found a picture of a boy at this adress:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/297661/photo11.html

This boy is my father, he is now 54 y.o. and is called Joseph. When he was 14, he passed a degree in mechanic (car reparation?), i'm sorry i don't know the equivalence or even the english word for that. He worked a few years in a garage in ranspach, then he moved in blotzheim (about 4 km away from ranspach) to work for the city, he his still doing that now. He married my mother in 1976 and they are still married now with 1 child (me).

adress: http://www.worldisround.com/articles/297661/photo19.html

This boy on the right his my fathers brother. He is my godfather as well. On the left side, ther is my father again. My godfather is called Jean and he's now 51. He married a women with italian origine and he has got 2 children. One is called franck and is 26, the other one is called cedric and is 19. Franck is teacher in science in Paris and cedric is still studying.
— steve, October 5, 2006

adress: http://www.worldisround.com/articles/297661/photo24.html

The young boy on this picture was my other uncle. the oldest of the two brothers of my father. I wrote "was" because unfortunately he passed away in 1986 when he was aged 35. Alain, it was his name, was hearth sick. Alain have got a girl called Valérie, she is now 33 and, she lives with his boyfriend (she's not yet married) and their child, Julien, 6 y.o. If Alain was still alive, he would now be a happy grand father. i'm sure you understand that seeing this picture made my grand mother really glad! Thank you for that!

Well, i think i wrote evrerything i wanted. I really hope you're glad to get a feedback (is that the good word? my english is not so good, sorry about that!) of what some of those boys became after all those years. My father was very glad to see those pictures because he knows all the people on the pictures and is still in touch with all of them.
— teltop, October 5, 2006

Of course, you can write me back at my e-mail adress:

teltop@hotmail.fr

It would be a pleasure to transmit any information to those 2 "young boys"! And if you want any information about the region, don't hesitate!

At last, we'd be happy if you could write us a small paragraph about yourself, what your work exactly was, if you have children, etc...

Thank you very much to both of you,

Regards,

Steve

Merci Beaucoup!
— steve, October 5, 2006