Alsace borders Germany—in fact, from the Franco-Prussian war to the end of World War I Alsace was part of Germany. The hills are never particularly steep or spectacular but are laced by narrow roads that wind amongst the vines from one picturesque village to the next. Villages such as Riquewihr and Kaysersberg are picture-book perfect with their painted eaves and gables, narrow cobbled streets, archways, and windowboxes brimming with colorful geraniums.