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Published: June 21st 2015
Thursday 18 June 2015
It's time to have a look at the real Alsace and experience some of the beautiful villages as well as the town of Colmar. From our accommodation in Mulhouse it was not a long drive to Colmar so we arrived fresh and ready for action. We were all set to follow our guidebook's advice on the best carpark to use but with the vital road to same closed, alternative arrangements were necessary. We have always found that when in doubt heading for Centre Ville is a sure way to find the carparks. Sure enough, after some interesting negotiation of narrow streets we emerged to see an almost new parking building, our first in France. In we went, well pleased that not too many other tourists had got in before us.
Colmar presented us with immaculately decorated half timbered houses, some with walls at crazy angles, window boxes, flower baskets, delightful narrow lanes, little canals with many bridges in some areas, plenty of restaurants and shops as well as plenty of tourists to take advantage of all on offer. The gingerbread man story was brought to life with every kind of merchandise imaginable widely available. The
Colmar
Bright cheerful flowers everywhere.storks that are encouraged to nest atop steeples also will be due royalties from all the soft toy versions hanging enticingly outside gift shops. We wandered and appreciated all the charms of this popular town, then, with a rain shower starting we used our map to get back to the car and left to explore other Alsace delights.
Knowing we couldn't possibly do justice to all the lovely villages in the area we decided to spend the most time in Eguisheim which was highly recommended in our trusty guidebook. But first we wanted to track down an American World War ll memorial to those who died helping to liberate Alsace. Tracking this down was easier said than done. We knew it was on top of a hill near Kayserburg , and being American, expected to see that in the signage pointing the way. Eventually we found the elusive memorial by following a sign pointing us to a necropolis. The memorial is on what is still known by the locals as "Bloody Hill". Further on is a French cemetery containing the graves of 1600 soldiers including many moslems from North Africa who fought and died. On a clear day you
can see across Alsace and away into Germany from this point.
Eguisheim is not far south of Colmar and is seemed to us just as pretty but on a smaller scale. It is a village made for strolling, stopping, admiring and photographing. We did all that, then suddenly weariness descended and we headed back to the modern world, lest we fall asleep and do a Rip Van Winkle in Eguisheim.
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