Blogs from Colmar, Alsace, France, Europe

Yesterday evening after a long day at school, I had the English lessons over in Colmar, which Daniele had asked me to come along to. I hadn't hesitated in saying yes when she asked me - as much as I don't really like speaking in front of lots of people, somehow when I'm in a teaching situation, it's different and I feel more confident. However, as the time drew nearer I did start to get very nervous especially when the students started arriving. They were all very curious about who I was and what I was doing there, dressed what must have seemed a bit strangely - I was wearing a white shirt and black skirt with a Welsh shawl pinned around my shoulders with a daffodil (the lesson was evidently Wales-based) - I chose to ... read more

Annecy and its mountainous surroundings, though so like home, could not hold me stationary for long and indeed I began to feel "antsy". (To get the joke, think on pronunciation.) And so off to... Well that answer was rather difficult to decide. I wanted very badly to head towards Beaune and its nearby pilgrimage sight but somehow it seems pilgrims these days are expected to be rich and able to afford the fanciest of accommodations. Not falling beneath either category, it seems my steps were fated to take another direction. And so I found myself in Colmar, a German jewel of a city, craftily covered in a French varnish in the Alsace region. I am an hour south of Strasbourg, an important EU center and close enough to pole-jump over into Germany. (Ok, not REALLY.) With ... read more

We spent the last three days in the Alsace region of France near the German border in a town called Colmar. This region is known for its white wines, German style food and architecture style. Our first stop was the Unterlinden Museum. Rick Steves, the travel book writer, says that this is one of the best museums in France and it is certainly very interesting. An audioguide comes with the entry fee and is very well done. The museum itself is at least 150 years old; some of the audioguide entries mention that a particular painting was donated in 1850. It is also a very eclectic collection…everything from medieval paintings to furniture to suits of armour to modern art. They even moved the interiors of a couple of buildings into the museum. The centerpiece is a ... read more

Day 3……On the way to Colmar, France….after a fantastic breakfast with fantastic views we were on our way to Colmar, France. We had a little bit of a difficult road change which forced me into a power U-Turn, which brought me to an intersection which I found out was a no left turn intersection. This of course was a mere moment of excitement for Gail (she will kill me this year) after I made an illegal left turn and ran over some little bitty rubber things with reflectors on them that separated lanes (Alana tell Loraine she would be proud). Gail is now taking over…They were not little bitty, but tall, at least two feet maybe be bigger, reflectors…I could not believe that Larry ran over three of them… Thank goodness it did not hurt ... read more

We woke up, got ready and checked out of the hotel. We headed back to the downtown area. Lori was hoping shops might be open. We found a café and had a light breakfast because we were still stuffed from last night. Most shops were not open so Lori and I walked around just window shopping. When we went by the cathedral, mass was going. We went in and I sat down and enjoyed listening to the service and the choir. Their singing was unbelievable angelic. After the service we walked back to the car and took off for Riquewihr. This is a little town close to Colmar that Kirsten and I visited. Kirsten recommended I take Lori here. Well Kirsten was correct, Lori loved it. All the cute little shops were open so after walking ... read more

Wednesday 22 April Mrs. Kimmel, the German woman we met at the hotel the other day, was absolutely right. The small wine village in the Alsace area was adorable. Vineyards around the whole village, and the wine maker’s picturesque shops in the city. The only problem was that the wine maker Lichtle with “chamber du hotes” apparently had closed. No one in sight at that place. We walked the village and found a hotel. A pretty standard hotel, but with a nice English speaking man behind the counter, and a fantastic surrounding. Grapevine plantings as far as you can see! This time our terrace didn’t go to the pool, but directly to the vineyard. You can imagine this place in the autumn, when you just could reach out your hand and grab a couple of grapes! ... read more