Colmar, France

Everyone knows of Paris, but did you know that there are so many small villages in France that have a charming feel untouched by modern development?!?  In our opinions, these are the places to travel, the cities off the beaten path; where the English language sounds so alien to the French that they give you the stink eye, and your French isn't legit enough to help you order a croissant. This weekend we explored a few of these little French towns.  We started off with the enchanting town of Colmar.  

We stayed at an Ibis hotel, halfway between Strasburg and Colmar.  It was perfect for our needs, just a tad bit bigger than a room on a cruise ship.  We really like staying at Ibis hotels because they have gated lit parking, so no need to worry about anyone snooping or breaking in to steal your GPS. Jordan took a photo of me in Normandy in the exact same room, and so I made him pose like my photo.

When we entered Colmar it felt just like being in the States.  Just kidding, but really there is a replica of the Statue of Liberty at the entrance to the city.  The locals are proud that the artist who designed the glorious statue: Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, he was a native of Colmar.

We started off our visit at an outdoor market.  St. Josephs market is where locals go to for fresh produce, cheese, flowers and anything fresh.

 These are a few of my favorite things-flowers that look like they are made of paper mache!

The Alsatian region of France is known for Munster cheese, which is a pretty strong tasting cheese. They recommend that we try "baby munster" to see how mature our palates were; and let me tell you, it is STRONG STINKY cheese (and best eaten with a baguette)!

After the market we headed to the center of town, but first, in case you want to get to Europe, it's that way!

Walking down the streets truly makes you feel like you have stumbled into a storybook, seriously, the real town of Beauty and the Beast.  People are waking up to say Bonjour!

I love this quaint town. The colorful half timbered roofs and the shutters are my favorite. 

We took a Rick Steve's walking tour that started us out in the center of medieval trading activity at the Customs House, where delegates of the Decapolis would meet and sort out trade issues.  We love the fancy green rooftop tiles.

Under these archways is a statue of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, he's got his hand raised up just like his famous Statue of Liberty. 

17th century walls that protect the city

The Tanner's Quarter with half-timbered commotion of higgledy-piggledy rooftops are where hide tanners once competed for a sunny space to dry their freshly tanned hides. 

 There isn't a straight street in Colmar, but it is a lovely town to get lost in. 

I I "heart" these windows! Cute, cute, cute!

We walked through the old market hall where they sell produce, fish, and lots of specialty items.  It's worth a look, and a place where you can grab a snack.

They sell awesome looking bretzel sucrè; a sweet pretzel.  It is a reminder to me that there is some German influence in this part of France. 

The famous shot of Colmar that is all over Pinterest is in La Petite Venise.  

A perfect day for a boat ride...

...and the perfect photo-op!

I just love these houses, the window shutters, flower boxes and all!

The Mansion Pfister is a beautifully decorated half-timbered house.  The owner displayed his wealth for all to enjoy, or to envy!  The walls are hand painted and the man on the side of the house is a drape maker, holding a bar that was used to measure one meter.  

There were lots of merchants here in the towns heyday.  Merchants Square is a scenic intersection, and so picturesque that the ruler of Malaysia had an exact replica of it re-created in Kuala Lumpur. 

We checked out the Maison des Tetes (The House of Heads) which is another cool merchant house. It was built by a winemaker and is decorated with 105 faces and masks. 

I love the old sign of the butchers store with the traditional maiden chasing a goose about to be force-fed.  Check out what the sign is hanging from, the beak of the chicken!

Okay, starting to get hungry, but we saw a few more things before eating a great meal...St. Martin Cathedral

The Unterlinden Museum is the place for all medieval architecture fans.  The Isenheim Alterpiece is a 16th century altarpiece that depicts the crucified Christ pitted with plauge-type sores. 

There are some really pretty altar pieces to see

Lot's of old historical pieces of art

...and more modern art...so there's a piece for everyone to enjoy

When we got out of the museum we were hungryyy, stomachs rumbling and all.  Apparently other people were hungry too, since everyone was eating lunch.

For lunch we each had a tarte flambée, which is an Alsatian and South German specialty.  A flambée is a really thinly rolled bread dough, covered in crème fraiche; on ours we also had bacon, potatoes and mine had mushrooms.  

 Vuala!

Needing something sweet after our savory déjeuner, we had a tarte au rhubarbe meringuée.  Yumm!

Overall we had a perfect trip to Colmar.  Loved it!

Next stop on this fun weekend trip: Eguisheim~