T is for Fairy Tale Town

 

Can you see the stork?

As I told you in my last T post, Alsace has many charming villages and small towns. One of the most popular without any doubt is Riquewihr. Tourists come here for its historical buildings; Riquewihr hasn't changed much since the 16th century. That, of course, is its charme and it is difficult not to be attracted by it.

Since I remembered it as a pretty crowded place, we planned our visit in the morning. We didn't have to look long for a parking spot and then made our way to the old town center.

This is Rue du Général de Gaulle where 90% of the crowds can be found. It leads to the upper town gate behind which are parts of the fortifications.

Since none of us liked the crowds, we explored the little alleys away from the main drag. As soon as we left this busy street we had the cobbled streets with the half-timbered houses almost to ourselves. And as you know, I really love those narrow alleys. They have so much character and don't need to be "proper" for the tourists.

We found another part of the old town wall in a forgotten corner.

Look at these beautiful shutters! It does make you think of gingerbread houses, right? Do you see the swallow nests? This reminds me so much of my childhood, when the swallows would build their nests under the eaves of our appartment building, right above our windows. I'm not sure which swallow I photographed in the second picture, I think it's a barn swallow, but I can be so wrong. David to the rescue, please! (Boy, was I wrong. David just let me know that this is a Common House Martin. Thank you, David!)

We discovered old wells that were merely decorative nowadays, old roof gables and gates that offered us a view into beautiful courtyards.

I loved the many shop- and restaurant signs. Announcing your business with these signs is an old tradition that you also find in Germany and many other European countries.

There were old doors and shutters, a simple and beautiful way to hang street lights and doors that were hiding behind an abundance of roses.

More courtyards...

You really feel like being in a fairy tale when you walk these little streets.

Look at this owl!

Eventually we ended up at the main street again for a last photo with my two favorite people. Without them, this would have been only half the fun.

We left Riquewihr to go on and visit Kaysersberg which has far less tourists than Riquewihr - and has always been my personal favorite. Pictures will follow in a later post, but since we are here gathering for Elizabeth's and Bleubeard's T Tuesday, I want to show you the glass of Riesling I had for a late lunch in Kaysersberg, accompanied by tarte flambée, of course. Cheers - or "Prost" as we say in German - to Elizabeth and Bleubeard!