Where France Meets Germany

 

Our last stop in Alsace was Colmar, a beautiful city of about 70,000 that considers itself to be the "capital of Alsatian wine". It has a well-preserved old town including an area that is crossed by canals of the river Lauch. It is picturesque and therefore attracts many tourists. We were there on a Sunday and it was crowded.

This is where France meets Germany which is a mere 23 km (14 miles) away from Colmar. This results in a unique mix of the two cultures.

While Colmar is a lovely city, it's a bit of a let down after having visited the picturesque towns and villages of Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg (and there are many more). It is probably much better to visit Colmar before going on to the other beautiful places. 

I was quite taken by this decoration across one of the small canals.

Colmar also has its share of unique signs and gateways to hidden courtyards.

Looking down, we noticed these plaques in the ground. Of course we had to research it right there and learned that Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was born in Colmar in 1834. He designed Liberty Enlightening the World, commonly known as the Statue of Liberty (its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel who is so famous for the tower of the same name).

After strolling along the Quai de la Poissonerie (fishmonger's district), we eventually arrived in the area that is known as La Petite Venise (Little Venice), probably the part of Colmar that draws the biggest crowds.

Tourists can take guided boat rides here which many of them do. It can get pretty busy on the canal. Look at the swan swimming in the water - I think it's already obvious that he is not too pleased.

 

And he sure wasn't! He started to attack the boats passing by - you couldn't really blame him. There were so many boats going down the canal, what was a swan to do? This is his territory.

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Why do people have to get into everything? Isn't it enough just to look at this beautiful scenery?

We left Petite Venise soon after. We strolled a few more of the streets and alleys, found an ice cream place where we had a short break while enjoying this delicious cold treat. 

All over the old town I noticed these big purple pots that were planted with olive trees. I wouldn't mind having one of those. Purple was quite a bold color for this place, but it was a good choice.

We then left Colmar and went back to Germany. We stayed in Freiburg, less than an hour to drive from Colmar. I will tell you about this university town next Tuesday - this place has a special meaning for me. For now, I only show you my drink that evening in a local restaurant - a rosé wine called Weißherbst, typical for this area. With this I salute Elizabeth and Bleubeard for their T Tuesday!