Yesterday we (Solli_K, PBer Carolyn and myself) took the 7:20 train to Colmar, just 20 minutes south of Strasbourg.Another one France’s “La Petite Venices”.
And much like visiting charming Annecy. Or Strasbourg. Little bridges, little boats. People eating happily along the river. There is a free shuttle bus from the train station into town making all the essential tourist stops. They predicted rainy drizzle all weekend and we come prepared, but soon the sun came out with just the occasional spritz. Nothing serious… We went first to the marché couvert/covered market to see what local Alsatian dishes we are supposed to eat like freshly-picked local grapes. It’s harvest time in the vineyards. There are many. Like kougelhopf and cheesy pretzels. Charcuterie and jambons/ham is king here. And jam with bonnets/hats. It’s nice to go to a town where your name is on the water bottles. We ate along the river at La Fleur de Sel. They served regular salt. No sign of the special Brittany chunky salt from the Guérande, but still our lunch was yummy. I had a salad of local Muenster cheese on toast, with fresh figs, and pine nuts. Alsace is also famous for its charming red, dotty pottery. I succumbed and bought a small bowl. And its local birds like egrets, swans (I missed the one that passed by during lunch along the river but spotted a live egret in a stream later). And of course its lucky, local storks.which I did not get a good shot of or see. I also didn’t get to taste any of my favorite cinnamon Christmas cookies, Etoile la cannelle…a good reason to return to Colmar. Then we headed off to the unpronounceable, unspellable, tiny village of Niedermorschwihr. Also know as Ferberville or jamville as I call it. More adventurous tales to come… Backtracking to the train ride to Colmar, I brought along very small paintboxes this trip hoping I would at last get myself to paint on the train. It worked! RIP Queen Elizabeth II 💜 But I had no proper royal purples or violets. In Colmar we searched out a tiny craft shop with a very limited supply of watercolor, but they actually had mauve and violet🤸♂️💜so I tried again back in our room.
One of my favorite museums is there: Unterlinden. Also love the Alsatian wines produced in the vicinity of Colmar.
ReplyDeleteWe stayed 4 days, took a tour of the wine road and one that followed the mountain ridge. We stopped at a vineyard and the family harvesting grapes for wine gave us a juicy bunch from their vines. They were delicious. Such interesting history of land that moved from Germany to France and back again.
ReplyDeleteAnd now is part of France. I’m going toget some of those divine fresh grapes tomorrow! A rare experience to be sure
Deleteya got me. must check a map.
ReplyDeleteGood idea! I will show a map 🗺 tomorrow
Deleteyou went to Colmar. I had friends who brought into the US sports clothes from Colmar. Very expensive. And for a couple of years they made jackets for below freezing and dressed the SF football team.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos - lovely town
ReplyDeleteWe camped several times in Ville as my grandfather was born there. Hiking trails are numerous and package trips from Colmar with inns and meals included are reasonable and enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteYes. Colmar ski clothes were supreme. Lovely fit. I worked in a ski shop in Vail, Colorado so I got first choice when clothes were delivered. Happy to actually see the Colmar village live through your column. Thank you. Betty Anne
ReplyDeleteBeautiful town, Carol! How lovely to see when the weather is good and the flowers are in bloom. Looking forward to your visit to Maison Ferber. ❤️
ReplyDeleteThat salad looks divine! Have been to Colmar many years ago, and to Kaysersberg. Felt like walking through parts of Disneyland!
ReplyDeleteColmar looks lovely & your photos as always are super. Love the first one with all of the red hearts. Even with all the ice cream you always seem to eat healthy. That salad looks very tasty. Have fun.🗼❤️
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice looking place! Would love to visit one day. I agree the toasted cheese lunch looks great. Glad you got the red spotty bowl, the pottery all looks fun. The Royal purples do look much better, a very representative portrait of the Queen, I think you captured something there (speaking as a royal subject myself….here in Australia!).
ReplyDeleteAhh…Thanks Kirra coming from a royal subject, your opinion s mch appreciated. Didn’t she dress to perfection to match her rank and grandeur? She knew how to wear color to a T.
DeleteWe are just returning from Annecy, another French canal city! France is so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI am a definite Paris person (been there 9 times, most recently this past May), I don’t know where Colmar is. love your blog, and I take copious notes to use for my trips there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane,
DeleteA trip to Colmar and surrounding villages in Alsace is so doable from Paris.
your travels...encourages me. Time to remove the chains I put on my dreams for so long. I understand my reasons for those chains..but I KNOW I removed them this past week!
ReplyDeleteSo time to do more Of WHO I REALLY AM!
Merci.
Beautiful towns and rivers. The photos of the farms look our Northwest farms of California.
ReplyDeleteWe stayed in Colmar for a few days in 2000 and I loved the charm of it and some of the surrounding villages. Still remember eating tiny mussels in one of those restaurants by the river.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother Matilda was from Alsace, so we did spend time in Colmar, Strasbourg and Nancy! It was fun seeing the nests for the storks on the rooftops and those finely sculpted metal shop signs for the shops! I, too, am inspired by your first photo of the red hearts and imagining ways to incorporate them in my valentines next year! We ate one of our dinners of sausage, sauerkraut and potatoes along the canal, too! Disneyland doesn't compare to the real "fairy-tale lifestyle in Colmar! Your cinnamon-star cookies are on my list for this Noël! Merci pour a petit voyage to Alsace this morning, Carole!
ReplyDeletelooking forward to hearing about Ferberville! I'm sure you will give it the attention it deserves!
ReplyDeleteI love Colmar, and agree with the writer above re Musée Unterlinden. You must go back at Christmas market time and see the decorations and night light shows —extraordinary! Thank you for a trip down memory lane!
ReplyDeleteGreat water colour of Queen Elizabeth Carol.
ReplyDeleteAs always I love reading about your travels and looking at your photos..
This was such a fun trip! When we got back to Paris I didn’t eat dinner so at 3:00 am I am sitting on my bed eating Christine Ferber’s raspberry jam on top of her heart gingerbread cookies😆😆😆. The buildings were so charming and the vineyards growing down the hillsides were beautiful!!
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DeleteWe had such fun Carolyn! And you were such a good sport eating escargot for the first time ever 👏👏👏
Oooh I love this - I stayed in Strasbourg for a while but had a choc full itinerary. Someone had mentioned that I had to get to Colmar but I ran out of time in the end. Time to go back!
ReplyDeleteLooks like such a wonderful place to visit.Lardons and onions..Yum!
ReplyDeleteAnd your salad:)
ReplyDeleteLovely watercolor of the Queen, you captured her sweet smile ❤️
ReplyDeleteNancy
I LOVE that you painted on the train. And she is lovely! And so is Colmar!
ReplyDeleteI love to go in this beautiful village as soon as possible and to visit C. Ferber home.
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