Eguisheim, France
Voted favorite town of the French in 2013, Eguisheim is surrounded by gentle hills covered with vines.
In the heart of the Alsace region, the town flows with its concentric circles, interesting alleys, and multicolored houses.
Stork’s nests sit on chimneys. Geraniums flow out of window boxes and pots. Half-timbered houses with their balconies fill the narrow streets.
Take some time to explore the town and the wines.
For us, it was a side trip from Colmar, only 5 km away.
Housed in an elegant 17th-century residence in the heart of Colmar’s Little Venice, Jean-Yves Schillinger’s canal-side restaurant impresses with its style and substance. This Michelin two-star restaurant delighted us throughout every course.
As for the food, Schillinger’s style marries whimsy with technical brilliance. Every course was a delight, first for our eyes and lastly in our bellies.
Our amuse bouche was an array of stuffed olives presented on a olive wood tray with an olive branch hanging over it. Yummy and pretty.
The soup course was almost too pretty to eat. Tomato broth, olive oil, and vegetables and edible flowers…melt in my mouth.
What appears to be an egg in an egg shell was not. The bite of creamy custard was the perfect palette cleanser.
As a complimentary dessert tray, these bites disappeared quickly.
This experience was our highlight of the day. Be sure to check out JY’s if you are in or near Colmar. By the way…reserve ahead and arrive hungry.
So many places have interesting doors. Here are a few from Colmar, France
A few of our favorites from Colmar, France…
I’m not sure you can find an ugly building in the center of Colmar. As you get closer to the Quai de Poissoniers, nicknamed Petit Venice, you will find a row along the canal of picture-perfect houses. Many are half-timbered houses painted in shades of pink, yellow, and sky blue.
Some of these buildings date back to the 14th century. Many survived multiple wars, seemingly unscathed. This was the old merchants’ quarter where tanners, butchers, and fishmongers lived.
The story goes that different colors were used to display different types of businesses. If you were a fisherman your house was blue. A butcher would have a red house.
Other buildings offer a mix of French and German influence. Half-timbered, storks nests on the chimneys, and signs displaying what the home or building was once for are common along all the main streets and back alleys.
This is a great town for walking.
In the summer this area will be filled with tourists taking pictures, riding the flat-bottomed boats in the canal, and relaxing with a glass of wine or beer at one of the many sidewalk cafes.
Want less people? Head to Colmar in early May or late September.
The little 45 km long river runs from the Vosges and crosses the town of Guebwiller, before entering the Alsace Plain. It flows into the River Ill in the outskirts west of Colmar. At the crossing of the Krutenau district, the Lauch was used by the market gardeners, fishmongers and tanners who passed through there in small, flat-bottomed boats.
We walked along the canal, taking in the beauty of the flowers and decorated houses and buildings. Stork’s nests sat atop many chimneys and roofs. Every now and then we would see a nest perched on a gate or fence post.
Storks have been a part of Alsace for centuries and are thought to be symbols of happiness and good luck. A program started in 1983 brought storks back from being threatened to a successful repopulation.
Our trip took us to Colmar, a town in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, near the border with Germany.
Spices at the market in Colmar.
Like most towns, Colmar has a Saturday market. This one is indoors, in a building designed by architect Louis-Michel Blotz in 1865. Local products, fruits, vegetables, meats, and more are only part of the attraction. Located inside and spilling outside to the Lauch River is a bar and terrace.
Shop for your produce and stop for a drink. Coffee, wine, or both…
The market building is located at 13 rue des Ecoles, in Colmar.
This church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and acclaimed as a Gothic masterpiece for its sculptural decoration and architecture.
Parts of the building are much older than the gothic period, as the romanesque nave and transepts are from the 1000s.
Later gothic additions like the choir ambulatory and facade are masterful in the way they help form a unified whole.
The historic relics of Reims’ patron saint are inside: Saint-Remi was the bishop noted for baptising Clovis the King of Franks around the turn of the 6th century.
At the site of 900 years-worth of royal coronations, it’s almost mind-blowing to think of all the historical figures that have passed through.
Before you enter see if you can find the Smiling Angel in the north portal of the west facade.
It’s a 13th century sculpture with its own story to tell, as it was beheaded during the German bombing in 1914 and the fragments became a famous piece of anti-German propaganda within France.
The Smiling Angel is one of a small army of sculpted figures on the facade, more than any other cathedral in Europe apart from Chartres.
And finally for art lovers, in the apse you can find stained glass windows designed by Marc Chagall to replace those damaged in the war.
Remembering Reims, France and all it has to offer. These are a few highlights from our trip last year.
Reims is a city in northeastern France’s Grand Est region. It’s the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, and many of the champagne houses headquartered there offer tastings and cellar tours. For more than 1,000 years, French kings were crowned at its Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims. This grand cathedral is known for its stained-glass windows and Gothic carved portals, including the Smiling Angel.
