Colmar, France

We spent our first night in Alsace in Colmar at the St. Martin Hotel. Although some rooms are very elegant, we paid for a standard room and we were lucky enough to get a room in the roof loft. The walls were tilted and the dark wood beams reflected the old architecture of the building. It was very quaint which means there was only one outlet and the bathroom was small. The shower stall was the size of a phone booth. Bending over to pick up a dropped bar of soap caused the shower doors to fling open splashing water all over the floor. Maybe we’re crazy but we love small, quirky hotels.

A bitter cold December night did not stop us from leaving our warm hotel room and strolling along cobblestone streets that wove around old buildings. We were in the historic section of Colmar, Petit Venise, so named because of the canals that run through the town. All of Petit Venise is picturesque with canals and streets intertwining but one spot is incredible. We reached the bridge that crosses the Lauch River on Turenne Street. The mist rose from the river, snowflakes gently danced in the cold, blue accent lights from the half wood-timbered Romantik Hotel reflected on the canal, the snow blanketed roofs, and church bells serenaded us. It was perfect, filled with old-world charm. I have a habit of hurrying through life but this time I couldn’t. Corny, but I had to stop and take in the moment. Then, from under the bridge, lazily floating on the water, appeared two swans. Are you kidding me? I couldn’t believe it. It was too perfect, an illustration from a Grimm Brothers fairytale. I totally expected to see the seven dwarves on their way home from a day’s work. There are so many places for me to visit, I doubt I will return to too many places . Colmar is definitely on the "return to" list.

Fairy Tale Setting

A replica of the Statue of Liberty (39’), sits in the middle of a traffic circel right outside Colmar the birthplace of Bartholdi, the sculptor. It was dedicated in 2004, on the 100th year of Barholdi's death.

Maison des Tetes (House of Heads) -

Head sculptures carved into stone decorate this old house