Sunday 10.3.2010


Colmar, France

There's a bright, sunny sky this morning in Colmar. We meet at 9:30 for our French breakfast of cereal, fruit, yogurt, juice, coffee, tea and, of course, fresh croissants. As we are planning our day, John decides that he really needs a day of rest so the other three of us (Pat, Mary and "Mademoiselle Monique Deneuve" – our GPS chick) take off to tour several of the small villages along the Route du Vin Alsace. This 90 mile long road winds through hundreds of vineyards and couldn't be more picturesque.

Our first village will be Eguisheim and after several passes through Ingersheim, "Mademoiselle Monique Deneuve" finally gets us there. These small villages are a mixture of French, German and Swiss architecture, several half-timbered buildings and each adorned with flowered window boxes. We take the loop road up the mountain to the ruins of Husseren Les Chateaux where the vistas are breathtaking. As we try to venture further up the hill, we are stopped by a marathon in progress and are forced to turn back.


Our next village is Kaysersberg, the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer. "Mademoiselle Monique Deneuve" gets us to the village without any problem but can't find Albert Schweitzer's house. We park next to a beautiful cemetery and wander the town stopping at an outdoor crepiere for deux crepe fromage (ordered by Pat in French). After lunch we stroll the main rue admiring the shops selling huge kugelhopfs plus other tasty pastries but pass on more treats.


Back in the car we ask "Mademoiselle Monique Deneuve" to take us to the WWII Monument known as Bloody Hill just north of Kaysersberg. This is a monument to the American divisions that helped liberate Alsace and has a fantastic view of the area including Strasbourg and into Germany. We know that the access is through the center of Sigolsheim but while "Mademoiselle Monique Deneuve" isn’t able to get us to the right road we manage to find it anyway and it is a spectacular view. Several of the nearby villages were destroyed by the Germans during WWII but the townspeople in Kaysersberg were able to save the 16th century bridge by digging trenches around the village for the Germans to prevent Allied tanks from entering. As villages were rebuilt after the war, gray tile roofs were used instead of the typical red tiles as a reminder of the damages of the war.

Back to Colmar and again after several passes through the village of Ingersheim, we find our B&B. Pat & Mary decide that "Mademoiselle Monique Deneuve" doesn’t really like them and would prefer that John be present for all other excursions.


Our dinner this evening is in the old town of Colmar on the patio at Café Swendi. We all order a Roesti of some sort which is a potato and cheese dish with other ingredients such as pork, ground beef, ham or different cheeses. All three are delicious and we all share.

We pause at an Irish Pub for a beer and meet three lads from England’s Midlands who are returning from a motorcycle trip to Hungary. We have a nice chat and are disappointed that they know about Iowa, but only have a vague recognition of Minnesota. We need better PR people. A walk around the town and back to our B&B and to bed.
We have been constantly using our little French/English dictionary on loan to us from our grandson Devin. Thank you, Devin!


Editor’s note: John, who has the dietary restrictions of a Billy Goat and the constitution of the USS Constitution, was benched for the day due to the cumulative effects of 17 European days. He has promised the coach and his fan that he will return at full strength tomorrow. (He did participate in the Roesti Feast tonight.)


Today’s weather: Sunny and warm, Low 55, high 74.