We arrived by train in Colmar early Friday, left our bags at the hotel and, after enquiries at the office de tourisme, caught a bus to Eguisheim, about 20 minutes away.
We met a Chinese girl from Shanghai on the bus and crossed paths during the day. She was lovely...very serene...and so happy to chat with us English-speakers. She is a writer/illustrator and is staying in the Colmar region for two weeks. She doesn't speak French and, in this region, there is very little English spoken...almost all French and German. A brave journey for someone from such a different culture and without the local language!
Eguisheim has been voted one of France's favourite villages and is part of the Alsace wine route. It is known to be the birthplace of Pope Leo IX, born there in 1002. Tiny cobblestoned streets; houses painted a rainbow of colours and garnished with lush window boxes; doors framed with creeping vines...very pretty. The food, both savoury and sweet, has a german influence - tarte flambée, bretzels (shaped like a pretzel, but a sweet doughnut or a savoury pastry covered in cheese), flammekeuche, fleischknacke, choucroute. The stork is an emblem of the Alsace region and features in children's books and legends of the area. In one of the photos you can see the stork nests atop the church bell-tower and a chimney on the neighbouring building...from time to time the storks would stand, stretch and call out with a rat-a-tat-tat kind of clicking sound.
We stopped for lunch, thrilled to share the terrasse with a Border like Pearl...
2 comments:
Love to see all the photos, but especially the best photo of all - the Pearl look-a-like! Fi
Hi Sally & Brent, The 'photos are great - how lovely are those window boxes. Seems like you have had a couple of very interesting days, and a border to add to the interest. Love, L&G
Post a Comment