Monday 2nd October 2023

Bergheim to Colmar

It’s time to pack the boots away and have 4 days seeing the sights of Colmar and then Basel before heading off to the Black Forest.

Trading our country retreat for the big city atmosphere we jumped in a cab , without Jane’s hat, which is probably sitting on the head of a different local cab driver. Soon reached the regional capital of Colmar , it is a city of almost 70k people which is a tad different to the towns with 1-2k we had been staying in recently.

We ended up in an aptly named Grand Hotel which was across the road from the major railway station and only a 10 minute walk to the city centre.

No room was available and Little Miss Pleasant on the desk suggested we come back after 3pm. At least we had a ‘left luggage’ room to drop everything off.

Headed into town with a lot of grand old buildings around the place before reaching the tourist precinct. Tourist was the operative word with the place absolutely packed- just the sort of big town experience I detest.

Looks as though Asia has now discovered Europe along with a healthy smattering of Yanks. The Asians were madly clicking their way through town, with hardly a photo opportunity not being occupied by them taking selfies.

The town has a strong attachment to the US mainly by virtue of one of Colmar’s most famous residents Auguste Bartholdi being responsible for design and construction of the Statue of Liberty New York. As a renowned sculptor he left his mark throughout the town.

His famous statue above ,depicting 4 of the major continents , was dismantled partially by the Germans in WW2 and then reconstructed in 1958.

The Cathedral was again a major stopping point for tourists and like many in France it was under renovation on the outside and had a large queue to visit inside.

The architecture was again the dominant feature of town with the Phister house one of the oldest and grandest. Last time I heard that name was the US tennis player Hank.

The old converted Customs House was as old but nowhere as grand. Being in the wine region the industry was well represented by the La Sommeliere building, where the treats could be sampled and purchased. Bartholdi even had a Museum we hoped to visit tomorrow

The tourists here take their animals everywhere and in different forms of transport . The variety of dogs is particularly amazing.

A lot more kids here around town, than in the wine region and they seemed to be enjoying the city as much as Mum and Dad. I found one little fellow calmly washing his bike in a fountain, under the distant but watchful eye of his parents.

Our major port of call was the renowned Little Venice which was similar to the area in Strasbourg .

The tanneries and fish merchants plied their trade through history and then their buildings were converted into picturesque canal side residences. The local school playground even abutted the canal.

Quasi Gondoliers motored tourists up and down the canals in punts. One was full of an Islamic group who all ducked into the praying position to miss hitting heads on the low level bridge.

Another ran right up next to where we chose to have lunch where Jane had the meal of the trip – a tasty seafood stew.

After lunch we took in more of the town, including an obligatory visit to the Xmas Shop where Jane got a photo opportunity with a local identity.

We stopped and listened to a couple of talented street musicians and on crossing one of the bridges in town came across the tradition of lovers attaching locks to them.

Also took in some more Bartholdi sculptures including two wine inspired ones. One depicting a soldier who vanquished the Hungarians and supposedly introduced the Tokay grape variety back here and another of one enjoying his wine.

The last part of the day was simply taking in the beautiful buildings around town before wandering back through large parks, one with a huge water tower, to the hotel to book in and have a rest.

We headed back out in the evening in search of a light meal and to see the city in a different light. We were also keen to see if the 1900 carousel might have been working so Jane could have a ride and overcome a childhood fear. Sadly it didn’t open on Monday like many other places.

The city outskirts were almost deserted with the majority of restaurants and shops closed. It was different in the middle of the city with the minimal bars and restaurants that were open overflowing and people being turned away. We managed to make a booking for tomorrow night before finding an outside cafe to have a dinner comprising an Aperol and some ice cream dessert. Light but not particularly healthy.

Seems our day was centred around Bartholdi and there is more to see of him tomorrow.