On Friday (May 20th) I took the train to Colmar, France en route to a weekend trip to meet my friend Cheryl in Switzerland. Colmar sits 2.5 hours NE of Paris and is considered the capital of the Alsation wine region. Since it is also in close proximity to Germany and Switzerland, many people speak German as well. It is also the hometown of Frederic Bartholdi, the designer of the Statue of Liberty. These things I learned while I was there. I am assuming I drank Alsace wine when we sat down for a lovely lunch :)
It was actually Cheryl's recommendation that I take the train to Colmar because 1) It was less expensive than going into Zurich (She did save me quite a bit for which I am very grateful) and 2) She said it was a charming little town and we could spend the day there. When I went to buy my tickets at the train station the girl at the counter also told me I would enjoy the town and they were both correct! The only catch was that I had to take a 6:30 a.m. train from Paris which meant I was up at 4:30 a.m. that day (something that has not happened since I arrived here) :) The train station in itself was also quite remarkable.
The town's grandest landmark was this amazing church "Eglise Saint Martin" which looked like something out of the medieval times. The architecture was stunning in a very gothic way. It was quite impressionable. Many streets are still cobblestone and the framing of the houses utilize timber and very colorful paint on the exterior. I am assuming that was the style of the era and is quite picturesque.
A river runs through it (River Lauch) which is tenderly referred to as La Petit Venice (Little Venice) because there are many little cafes alongside it and they offer gondola rides along the canal. Towards the end of the day, we sat to enjoy a nice cup of coffee and also the amazing views.
We spent a lovely day in Colmar and I am glad I got to see a bit of the countryside of France (although I still LOVE Paris!!)
Avec L'amour de Paris
I love this little town! How do you know Cheryl?
ReplyDeleteIt was incredibly charming Girlfriend! Cheryl worked for us at the Residence Inn MB a few years ago in the Sales Department. Her husband then got a great opportunity to move out to Switzerland for several years, with his company. I believe they are just after two years there now and can stay up to five. I always said I would visit her when I had the chance to come out, so glad I did! :)
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