Colmar, Kaysersberg and Riquewihr

The girls and I posing in front of the building where our AirBnb is)

We had our first full day in Alsace today. After a bit of a late night last night, we let the kids have a bit of a sleep in this morning and I ventured off to the nearby covered market to find breakfast. I bought some fresh viennoisseries for breakfast and baguettes to make us some epic lunch sandwiches. I found l’Enfariné bakery stocked to the brim with interesting and delicious treats, and also grabbed some local apricots and peaches to go with the yogourt I had bought yesterday (and basically create Leslie’s version of the perfect French breakfast - fresh pastry, delicious yogourt and fruit and pots and pots of strong black coffee). Impeccable.

Brad took my baguettes and transformed them into sandwiches using some emmenthal, gouda and various charcuterie I bought yesterday, adding some dijon and tomatoes too. YUM.

We then (eventually, belatedly, lol) set out from the apartment to wander the streets of Colmar. Through the town there is a winding self-guided walking route through the old city that takes you down the streets of half-timbered houses. It is more or less clearly marked with gold triangles embedded in the sidewalks is a great way to guide you through the rabbit warren of streets that make up the medieval town.  

Gold markers lead the way through town. The sculptor Bartholdi is from Colmar and there are many examples of his work through the city.

 We didn’t quite complete the tour, but we did make it through about 4.5km of it and saw all kinds of interesting sights, super cute streets, beautiful Bartholdi statues and also stopped for a little bit in a beautiful park to enjoy our sandwiches.

Quaint streets of Colmar

After lunch, we headed to Kaysersberg, which is a village between Riquewihr and Colmar. And it is one of the most ridiculously cute little towns we have ever visited. As soon as we entered the old town, we immediately thought it looked like a movie set and no one would have been surprised to see Belle longing for so much more than this provincial life. ;)

Too many cute little spots in Kaysersberg to even post about

Zoe wanders away while mom continues to play paparazzi.

Still trying for one nice photo....2/3 is getting close....

The half-timbered houses of Alsace are straight out of a fairy tale - they are brightly coloured and at this time of year are also generously adorned with wildly blooming geraniums, vines and other plants.

We spent a couple of hours rambling through the streets and then Brad and Rosie decided to scamper their way up to the castle, high above the city. The Chateau de Kayersberg dates from the 13th century and is partially ruined, but still offers a spectacular vista across the Rhine Valley and into Germany. 

View from the castle tower down into the village

The two who made the trek

And one of the two who didn't

Zoe and I found a little cafe to enjoy an espresso and some sweets.

This doesn't even look like a real place where people live, and yet there is laundry hanging out to dry.

We were absolutely enchanted with Kaysersberg - and we weren’t alone - there were a lot of tourists marveling through the streets but it never felt too crowded, despite it still being high tourist season.

We then made our way to the town of Riquewihr, which came highly recommended from a number of sources and proved to be *almost* as cute as Kaysersberg. :) 

More quaint half timber houses in Riquewihr.

♥️

Tarte flambée, but make it healthy. Sort of.

We decided to spend the late afternoon/evening in the village and eventually found the Le Grognard restaurant for dinner (and to be fair it seems there aren’t a ton of options for dinner on a Wednesday evening in Riquewihr - seems to be a slower day for the town and a lot of restaurants weren’t open for dinner). We enjoyed ourselves though - more tarte flambée for me (with mushrooms and an arugula pesto this time) and Brad and the kids went for very adventurous burgers (in fairness the menu was mostly steak, burgers and tarte flambée), which they enjoyed as well. 

The forecast is looking good for tomorrow so the plan is to head out for a nice hike and maybe see another chateau or two (or four). :)