Colmar: A Town of Color and Charm
Located in the Alsace Wine Region of France, near the border of Germany and only a few hours from Switzerland, is a small town with medieval and Renaissance-style buildings, cobblestone streets, and endless French pastry shops and creperies that line its colorful streets.
After seeing pictures of Colmar on a few travel blogs, I knew it was a place I had to see - as we drove through France to get to Switzerland, we decided to spend a couple of days here to see if the real thing is anywhere near as beautiful as the pictures posted online.
We are happy to report that the pictures don't even do it justice. Not only are the streets as colorful and unique as they look in pictures but we also found out that the town is located on a wine route.
We got to Colmar late at night with just enough time to admire the gorgeous architecture of a few streets as we looked for a parking spot near a hotel we found last minute. Bryan got a bonus view of the town as he had to skillfully drive around its one-way streets about five times before finally finding one open parking spot near our hotel.
Because there can never be enough pictures of this town, also check out the Gallery of my early morning stroll through these gorgeous streets here.
The Alsace Wine Route
The next morning, after waking up to the smell of Franch pastries and the sound of the village bells, we decided to explore the Alsace Wine Route which stretches for about 170 km from Thann to Marlenheim, weaving through cute villages with mountain views from all sides.
We started our tour at the South end of the route, walking through one of the villages to find a wine cellar only to realize that the route actually starts in the next village.
Since many of the local wine producers don't advertise much, the best bet of getting to taste a true local wine is to walk through the villages to find a sign on someone's house that indicates that they have wine tasting or "dégustation de vins," similar to what we did in the Champagne region.
We got lucky in the next village of Thann where, thanks to Google Maps, we succeeded in finding a house where a kind gentleman invited us in to taste his latest Riesling from 2017. We sat at his kitchen table for about an hour, drinking a few glasses and exchanging life stories. He told us that we got lucky he was home since he just got back from working in the vineyard right behind his house. The vineyard sits on a hill with a slope steeper than 45 degrees, forcing him to do almost all of the work manually since there is no way to get any machines up there.
We learned about his family, his background, while his passion and love for the wine-making process exuded from him as he kept pouring us glasses of his liquid gold. He told us about an app for wine enthusiasts "Rue des vignerons." that lists the main wine regions of France and makes it easier to find the wineries and wine cellars there.
He advised us to visit the Cattin winery about 30 minutes from his house to also experience a place with bigger production in contrast to his production of only about 3,000 liters a year. We concluded our evening at this winery with a sample of a few more local wines ranging from Riesling, Gewurtraminer, Rose,
Pinot Noire, and sparkling wine and got back into Colmar in time to walk the streets in the remainder of the daylight that was left.
Tips for Visiting the Alsace Wine Region and Colmar
Allocate at least one full day to stroll the lovely streets of Colmar. I have also heard amazing things about Strasbourg which is on my list to visit and it is only about an hour north of Colmar.
Download the app "Rue des vignerons" to find wineries and wine cellars in any region of France and set up tastings or drive or bike on the designated wine route (you can get a map at any hotel in the area).
Open your heart to your own beauty sweet soul.
If we want to live from a space of honoring all of life, we must not forget to include our precious selves in that, to honor our physical incarnations and use them to immerse ourselves in the fun and joy that life offers us in many different forms every day... through laughter with friends, movement of this amazing body, observation of the beauty of people and nature, the deliciousness and nourishment of food made with love, the comfort of a hug. ❤ SO
Rue des vignerons