Paris in the springtime

After a somewhat restless night, we had a leisurely breakfast with Mom & I meeting Foy and Cherie joining us later. We then walked into town, admiring the half-timbered houses, making our way towards “Petite Venise”. Mostly spared from the destructions of the French revolution, the cityscape of old-town Colmar is homogenous and renowned among tourists. An area that is crossed by canals of the river Lauch (which formerly served as the butcher's, tanner's and fishmonger's quarter) is now called "little Venice" (la Petite Venise).

Colmar is the third-largest commune of the Alsace region in north-eastern France.It is the seat of the Prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department and the arrondissement of Colmar-Ribeauvillé. Colmar is situated on the Alsatian wine route and considers itself to be the "capital of Alsatian wine" (capitale des vins d'Alsace). The city is renowned for its well-preserved old town, its numerous architectural landmarks, and its museums. Colmar has a sunny microclimate and is one of the driest cities in France, with an annual precipitation of just 607 mm (23.9 in), making it ideal for Alsace wine . It is considered the capital of the Alsatian wine region.

The dryness results from the town's location next to mountains, which force clouds arriving from the west to rise, and much of their moisture to condense and fall as precipitations over the higher ground, leaving the air warmed and dried by the time it reaches Colmar.

After petite Venise, we visited the Église Saint-Martin.

We then wandered through town, had a nice dinner and called it a night.

Bon nuit

After breakfasting in the hotel. We paid one last visit to the Cathedral and the beautiful stained glass as it was a beautiful sunny day. Many more tourists joined us as the weather was far less inclement than the previous day.

Astronomical clock in the Cathedral

Last view of stunning, enormous cathedral

We then walked to the quay to begin our canal tour of Strasbourg & "la petite France."
La Petite France (also known as the Quartier des Tanneurs; "Tanner's Quarter") is a historic quarter of the city of Strasbourg in eastern France. It is located at the western end of the Grande Ile which contains the historical center of the city. At Petite France, the river Ill splits up into a number of channels that cascade through an area that was, in the Middle Ages, home to the city’s tanners, millers & fisherman, and is now one of Strasbourg's main tourist attractions. Petite France forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Grande Île, designated in 1988. The name Petite-France ("Little France") was not given for patriotic or architectural reasons. It comes from the "hospice of the syphilitic" (Hospice des Vérolés, in French), which was built in the late fifteenth century on this island, to cure persons with syphilis, then called ("French disease") in German.

We departed for Colmar in the Alsace region along the route de vin or wine road. Along the way we stopped at Riquiwihr, a charming village which Mom remembered from one of her many trips to France that she wished for us to experience. We’re so glad she did. It was as if the village was frozen in time. Charming and truly Alsatian in character.

Alsace is a cultural and historical region in eastern France on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany & Switzerland. From 1982 to 2016, Alsace was the smallest administrative région in metropolitan France consisting of the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin departments. Territorial reform passed by the French legislature in 2014 resulted in the Grand-Est.

Alsatian is an Alemannic dialect closely related to Swiss German, although since World War II most Alsaitans primarily speak French. Internal and international migration since 1945 has also changed the ethnolinguistic composition of Alsace. For more than 300 years, from the 30 years’ war to World War II, the political status of Alsace was heavily contested between France and various German states in wars and diplomatic conferences. The economic and cultural capital of Alsace, as well as its largest city, is Strasbourg. The city is the seat of several international organizations & bodies.

Riquewihr is a commune Haut Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.A popular tourist attraction for its historical appearance, it is officially one of the most beautiful villages in France, or les plus beaux villages de France located on the Route des Vins (the Wine road), close to Colmar.

Riquewihr is only 11 kilometres (7 mi) from Colmar and minutes from other Alsatian villages such as Kayserberg, the home of one of Dad’s heroes- Albert Schweitzer.