Colmar - a real life fairytale
Even though we live so close to the French border we don't really go to France very often. I could honestly count our visits on the fingers of one hand. A couple of weeks ago I googled French cities that are within 3 hours drive from where we live, and I was surprised to find some real gems. And the planning for our French weekend could start!
Colmar (from the Roman Columbarium) was first mentioned in 823 in a charter of the emperor Louis the Pious. It is a charming city on the Alsace Wine tour with specialization in Riesling and Gewürztraminer. The wine produced there is really good!
As the city is at the beginning (or the end - depending from which direction you come) of the Alsace Wine tour it is well known among tourists and always crowded. We arrived to the city in the afternoon and I was literally not able to get to the bridge to take some photos so we decided that we will spend the rest of the day walking around, relaxing and drinking wine, and so we did.
On Sunday we woke up at 6 am and went to the old town again hoping that there won't be so many people around. And we were right! We only came across some runners and a couple of photographers. It was perfect!
Let's check it out!
ISO 160 1/100 sec. f/7.1 24 mm
Colmar is well known as 'the Little Venice' which is the name given to the course of the river Lauch in the city. There are many bridges across the river from where you can admire colorful Alsace houses.
ISO 100 1/125 sec. f/7.1 24 mm
You can go on a boat trip but when I saw the queue on Saturday afternoon, I didn't think it was worth it. Of course, you would get to experience a different perspective from the boat but it's pretty impressive from the ground too.
ISO 100 1/125 sec. f/7.1 24 mm
From the Little Venice we went to see the Fishmonger district which is just a few minutes away. It was interesting to walk through the city so early in the morning as we saw people who live there watering plants, cleaning windows (why would you clean windows so early anyway?) or reading newspapers (yes, I'm that crazy person looking through the windows). It was a completely different city and I enjoyed it much more than the day before.
ISO 100 1/125 sec. f/7.1 24 mm
And here is the Fishmonger district!
This is the place where most of the professional fishermen and boatmen of Colmar lived in the past. In 1706 a huge fire destroyed more than forty houses in the district. These houses were restored in the period between 1978 to 1981.
ISO 100 1/100 sec. f/8 24 mm
On the other side of the bridge is the popular covered market hall. It was built in 1865 and renovated in 2010. It's home to many stalls selling local products, fruits and vegetables. It was obviously closed this early in the morning but we saw it on Saturday and I can only recommend visiting this place if you get a chance to come to Colmar.
ISO 125 1/100 sec. f/8 24 mm
Each bridge was decorated with beautiful flowers. It was raining during the night so everything looked fresh and vibrant in the morning.
ISO 160 1/100 sec. f/7.1 26 mm
ISO 160 1/100 sec. f/7.1 29 mm
Here are some examples of various houses in the old town...
There are so many streets and you can easily get 'lost' in the city for hours.
ISO 200 1/125 sec. f/8 24 mm
All these places would be buzzing with life in a couple of hours.
ISO 250 1/100 sec. f/7.1 32 mm
The Koïfhus is one of the historically most important buildings in the city. The house built between 1433 and 1480 used to be the former custom house. It was supposed to be demolished in the 19th century due to the bad condition but luckily it was renovated instead.
It had various functions over the centuries (for example - warehouse, school, discount bank, etc). Today, it is used for manifestations and other public activities.
ISO 100 1/100 sec. f/8 32 mm
There are small canals around the city. It makes you feel like you were in a fairytale. It's one of the most picturesque towns that I have ever visited.
ISO 100 1/100 sec. f/8 24 mm
Now it's time to get back to the hotel, pack our clothes and drive towards a castle. But I'll tell you more about it next time 😊
ISO 100 1/80 sec. f/8 36 mm
I hope you have enjoyed our visit of Colmar.
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Martina
ohhh wow... this is stunning... and even though you revealed a "secret" of how you get those pics with no one in them; I still think its absolutely beautiful! The colors give it life and make it look like its a set a Disney Picture instead of a real world place that people actually live. Very good eye spotting this gem Martina, your life is fantastic with all the wonderful places to visit! :)
And ps... I wanted you to know that you have me thinking of what kind camera I should get so that I can take a few pics of where I live. I'm still just thinking though ;)
Hahaha, I knew you would pick on this one! :) I really don't do it often as I usually don't go to such touristy places. I truly didn't know there would be so many people in the afternoon. It was something that I haven't seen for a long time. I imagine Asian cities being like that. You can't move and you can only walk with the crowd.
But usually I'm too lazy to wake up this early. It wasn't easy but I was determined to show it to the world and that's why I pushed myself to get out of the bed at this inhuman hour :D
That's a great news! I hope you'll choose one soon! I don't know about your photography experience but I have a D750 and I love it. It's not that pricey and it's amazing..
haha.. yes, I'm with you on that being an inhumane hour! You get an extra hundred +'s for that one!
A+++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++
There is an 'Alsace' Township near were I live, but not resembling anything like in your photographs unfortunately. Our once large Dutch/German population here is probably how the area got it's name...The French influence here is/was relatively small.
I've never been to the US so I cannot judge but I wouldn't expect anything like this there, simply because the country is too young. And when the europeans came there I don't think they wanted to build on their own culture. They wanted to create something new. At least this is how I see it and I might be completely wrong :)
Where exactly do you live now? If you don't mind sharing of course :)
The older structures built here in the U.S. are largely of mixed architectural persuasion in my opinion, and copied from mostly European sources. More modern buildings seem to include a personal touch by it's designer.
As to where my actual abode is, I try to be less open about such things on social media sites for obvious reasons.
I hope all is well with you my friend.
Indeed looks like a fairytale city with all those colorful houses and flowers everywhere. That was smart taking photos early morning, I'll remember this little photographer's trick :) can't wait to see the castle. Beautiful!
Posted using Partiko iOS
It's funny that we live so close to Alsace and had truly no idea how beautiful it is there. We drove through many villages and all of them had the same style of houses so it's really the entire region that is like this..
That is a good trick! I do it very often when it's too crowded. I want people to focus on important things in my photos and not on the chaos :)
I’ve seen the city on Instagram before but always thought it was only a street or two. It’s definitely made my bucket list now that I know it’s the whole town!!! Thanks for sharing 😊
Awesome photos by the way
Yeah, people focus on the little Venice but there is so much more to see in the city. It's much bigger than I expected. And there are so many restaurants and cafes. It's really an enjoyable city and it's great that you put it on your bucket list :)
Thank you for stopping by!
How were the restaurants and cafes btw? Anything special about them or just normal French cafes or restaurants(not that that’s a bad thing)?
Posted using Partiko iOS
To be honest I didn't try any French cuisine as I'm vegan so there was not much for me. But I've checked the menu and it's typical Alsace food - sausages, ham, sauerkraut, cheese, tarte flambee, and so on. People seemed to enjoy it.
I was however surprised to see that there were quite a few vegan options in many restaurants so I enjoyed it a lot.
Fair enough! Thanks 😊
Posted using Partiko iOS
Very good contribution and beautiful pictures :) tank you for sharing
What a gem of a find. It is like walking into a fairytale. You stepped back in time. I would drive my husband nuts in a place like that. It's great they have worked to keep it looking the way it is. To rebuild the houses in the same fashion rather than 'modernizing'
It's kind of usual here to keep the old architecture and renovate it. It attracts a lot of tourists and of course it keeps the traditions alive. And I really love it. It's indeed like a fairytale.
Why would you drive him nuts? :) with your enthusiasm? :)
This is an absolutely fascinating place, and your photos are fantastic! I wonder how I never heard of it before. Now I'll not forget :) Colmar like a famous brend ;)
Posted using Partiko Android
Hahaha, I've never heard of it before and I live so nearby. It's a small city and I was surprised to see hundreds of tourists there. It was really crowded and I didn't hope for empty streets in the morning.
I hope that one day you'll be able to make it there! You can also go on the whole Alsace wine route up to Strasbourg. That is a cool city too!
Thank you, dear Martina, I also hope that I'll live till the time I manage to go there and explore that wonderful region. Besides, wine route is what I definitely like! )))
Wow Martina! Is this city ever picturesque. It looks more like a movie set than real life. Gorgeous.
Exactly. I was also surprised to see how beautiful it is :) Thank you for stopping by, my dear!
Opravdu jak v pohádce :) Nádherná architektura.
Wow what a beautiful and colorful city. That is so fun to find such a gem and so close!