Nov 22 – Colmar, France
Remember in my previous post that I said the best laid plans always have a surprise for you, just to get you stressed and upset? Now here we were in Basel, Switzerland, all excited to embark on the first day of our Rhine River Cruise. Our itinerary began at Basel and ended in Amsterdam, Netherlands – with stops along the way.
It had been raining for several days prior to our arrival, and the Rhine River was swollen too high for ships to transition through the locks downriver to get to Basel. Ugh!
So, AmaWaterways booked us overnight accommodations at a hotel near the airport in Basel. The following day we were bussed to meet the repositioned ship in Ludwigshafen, Germany – three hours away. That meant we missed two port stops – one in Breisach, Germany and the other in Strasbourg, France. To break up the drive, we stopped at Colmar, France as a last-minute substitute excursion. Fortunately, Colmar was an excellent choice as the little town was like a real-life postcard of a place ready for Christmas.
Colmar is a small town located in the Alsace region of northeast France. The Alsace is where France meets Germany, and ownership of the region has been passed back and forth between the two countries over the years. That’s why today it has a unique blend of French and German influence, as evidenced by the half-timbered style homes:
In addition to its immaculately preserved architecture, Colmar was also home to Auguste Bartholdi, the famous sculptor who created the Statue of Liberty, among many other amazing works. In his honor, a replica of Lady Liberty is located at a roundabout entrance to the town. The house where he was born and worked still exists and is now a museum.
As we walked around I was caught up in a photography frenzy. It was a very festive place and it seemed like each house and building was a Christmas showpiece as well as a place to live or do business. The whole town was adorned with wonderful illuminations and decorations for the holidays, just begging to be photographed:
Get ready, it’s all pictures from here on!
Ornate wrought-iron signs hung over the streets to show what was for sale:
Colmar’s Little Venice is where we found picture-perfect rows of half-timbered houses painted in pastel shades of pink, yellow and sky blue running alongside the canal:
The Christmas magic really emanated from the city, and this stop turned out to be a great replacement for the two we had missed. Fortunately we were able to make it back to one of those from a later port stop – more to come on that story.
As the French would say…
Next up: The Rest of our River Journey
Comments
7 responses to “A Slight Change in our Itinerary”
Beautiful pictures!
What a beautiful place. Not bad at all for an alternative stop.
Oh, yes, Colmar sure seems like an excellent alternative. All the Christmas decorations and houses are so beautiful. And Little Venice with the colorful homes is so pretty. Glad things worked out with the change of plans.
This was the perfect post to read this morning as I enjoy my coffee in front of the fire on a chilly winter morning. What an interesting, colorful little town! Although unexpected, it was a very festive detour for you guys. Thanks for sharing your fun photos. Merry Christmas, dear friends!
What a fun and festive “save” for the interruption in your itinerary!
Switzerland has a lot of character. It is a wonderful place to visit. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your trip during the holidays.
At least this “alternate” stop was beautiful and cheery, perfect for the holiday season. My “people” were all from that area in Alsace so I really appreciated all your beautiful pictures.