2026-04-29 Gengenheim, Germany

Visiting the Black Forest in Germany is on everyone's list. Dale and Dave have found a town that sounds delightful. It's a bit farther, the car is cramped with 6 people and my scooter, so the trip of just over an hour will be less comfortable than we would like, but much cheaper than renting a 2nd car, especially with gas prices at over $9 per gallon. No lunches today as we hope to eat local specialties at a Gengenbach restaurant. 

Today, Dale and Dave walk to our local "Epicerie" (small grocery store) which has been closed since we arrived (Easter vacation, we think) and should be open today. These small grocery stores are a feature of many small towns. They stock a small assortment of canned goods, dairy, and fresh foods. They receive daily deliveries of breads & croissants from a local supplier. Dave and Dale are successful and return home with croissants which we eat with our strawberries. 

Dave leaving our épicerie with croissants

Breakfast finished, off we trot with Dale at the wheel. Once more neither French nor German customs agents were interested in seeing out passports, so crossing the Rhine was a piece of cake. Dale has planned a route directly to parking near the Tourist Office.

 It's a pay lot, so we have to figure out how to use the machine that takes your money and gives you a ticket to put in the window. Easy, right? Not so much. Eventually, we purchase 1 1/2 hours which along with the free 30 minutes, gives us 2 hours.

One of Gengenbach's medieval towers, Kinzigtor

Again it's a beautiful day, warm in the sun, a bit chilly in the wind. We walked the short block to the Tourist Office which is not handicapped accessible but where there is a WC, a first stop for everyone but me since there are steps to a basement level. Oh, and entrance requires 50 centimes, well worth the cost. 

While the rest were getting information from the Tourist Office, I was able to check out the outdoor market in progress on Rathaus Platz in front of the Tourist Office.

Trucks and stalls selling all kinds of fresh foods to the locals. These markets are as much a social occasion as a shopping trip.

Dale asked in the Tourist Office about handicapped WC and got a key (after giving the clerk his driver's license) and rather vague directions. Dale and I wandered around for several minutes in the direction given with no luck. Dale went back to ask for better directions and we were very kindly escorted to the WC by the man from the tourist office. It was well-hidden which seemed rather odd, until the man told us that the Tourist Bureau was located there until 3 years ago at which time it moved to its new and easier to find location. Finding the hidden WC was problematic, but the help we received was extremely kind.

This sculpture of characters from Fasching (pre-Lent carnival season) stood just outside the door to the WC. 

Success at the WC and Dale's license retrieved, we were ready to head out on the walking tour of Gengenbach's Altstadt (old city), which is described as very popular, fairy-tale, and full of medieval buildings. It's also home of the world's largest Advent Calendar. It doesn't disappoint except for the Advent Calendar (more later).

The Altstadt sits inside the medieval fortifications which can still be seen in its towers and remaining sections of wall.  From Rathaus Platz, the square in front of the Tourist Office, the main street, Viktor Kretz Strasse, runs down to the 2nd medieval entrance to the city, Obertor.

16th century "Roehrbrunnen" fountain. The knight is leaning on a shield emblazed with the coat of arms of Gengenbach.

At the end of Viktor Kretz Strasse, this gate marks the second entrance to the Altstadt.

Remains of medieval town walls

Gengenbach lays claim to the largest Advent calendar in the world. The Rathaus has exactly 24 windows and each day at 6 pm during Advent, one new window is illuminated to show a new artistic picture. Unfortunately, right now the Rathaus is covered in plastic and scaffolding, undergoing restoration. We don't have a single photo of this plastic-enshrouded building.

Gengenbach Abbey was founded in the 8th century by a Benedictine abbot, and played a large part in the life of the community during the middle ages until its secularization after the Revolution in 1803. Today, the Stadtkirche Sankt Marien (St Mary's church) is the town church while the former abbey building is used for university classes. The abbey's herb garden backs onto the town walls and is a pleasant spot to walk or sit. The church is open and worth the visit. I don't recognize the style, but information says it's a combination of Gothic, Romanesque, and Baroque. Whatever the style, the church is impressive. Every inch is covered in paintings, floor to ceiling. 

Gengenbach Abbey seen from the herb garden

Abbey building with church on the right

Interior of St Mary's church

Every inch of wall and ceiling is painted with Bible stories

The altar is overwhelmingly ornate. 

Next to the altar is a sign posted made by this year's first communion class. It says: You are my communion friends 2026 with handprints of the new communicants.  

The title says: "These are my Communion friends"

We were only half way through the walking tour by lunch, so we found a lovely restaurant on Viktor Kretz Strasse that had local specialties on the menu. Our waitress, who spoke really good English and was very friendly, told us this was only her second day of work at this restaurant. She tolerated us with good spirits. 

Lynn & Kim in front of the Pfeffermuehle (PepperMill) restaurant where we ate lunch

We ordered white asparagus with Hollandaise sauce and some sort of tomato & pickle vinaigrette to share. Then we each ordered flammkuchen, a very flat pizza with white sauce, onions, and bacon bits. (In France it's called Tarte flambée.) These are specialties of the Black Forest, worthy tastes of the local cuisine. (And delicious)

Lunch finished, we resumed our tour. We walked back streets full of half-timbered houses - just what we came to see. 

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Back at the main square, the market is done for the day, but there's a bakery where we can buy Black Forest Cherry Cake (Schwarzwalder Kirsche Torte), another item on our German tasting agenda. The crew came out with a very large cake box. They had bought half a cake for our dessert tonight. This was considered to be 6 pieces. The boys grilled sausages for dinner. Dessert followed.  Luckily German desserts are not as sweet as American desserts.

We could only eat half of  the half-cake we bought. Two layers of chocolate cake separated by layers of cherry filling and whipped cream. Everyone pronounced this cake delicious, but rich.

2026-04-28 Colmar Encore & Walk around Logelheim

 

When last in Colmar, we did not have time to finish the walking tour. This morning we will do that. An easy morning outing that is less than 20 minutes away by car.

Of special interest is the area of Colmar called "La Petite Venice" (Little Venice). We found street parking just a block away from the river Lauch, a small river running through Colmar. 

A tourist shop near the bridge overlooking the Lauch River

When we got to the river, it was immediately obvious why this is called Little Venice.

The French-Germanic version of Venice

Our plan includes a boat ride through Little Venice in a flat-bottomed boat, the Franco-Germanic equivalent of a gondola

The boats are accessible so Lynn will also take this trip.

Loading the boat with help. Kim, Dave, Clark, Janis

These boats have an oarsman, just like Venetian gondolas.  Unlike gondolas, they are powered by completely silent motors. 

a flat-bottom boat and the oarsman behind

The 25-minute ride, narrated in both English and French, takes us up and down a short section of the Lauch River within Colmar. 

Except for the half-timbered buildings, this could be Italy. On the right is the Indoor Market with its red-fenced cafe area. Good place for coffee, I think.

We went under several bridges, warned ahead to lower our heads. 

Our guide tells us that the colors of the houses tell you the occupation of the owners: blue for fishmongers, white for bakers, yellow for cheese makers and green for market gardeners. 

We had no idea that the house colors had any significance. 

As the banks became greener with vegetation, the houses got bigger denoting the wealthier neighborhoods along the Lauch.

Houses along this stretch of the Lauch were set back from the river and hidden from view.

The whole crew: Lynn & Dave, Dale & Kim, Clark & Janis

Our next target is the covered market. (Marché Couvert) In many larger cities in France, there is a year-long indoor market with permanent stalls for butchers, bakers, cheese mongers, wine sellers etc. We wandered the market without purchasing anything (or taking a photo of the inside of this market - hard to believe). 

We wandered into the main part of the old city where all the Easter stalls were now closed. 

In places, very oversized pots held small trees or bushes. Very useful for places where trees planted in the soil would not be practical. 

This planter is almost as tall as Kim

We've seen several ways that mail is delivered in cities - none of them by car. We've seen bicyclists with saddle bags, walkers pushing small 4-wheel "strollers" with mailbags instead of baby seats. This mail carrier has a 3-wheeled bicycle with a box behind. I expect this type of vehicle is for delivering small packages as well as mail.  All of these suggest that France is serious about limiting vehicle emissions. We've seen so many bicyclists of all ages in town and country and so many city delivery services also use bicycles. So many cars are hybrids or electric. And so many cities, especially old ones, have extremely limited parking and passable streets certainly makes the decision easier. The fact that gas is more than $9.00 per gallon certainly also contributes to the increased use of foot power rather than horsepower. 

Lots of postal delivery people seem to be women. A good way to get in your steps each day!

We came home for lunch (only a 20 minute drive) and in the afternoon, a group of walkers explored our village of Logelheim. The first thing Dave saw was a poster for a beer fest in early May. 

Dave had to hustle to catch up with the rest of the group after stopping to study this fest sign.

Logelheim is small and rural - a farming community. As is usually the case in French cities, the farmsteads are in the village and the fields are outside the city limits. Farmers drive their tractors to and from their fields. Animals (if any) live in barns that are often attached to the farmhouse. With a population of just under 1000 residents, this village has become a bed-room community for those working in Colmar. Farmers and local service providers make up only 10% of the working community.

Logelheim is only a few streets

Farming has been the primary occupation since the middle ages

This in-town farmhouse is located on the right, barn on the left, machine shed in back

Tractor parked in the courtyard of the farm complex

It has been dry here (beautiful weather for tourists but not so much for farmers) So farmers are watering their fields in preparation for planting. 

Having the delineation between village and cropland makes everything more picturesque for some reason. These paths are great for walking as testified by Kim who walks these paths twice a day. It's a great place to be staying. 

Path along the Ill River

As an aside, the house we are renting is the last one in the village, with good reason. Our host René is a retired farmer and his son now runs the farm, whose fields abut this house as well as the retirement home of René and Dominique.

2026-04-27 Riquewihr & Ammerschwir (wine tasting)

 

We'll start the day at Riquewihr, a Plus Beau Village on the Route de Vin (wine route), not far from Logelheim. 

Logelheim to Riquewihr (pronounced ree-ki-vire)

Thanks to its location in a cul-de-sac NW of Colmar, Riquewihr escaped bombing in WWII, thus maintaining the medieval character of their village center. It is one of the most visited villages in France.

We parked outside the inner city and walked a block to the entrance at the Hotel de Ville. Once inside the perimeter of the old city center, one is carried back to its medieval roots. 

Hotel de Ville - aka City Hall

Looking through the archway of the Hotel de Ville

Some how I cannot resist taking photos of the wisteria hanging from some of the buildings. It's at its height of flowering and we're lucky to see it in full bloom. So please forgive the pretty flower photos. 

Some houses still sport their Easter decorations.

One building is prettier than the next. Cafés and wine shops alternate with tourist shops on the main street. 

sign for  Hugel wines

more wisteria

a colorful cafe

One of the shops is Kathe Wohlfahrt. Fifty years ago when we lived in the Stuttgart area, Kathe Wohlfahrt had a store in the basement of her house where she sold lovely German Christmas ornaments. It was a favorite place for the IBM Sindelfingen American assignee wives. We still have many Christmas decorations from those years. She was obviously successful. I remember shopping in a Kathe Wohlfahrt store in Rothenburg in the 1990s. She has clearly expanded - and so has her inventory.

Kathe Wohlfahrt's Christmas all year round store

Inside Kathe Wohlfahrt's store

Towers and walls give evidence of the medieval fortress that was Riquewihr. 

Dave & Dale keeping watch

And of course, there is no end of half-timbered houses and one view is prettier than the next. 

But this house is a puzzle. What were they trying to accomplish?

 

While visiting the church, we came across two Alsation staples, storks, and memorials to the fallen in WWII. These memorials are always sobering, not only for the loss of a town's youth to war, but also the men conscripted by the Germans to fight against their families at home.

The storks on the other hand, bring joy and new life and add to the happiness of the Alsatians.

We came back to the house for lunch. In the afternoon, Janis, Clark, Dale, and Dave drove to Ammerswihr for a wine tasting at the Domaine Kuehn. This winery was recommend by "the Queen of Wine" Laure, who organized the Bordeaux wine tasting week that Janis and Clark participated in. Not only was the wine wonderful but the house had historical significance. In December 1944 and January 1945, WWII was raging and the town of Ammerswihr was 90% destroyed by Nazi bombs. The Kuehn family sheltered more than 100 people in the 17th century cellars of the winery during this time. They also hid artwork from the church and other valuables in their cellars to protect them from damage and looting.

Janis & Clark in front of Kuehn's winery

The winery sign

The Kuehn family has owned this winery since the 17th century. René Kuehn, the last to bear the Kuehn name, expanded the family's exposure in the wine world. 

Grandpa René Kuehn

Today, his grandson, Nicolas, continues the family's wine ventures. And he was the host for our wine tasting crew. 

Clark, Dave, & Janis tasting Kuehn wines

This was a favorite

Not only did our crew taste wine (and buy some) but they visited the caves to see how the wine was made. Barrels of 10,050 liters, smaller barrels, and modern stainless steel vats are all used in the wine making process. 

The big barrels - 10,050 liters

Dave talking with Nicolas

While Alsace is famous for their white wines, the group agreed that this Pinot Noir was one of the best they had ever drunk.

Alsatian Pinot Noirt

Back home for aperos and dinner of grilled pork tenderloin and an early bedtime finished our day.